Check my wiring

[dominicangreen]

They are water heater timers specifically made for 240, and I've use one on 240 for several years. Just can't remember if the white wire goes to 3 line, or A.

yeah what rives said you should put a 15amp braker for that wire at least do that brakers about $7-10 bucks..running on 240v the wires going to the lines on timer are both powers running 240v only so from what i know red or white can go on 3rd line if the wires are coming from the double braker.they both are power just make sure you ground both the sub panel to the timer this should be the bare coper wire to the frame of timer and make sure the main panel is also running ground wire to frame of sub panel or to bus and from bus to timers frame its the screw by its self tipicaly color green screw

hey bro good luck hope your up and running soon,DG

 

[dominicangreen]

anything else hit us up..

 

[JG's Ghost]

So.I hooked it all up the way you suggested with the green ground going to the grounding bar in the sub panel, and at the timer the white wire going to 3 line. flipped on all the breakers starting at the main, flipped the switch on the timer to on and.........nothing. Had a 1000 watt MH bulb in the cool tube. NO vibration, or any indication that the ballast is getting power. Went to use my multimeter to see where the power stopped, but it's dead to. So tomorrow my first stop will be Radio Shack to get a new multimeter. It's also possible I have a bad ballast I guess. They are brand new.

JG

 

[rives]

Did you try the manual over-ride on the timer? I know that it is pretty easy to get out of sequence on the trippers until you either wait 24 hours or make a full circuit of the timer by hand.

 

[dominicangreen]

also turn on breaker in sub panel..maybe breaker in main panel is no good.
another thing is your ballast swithable hps/mh? what is it? i had a conversion bulb do this once and the
ballast didnt ignite

 

[JG's Ghost]

I made sure all the breakers were on starting at the main panel, and then the sub panel. Yes the ballast is switchable. It's a no name piece of equipment.

You think it might start with an hps bulb in there instead of a MH?

Yes I used the manual over ride. Haven't even touched the time flippers yet.

This is frustrating. I've hooked these up before with no trouble.

JG

 

[JG's Ghost]

yeah what rives said you should put a 15amp braker for that wire at least do that brakers about $7-10 bucks..running on 240v the wires going to the lines on timer are both powers running 240v only so from what i know red or white can go on 3rd line if the wires are coming from the double braker.they both are power just make sure you ground both the sub panel to the timer this should be the bare coper wire to the frame of timer and make sure the main panel is also running ground wire to frame of sub panel or to bus and from bus to timers frame its the screw by its self tipicaly color green screw

hey bro good luck hope your up and running soon,DG

There is no red wire. Just Black, White, and green. I've got the timer grounded to the sub panel,, and the sub to the main, but with a green wire not a bare one.

JG

 

[JG's Ghost]

Since its switchable I'm going to just plug it into a 110 plug, and see if it works. That will tell me if its the ballast, or my wiring. Seems as good a place to start as any.

JG

 

[JG's Ghost]

also turn on breaker in sub panel..maybe breaker in main panel is no good.
another thing is your ballast swithable hps/mh? what is it? i had a conversion bulb do this once and the
ballast didnt ignite

Its supposed to be switchable MH/HPS, and 110/220. I wonder about that.

JG

 

[JG's Ghost]

yeah what rives said you should put a 15amp braker for that wire at least do that brakers about $7-10 bucks..running on 240v the wires going to the lines on timer are both powers running 240v only so from what i know red or white can go on 3rd line if the wires are coming from the double braker.they both are power just make sure you ground both the sub panel to the timer this should be the bare coper wire to the frame of timer and make sure the main panel is also running ground wire to frame of sub panel or to bus and from bus to timers frame its the screw by its self tipicaly color green screw

hey bro good luck hope your up and running soon,DG

I've got 20 amp breakers in there now. What would be the point of going to a lower amperage breaker?

JG

 

[cheeched]

That ground should actually be landed on the neutral buss with a bonding screw tying the buss to the can.

Actually, you do not land the ground wire on the neutral bar on a Panel board/sub-panel..Only at the main panel neutral buss..
The neutral buss at the subpanel carries the unbalanced loads and thus will carry current back to the main panel..If you bond this neutral at the subpanel it will also energize anything in the system when traveling back to the main ground..

 

[rives]

I've got 20 amp breakers in there now. What would be the point of going to a lower amperage breaker?

JG

Ummmm.....this?

To start with, your conductor size is too light. For a 60 amp breaker, you need #6 wire, and for a 20 amp you need #12. The timer appears to wired correctly - the T104 uses the "A" terminal if you are going to drive the timer with 277v. Your hot wires (line side) go on 1 & 3, and your load wires go on 2 & 4.

Or maybe this?

This is absolutely incorrect. If you are only going to be running one light, and want to stay with the existing wiring, go to a 15 amp breaker and a 50 amp main. The breakers are not there for when everything is running healthy - if that were the case, you could run everything off of your 200 amp main and call it good. Breakers protect you from a ground fault or a sustained overload. In the case of a ground fault, it will try and pull everything that the utility can source, limited only by the circuit impedance, until the breaker trips. A sustained overload can pull substantially more than the breaker rating for far longer than you would believe even on a brand-new, in-spec breaker. Check out the following link for the time-current curves for clearing time on new GE residential breakers. At 200% loading, it will take a minimum of 15 seconds for your breaker to trip, and a maximum of nearly 2 minutes.

You're giving me the impression that I have been seriously wasting my time here, bro.

 

[rives]

Actually, you do not land the ground wire on the neutral bar on a Panel board/sub-panel..Only at the main panel neutral buss..
The neutral buss at the subpanel carries the unbalanced loads and thus will carry current back to the main panel..If you bond this neutral at the subpanel it will also energize anything in the system when traveling back to the main ground..

The picture that I was referencing was his main panel, not the sub. You also would not use the bonding screw/jumper on the neutral buss of a sub-panel.

 

[cheeched]

Glad you cleared that up rives..Good job!..Us sparkees have to bond together (pun intended)hehe...

 

[JG's Ghost]

Ummmm.....this?



Or maybe this?



You're giving me the impression that I have been seriously wasting my time here, bro.

So you're saying everything is wired right you just don't like the choice of my wire sizes, or breakers Since I am only going to be running a single 1000 watt light off of the circuit do you really think the wire, or breaker size will make a difference? After all I will be way below the specs for either wire size. I've used these same wire sizes in other grows, and had no problem up to, and including 4 1000 watt lights with 4 20Abreakers for each light, and a 60 amp main.

I'm not here to discuss wire, and breaker size. I know the sizes I have work. What I am trying to figure out is why the damn thing wont power up instead of wasting MY time arguing with you about wire, and breaker size. I get your point about keeping your breakers as low as you can so that if a problem occurs your breaker will trip as soon as possible, and I may do just that, but first I want to get everything running.

So. I'm going to do what I said. This is supposed to be a 110/220 switchable ballast so I'm just going plug it into a regular 110 15 amp wall out let, and see what happens. If it works then there is something wrong with my wiring. If it does not then it looks like I have a bad ballast.

JG

 

[rives]

Yes, your obvious level of electrical expertise comfortably allows you to ignore the NEC. You don't own a functional tester, you are having difficulty trouble-shooting one of the simplest circuits in existence, but your knowledge and experience tells you that your protection is fine. Once again, breakers are not there for when everything is running well. Good luck.

 

[dominicangreen]

i always use the ground on all panels not neutral ground.in case you was to get shock will touching a ballast the ground serves as a outlet so the volts has a place to go.this is what i always thought?the ground i'm talking about is burried in the ground it limit the voltage imposed by lightning, line surges, and contact with higher voltage lines
i most of been doing something wrong all this years then..ooops!

 

[the_extremist]

So you're saying everything is wired right you just don't like the choice of my wire sizes, or breakers Since I am only going to be running a single 1000 watt light off of the circuit do you really think the wire, or breaker size will make a difference? After all I will be way below the specs for either wire size. I've used these same wire sizes in other grows, and had no problem up to, and including 4 1000 watt lights with 4 20Abreakers for each light, and a 60 amp main.

I'm not here to discuss wire, and breaker size. I know the sizes I have work. What I am trying to figure out is why the damn thing wont power up instead of wasting MY time arguing with you about wire, and breaker size. I get your point about keeping your breakers as low as you can so that if a problem occurs your breaker will trip as soon as possible, and I may do just that, but first I want to get everything running.

So. I'm going to do what I said. This is supposed to be a 110/220 switchable ballast so I'm just going plug it into a regular 110 15 amp wall out let, and see what happens. If it works then there is something wrong with my wiring. If it does not then it looks like I have a bad ballast.

JG

Your choices violate the NEC. Which can be the difference between you being liable in the event of a fire and not. Roll them dice if you want to, brother.

Just so you know, though, it's less than $20 in breakers at Lowe's. Seems like cheap peace of mind to me. Probably less if you can find a re-conditioned electrical equipment wholesaler.

 

[JG's Ghost]

Yes, your obvious level of electrical expertise comfortably allows you to ignore the NEC. You don't own a functional tester, you are having difficulty trouble-shooting one of the simplest circuits in existence, but your knowledge and experience tells you that your protection is fine. .

Actually I went out, and bought a new tester today. I never claimed to be an expert electrician either. I get by with what I have, and a little help from friends here. Harping on about my wire is too small, and my breaker too big is a help, but does not solve the immediate problem, and will not cause any problems during the testing phase.

I posted the progress of the wiring installation as it was ongoing. Why is it now, when I have it all put together you choose to say something? Never mind. You will just keep going on about the wire, and breaker sizes which even a novice like me knows will not affect the flow of electricity to the bulb. All I want right now is for the damn thing to light up. I'll deal with breaker, and wire sizes before I get everything turned on for good

Once again, breakers are not there for when everything is running well. Good luck.

And once again I got it., and will deal with it , but first lets get it running. Is that OK with you?

You must have missed this part .

I'm going to do what I said. This is supposed to be a 110/220 switchable ballast so I'm just going plug it into a regular 110 15 amp wall out let, and see what happens. If it works then there is something wrong with my wiring. If it does not then it looks like I have a bad ballast.

I cant think of a faster way to troubleshoot the problem. Can you?

JG

 

[JG's Ghost]

Your choices violate the NEC. Which can be the difference between you being liable in the event of a fire and not. Roll them dice if you want to, brother.

Just so you know, though, it's less than $20 in breakers at Lowe's. Seems like cheap peace of mind to me. Probably less if you can find a re-conditioned electrical equipment wholesaler.

If I get busted by the NEC that will be the least of my problems. Besides I have fire insurance coverage. I know the price of breakers , and can trade in the ones I've got at HD for smaller ones. Wire is a different story, and I had enough trouble get the 8 4 through the race way.

Now! Does anyone have any suggestion on how to determine why the ballast does not seem to be running thus not lighting the bulb?


JG