Growroom Electricity and Wiring

[rives]

Hey Rives I posted this in the design forum but I think I'll try here .


I have a fan speed dial controller I'd like to use to slow down the fans on a 2 fan coil unit to make the fans quieter I don't need them full blast anyway . I tested it and it does work to what I was looking for . Is this ok for safety ?

The fan motor is a : Fasco 1/15hp , 1550rpm , 2.1A , model : JA2R258N#

I tried researching to see if the Motor was brushless or not . .

If it worked, it should be fine. From what I've seen of incompatible ones, they make a lot of noise and run erratically, if at all.

Make sure that you set the minimum speed high enough that the fan will start after a power failure. If you have the fan running and slow it down to a given setting that you like, sometimes you can get the speed low enough that the motor won't develop enough torque to get the fan moving from a standstill.

 

[eebbnflow]

If it worked, it should be fine. From what I've seen of incompatible ones, they make a lot of noise and run erratically, if at all.

Make sure that you set the minimum speed high enough that the fan will start after a power failure. If you have the fan running and slow it down to a given setting that you like, sometimes you can get the speed low enough that the motor won't develop enough torque to get the fan moving from a standstill.

i will do that , thanks Rives

 

[Snydgrow]

Hello everyone

Was hoping could get some advice I will be creating a journal in grow room designs but thought I'd ask here about my wiring concerns first as this main job il need help with hopefully someone can

I'm in the U.K btw and this is my junction box.


And I want to install a premade junction box in the bedroom that il buy of eBay.



I will only be using growroom electricity in the house no other electrics will be used in the house so my question is could I wire into a breaker all ready in use like cooker etc?

I will be burning 6000W in lights then fans etc also running at same time and a heater on during lights out.

Thanks in advance if anyone can help.

Snydgrow

 

[beanja]

What voltage is your lighting ? If it is 120 volt then you will have to feed your room off a 60 amp breaker.

 

[Snydgrow]

Hi Benja

Thanks for reply, they are 240v what size cable would be needed also?

Snydgrow

 

[Jhhnn]

Hi Benja

Thanks for reply, they are 240v what size cable would be needed also?

Snydgrow

6000w of lighting is really more like 7000w of load because of ballast inefficiency.

If you install a 40A breaker on #8 copper wire at 240v that's 9600w. You need to de-rate that by 20% for continuous loads, so you'd have 7680 watts available, an adequate safety margin with some leftover for fans. If you need to run AC to hold temps down you'll need to do it on a separate circuit or step up to a 60A #6 copper feed to your bedroom panel.

 

[Snydgrow]

6000w of lighting is really more like 7000w of load because of ballast inefficiency.

If you install a 40A breaker on #8 copper wire at 240v that's 9600w. You need to de-rate that by 20% for continuous loads, so you'd have 7680 watts available, an adequate safety margin with some leftover for fans. If you need to run AC to hold temps down you'll need to do it on a separate circuit or step up to a 60A #6 copper feed to your bedroom panel.

Ok I understand so all I would need to get is a 40amp breaker could I remove the 30amp breaker for cooker and replace with 40 amp also feed in wire from bedroom to breaker and when you say #8 what size is that in mm in U.K 4mm , 6mm 10mm wire etc.

Thanks

 

[Jhhnn]

Ok I understand so all I would need to get is a 40amp breaker could I remove the 30amp breaker for cooker and replace with 40 amp also feed in wire from bedroom to breaker and when you say #8 what size is that in mm in U.K 4mm , 6mm 10mm wire etc.

Thanks

You want 4mm, per this chart-

https://www.andersonpower.com/_global-assets/downloads/pdf/conversion.pdf

I encourage you to research it further because there may be more to it than wire diameter. The number of strands of wire in a cable also affects the ampacity. You can get more UK relevant answers searching for info than I will.

 

[iTarzan]

Hey guys I have a question.

I have an existing 30a 110v outlet. It has a female plug rated for 30a. The kind that has the 1 round hole and 2 big flat slots that on on an angle. It is like for a motor home to plug into. It was wired by professional electrician. It is wired with 10-2 AWG 3 wire. It has a 30a breaker in the main panel in the basement.

I have a 70a 2 space 4 circuits sub-panel box (Square D HOM24L70SCP). Here is a link. It shows the inside of the sub-panel on the bottom of the page so scroll down if need be.

https://www.kellaninc.com/square-d-homeline-70a-indoor-circuit-breaker-load-center-hom24l70scp

I bought two 15a breakers to put in the 2 slots it has for breakers. I used 10-2 AWG 3 wire just like the electricians did for the plug. I thought I could power both breakers with the 3 wire; I was thinking one of the power (live) screws at the top of each breaker would power both breakers. I have found out that the only breaker that gets power is the one that has the black live wire in the screw above it. If it is in the right side screw above the right slot breaker that breaker works and the outlet plug attached to it has power. But the left breaker outlet does not have power. If I switch the live wire to the left screw then the left breaker and outlet works but the right one doesn't. So I have them individually wired correctly to power each 15a breaker but they don't work at the same time together.

Did I need to use 4 wire from the male plug (that I plug into the 30a female plug) to the sub-panel so I had 2 power live wires to use for each breaker?

Can I use the one live wire in the 3 wire to power both breakers by making a jumper wire from one screw to the other? Or do I need to use 4 wire to power both breakers in the sub-panel?

Is there a way to do this without buying 40 feet of 4 wire and starting over. Would a double pole breaker solve the problem/\.

I want two 15a 110v 2 plug outlets coming out of the sub-panel.

 

[rives]

The sub-panel that you purchased is 120/240, so it has separate feeds going to the downstream breakers. I would just jumper the two terminals together and feed them with the hot wire coming from your main. However, it is not code compliant to terminate two wires with a single lug. I can't tell from the picture if the stab that feeds the breaker is an integral part of the lugs, or if the lug is separate. If they are separate, you should be able to find either a "double barrel" lug that will have individual set screws for each conductor, or two separate lugs that will stack easily. The concern about using a single lug with one set screw and two conductors is that you may not get adequate tension on one of the wires, and wind up with a loose connection.

 

[iTarzan]

What is the stab and what is the lug?

I will jump it.

 

[iTarzan]

You are saying that the jumper wire and the main live wire would be two wires under the same set screw (LUG)?

 

[rives]

The lug is the set-screw terminal that the feed wire goes into. The stab is the piece that the breaker clips onto and provides the breaker with power.

No, to be code compliant, each terminal (lug) can only connect one wire unless it is specifically designed for 2 (or more) wires, in which case each wire would have a separate hole and set screw. The feed wire should have it's own lug, and the jumper wire should have it's own, and then they can be bolted together onto the buss work feeding the breaker. Alternatively, special lugs are available like below for two wires.

Examples -
https://solarconduit.com/shop/media...33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/0/5/051-03330w_3.jpg

https://www.gordonelectricsupply.com/tsimages/IISCOLC00001_127_TE_003.jpg

 

[iTarzan]

I just checked. The stab and the lug are a single piece. It has a screw in the middle that holds them down on the plastic case.

 

[rives]

Lugs are universal (well, other than this panel...), but they will not have the stab on them - what you have is a proprietary Square D product. Square D may make a double lug for the panel, but it is unlikely. Your options are pretty limited with that panel that would be code compliant.

 

[iTarzan]

I am going to jump what I have. I will get a good connection with a twist and mash splice. LOL!

Thanks Rives.

 

[rives]

Good luck. Wiggle the wires around after you have the set screw tightened and make sure that you don't see any movement on either wire when you are looking up into the lug from the opposite direction that the wire is fed in from.

 

[iTarzan]

I had a perfect size scrap piece of the same black wire in the 10-2. I made the jumper. It is all very secure. Codes be damned! It works now. All is well. 15a could take 1800w. I will have a 1000w light/ballast and a 60w fan on one outlet and a 400w HPS, 400w LED and 60w fan on the other. Plenty of room to spare for some ancillary stuff like timers. Also room for replacing the 400w with another 1000w light.

 

[rives]

15a circuits won"t take 1800w continuously - you have to de-rate the circuit to 80% (1440w) for loads that last 3 hours or more. This gives some headroom to eliminate nuisance tripping due to manufacturing tolerances, ambient temperature, and voltage swings.

 

[iTarzan]

Thanks! I am at 1060 so I am good.