Growroom Electricity and Wiring

[Sausf]

Was wondering if someone could help me out here. I'm renting a place now that has a detached building. The housed and the detach both have 100 amp service, separately metered. The detached bldg isn't suitable for growing but I want to be able to use power from there back to my grow room. Landlord is absentee and I'll be burying and hiding the run back to the house.

Have done the research on what I need to do. What is confusing is the grounding requirement. Everything I find is going from house to detach (obviously, because normal people wouldn't be doing what I'm trying to do) and says you need to ground the sub panel on the detached building side. Since this is going from the detach back to a sub panel in the house, do I need to ground? Can I tie into the existing ground for the house? I'm using a four wire from the detach it's the grounding for the panel I'm referring to.

 

[rives]

Was wondering if someone could help me out here. I'm renting a place now that has a detached building. The housed and the detach both have 100 amp service, separately metered. The detached bldg isn't suitable for growing but I want to be able to use power from there back to my grow room. Landlord is absentee and I'll be burying and hiding the run back to the house.

Have done the research on what I need to do. What is confusing is the grounding requirement. Everything I find is going from house to detach (obviously, because normal people wouldn't be doing what I'm trying to do) and says you need to ground the sub panel on the detached building side. Since this is going from the detach back to a sub panel in the house, do I need to ground? Can I tie into the existing ground for the house? I'm using a four wire from the detach it's the grounding for the panel I'm referring to.

Sounds like a perfect recipe for getting evicted to me. The reason that you cannot find any information on your intended installation is because it would be illegal anywhere that I am aware of. Individual dwellings are intended to have one metering point for a variety of reasons, the most important of which is to kill power to the structure in the event of a fire for the protection of the fire fighters.

 

[Sausf]

Didn't think about the fire safety. It's a good point. I'm definitely concerned about safety which is why I was asking. The potential to split the usage between 2 meters was very tempting.

 

[eddie torres]

if you have two seperate meters you probably dont want to pull power from the meter that you dont pay for. You will definatly experiance problems if your stealing power. If you are paying for both you should be okay. So if im getting what your sayin is each building has it own 100amp panel. with there own seperate meter. each of these panels is should be grounded. So from that panel you you want to run power back to the other building? Putting a subpanel there? am I understanding you correctly? Do you have spare room for breakers? pics of the panel and basic layout always help to be able to give you the proper advice through a computer. Im a electrical apprentice so i might be able to help you through the work.

 

[Sausf]

Yeah I pay both bills. The idea was to run the sub from "the barn" main panel back to the house. Both house and barn panels are grounded, plenty of room for breakers in barn. Wasn't sure if the new sub panel in the house would need to be grounded like you would if running from the house panel to a detached garage/bldg.

My question was basically Do I need to ground the new panel? If yes then how? New grounding stakes or use the house ground. I suspect the house ground would be a no but don't know why.

This is just curiosity now since Rives makes a good point about the shut off.

 

[rives]

Yes, it would have to be grounded, and it should be done separately from the existing house ground. A sub-panel within a structure relies on the main panel ground, with the neutral and ground conductors carried back to the main separately (isolated from each other, only bonded together at the main).

With different structures, the sub-panel requires it's own ground. The function of the ground is to generate sufficient fault current that the breaker feeding the affected circuit will trip - combining the grounds may lead to objectionable currents on the main panel ground that it has no way to clear. Additionally, since you are tied to the ground at the out-building, you are very likely to generate ground loops which will screw up your electronics and make your audio equipment hum.

 

[Sausf]

Rives - Thanks for the thorough explanation. I always appreciate learning why something is done rather than just how it's done.

 

[avant gardener]

Yeah I pay both bills. The idea was to run the sub from "the barn" main panel back to the house. Both house and barn panels are grounded, plenty of room for breakers in barn. Wasn't sure if the new sub panel in the house would need to be grounded like you would if running from the house panel to a detached garage/bldg.

My question was basically Do I need to ground the new panel? If yes then how? New grounding stakes or use the house ground. I suspect the house ground would be a no but don't know why.

This is just curiosity now since Rives makes a good point about the shut off.

at a glance, it sounds like it would make more sense to just run a bigger service in the main house anyway. you wouldn't need nearly as much copper to pull a sub for your room. why did you want to use the other service to begin with?

 

[nukklehead]

thats what i was thinking although im not a zapper. just upgrade to 200 at the house and run your subpanel off that... it would be less copper. probably cheaper.

 

[farmhouse cat]

why would my MCMLX light controller be wiggin out?


2 nights in a row ive went out to the room to find the lights didnt come on?

The trigger cord is plugged into a timer. The light on the timer comes on at the lights on time. But the lights dont come on. I have to push the reset button on the timer to ON (auto is normal) then it powers up. I bought a new timer today and still the same thing?


wtf?

 

[rives]

I googled "MCMLX light controller" and came up with nothing, so I can't help you there. Did you try plugging your trigger cord directly into the wall to see if that turns things on? If so, it is probably in the timers, but that seems pretty far-fetched that a new one would duplicate the problem. Need more details on the gear.

 

[farmhouse cat]

Oh shitnit... Its the mlc4x http://www.plantlightinghydroponics.com/cap-mlc4x-4light-controller-p-1393.html

I typed it in wrong. Thanks for the help brother. I didnt try plugging straight to the wall. But yea, after a new timer it seems strange. I dont see how it would still do that with a new timer HMM..maybe the controller itself is going bad. I know it happend before a few times. Ive been lucky to be at the door waiting for lights on the last couple harvests, but this in not gonna fly.

 

[Hammerhead]

Does that have those Uni outlets??not good if it does. Its easy to test. If you plug the trigger into any 120v outlet and your lights come on the timmer is defective..

 

[rives]

That controller just uses a relay driven straight off of the trigger cord. Any chance you have a mangled trigger cord that makes contact when you start jockeying stuff around with the timers? I would suspect a loose connection over anything else, with the timer over-ride being a red herring. Are these digital timers, or mechanical? Is the controller close enough that you can hear the relay actuate?

 

[Hammerhead]

my bad if you guys already went through that Also hows the outlet your using for that timmer is it loose fitting??

 

[farmhouse cat]

Just tested it. The controller powers up the lights with the trigger cable straight to the wall.

I plugged the timer to a different receptacle and switched to on and it powered up.


It sounds like it might be the outlet.. (loose). But i need to see what happends when on auto tomorrow.

Thanks guys! I do have a backup controller if need be.

You guys rock!

 

[rives]

If you need to replace the receptacle, get either a commercial or specification grade. Home Depot has good prices on the commercial ones, and there is no comparison to the cheap crap available. You want receptacles that use a screw & plate to clamp the wire, not the kind that you stab the wire into the spring-loaded hole and pray for a good connection. A receptacle that is in good shape should be mildly difficult to insert and remove the plug.

 

[Hammerhead]

Thats the first thing I did when I bought my home. I noticed anything I plugged in would not stay it would fall out. Went and got new 5-20r and 5 GFCI Outlets

 

[rives]

Yep, when you see plugs hanging down at an angle instead of being held flush against the wall it's time to start doing some maintenance!

 

[GolfProGrower]

My upper level is supplied by 2 15amp breakers that are connected together. A double pole breaker I think it's called.

What does this mean? How do I determine how much I can safely run off of it?