ELECTRICITY BASICS
ABCs: How to keep the juice flowing and buds growing.
Mon, Nov 27, 2006 3:28 pm
By Graham Fisher (a.k.a. Nico Escondido)
Many indoor growers, especially the small-time hobbyist or closet enthusiast, begin their grow operation focusing on strains, systems and lights, without considering one of the most important aspects of the growroom: electricity. Understanding the basics of electricity will help you harness this essential facet of cultivation.
Why Power Is Important
Light is the plant’s most essential food, and it’s essential for the indoor grower to know about lumens. The term lumens (light density) refers to the amount of light that hits your grow surface. The more lumens reaching your plants the better, and because of this, many growers focus on how many lights they can fit in their grow space without going above optimal temperature thresholds. The number of lights you can use is dictated by your power supply.
For the grower’s purpose in exploring electricity, we’ll look specifically at lighting (i.e., the number of lights per area and the juice you’ll need to power them). In order to do this, it’s necessary to understand just how much electricity is needed to power each individual light.
How Much Power Do I Need?
Amperes, or amps, are the units used in measuring electric current. The more amps a device draws, the more electricity it is using. Refrigerators, hair dryers and dishwashers all use high amounts of amps compared to regular household appliances. Grow lamps use a lot of amps as well.
A simple way to figure out how much electricity is needed for your lights is to use the standard formula: watts/volts = amps.
Assuming that you’re living in the United States, which supplies its electric current at 120 volts, you then simply divide the number of watts of your light by the voltage to figure out how many amps your light will pull. So, if you’re running a single 1,000-watt high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamp on a standard 120-volt line—and keeping in mind that the ballasts on these lamps cause an intentional voltage drop, so that a ballast wired for a 120-volt current will draw only 110 volts—the equation would look like this: 1,000 watts/110 volts = 9.09 amps.
240 Volts vs. 120 Volts
Voltage is the pressure, or electrical potential, of electricity. The US standard is 120 volts, but Europe and Canada both run on 240 volts.
The biggest difference here as far as growers are concerned is that the more voltage you have, the less current you need to achieve the same power. Simply put, if you double your voltage, you’ll draw half the amperage. This not only saves the grower money when the electricity bill comes, but it also frees up a great deal of extra power to run more lights and equipment.
A common misconception is that a 240-volt current is unavailable in the US. This is false: Many industrial sites and even homes have a 240-volt current feeding them. This is possible as long as an electrician can run a high-gauge main line from the street to the site. However, many indoor growers either don’t have this option or, lacking a legitimate front, opt against it, as this sometimes draws unwanted suspicion to covert grow ops.
To read the rest of this article click below to buy the January 2007 HIGH TIMES (Issue #372).








» add a comment
Jam Man
Nov 5 2008, 10:52 am
You are correct many people are of a misconception regarding Voltage versus Amps. Every home in the US in this day and age has 240 volts feeding it. Although in some of the back country I have encountered some knob and tube wiring. (This can be identified by the outer layer of insulation falling off the wire and the wire hanging from insulator "knobs" in your basement) If you find this type, then before you start your operation you need to upgrade. It would be a real attention getter if your grow room put your home up in flames.
Most of your ballasted lights can be obtained in voltages that range from 110 to 480. Lowering your amparage will most often lower the heat produced as well. This doesn't mean that you can run out and get a 480 volt light fixture or wiring for such, and the 208 and 277 volt lights are produced from a 3 phase (Delta) system that would definatly raise eyebrows if you tried to run it to your house. (Though I have seen it done before).
The best thing is if you are doing this your self would be to remain with what you are comfortable with. Identify what you currently have on each circuit and if need to run another one. It is a good idea to also feel the wire if it feels warm or you see discoloration it is time to lighten the load on the circutit. Or you can always call an electrician and tell him that you would like to have a 240 volt outlet installed (near where you grow room is)for an air conditioner or heating unit that you are going to have delivered next week and they said that it would require 20 amps. Sometimes the concern is as much how much room you have in your panel.
Once again I want to thank you so much for your information and Ihope that what little I have to contribute here not only helps in your production but also keeps you and your family safe.
the DUDE
Oct 25 2008, 10:18 pm
mike
Jul 26 2008, 6:30 pm
weed daddy
Jul 11 2008, 12:30 pm
badabing
May 29 2008, 8:47 pm
Just what this world needs - more filthy theiving dogs such as yourself. When you get caught stealing, and YOU WILL, someone is going to beat the living crap out of you and I hope you bleed from your arse you low peice of shit. Who are YOU calling lazy?Get a FUKN J O B!!!
master electrician
May 15 2008, 3:46 pm
at 240v the current is much higher and thus more electricity reaches it's destination. see, when current travels, much of it is lost to heat conversion through the lines... but you still pay for that lost juice. if you use 120v the loss is even greater. so in actuality, 240v saves money. depending on how big you're going, it could add up!
also, while it is true that 240 is available in the US, you'd be hard pressed to find any homes these days pre-wired for that voltage. i don't think the author claims it is unavailable, just doesn't say that it is - probably because the magazine doesn't want any liability for telling growers to go ahead an rewire their grow rooms.
really a great piece though, wish THE FULL STORY WAS AVAILABLE ONLINE!
oh yea
Mar 8 2008, 9:49 am
new 2 this
Mar 8 2008, 9:46 am
QUE
Oct 24 2007, 10:49 pm
hopeful harvest
Jun 26 2007, 1:04 am
Hopeful Harvest
Jun 26 2007, 1:00 am
Buddy Lee
May 29 2007, 1:11 am
so you could opt for a over/under wash/dryer and use the remainging socket for your needs.if i'm totally wrong please be patient and understanding in your reply
erik
May 21 2007, 9:25 pm
electrician
May 16 2007, 1:06 am
In the future if you decide to look something up on the internet that you're not real sure about and then publish that information in front of billions of people, it would be a good idea not to give youre real name. you'll look like a dickhead.
bud
May 16 2007, 12:40 am
the above article is incorrect. your electric bill is determined by how many kilowatt hours are consuming. not amps. for example if you switch to a 240 volt supply from a 120 1000/120=8.3 amps and 1000/240=4.16amps. youre still using a 1000 watt lamp which will still consume 1000 watts. sorry guys.
Toka-Cola
May 7 2007, 9:02 pm
bloom master
Apr 12 2007, 11:45 am
When the cops fly over
Mar 30 2007, 1:23 am
When the lights fail
Mar 18 2007, 2:27 am
ty
Feb 26 2007, 2:46 pm
ty
xoxox
missy
critter
Feb 14 2007, 11:01 am
hueman
Feb 12 2007, 12:57 am
Thanks for the thoughts and stay high - Peace out;fellow smokers.
Hueman
From the "Hills" of Sacramento Calif.
stupid bagel
Feb 9 2007, 5:34 pm
well that guy wrote back and actually gave the correct response supporting his claim of money-saving power usage... and, as an advanced grower living in holland, that man was right.
so where are all the apologies, especially from those of you who bashed the magazine which has provided us useful tips all these years?
anyone?chunk? schoolinyourweed? electroman?
man, i hate seeing negativity towards one of the best supporters of growing cannabis. who else writes this stuff for the masses??
DB
Jan 31 2007, 10:57 pm
raging_pit
Jan 16 2007, 10:17 pm
MasterWaTTs
Jan 9 2007, 1:16 pm
Gram Fisher
Jan 9 2007, 11:06 am
If you only use the amps=Watts/volts equation as your logic this doesn't seem to make sense, but it is true because you have less resistance losses through your wiring if you run at higher voltage. Resistance turns electrical power into heat which is why highly loaded extension cords will get hot. The power lost to resistance = (resistance times amps squared) divided by (volts squared.) Thus the higher the volts the lower the power loss. Another way to cut resistance is thicker wires, so you shouldn't try to get away with the mimimum guage possible. Distance of wiring will also have an effect, although more so in the macro than the micro (overhead wires vs house wiring).
This whole concept is why large overhead powerlines on towers (from powerplants to cities) will be at extremely high voltages from 138,000v up to 765,000v. These wires go into a substation where transformers switch power down to 33,000v up to 115,000v and these go to sub-transmission lines (to various areas of the city).
It may seem like only pennies, but when you're running 100+ lamps over long periods of time, those pennies saved on a 220v current really add up!
electroman
Jan 8 2007, 1:21 am
sorry if offended anyone but it had to be said.
worship jesus & G-13.....
Jan 5 2007, 4:08 pm
http://youtube.com/watch?v=vEv7mdkFMmw
GroYoShit
Jan 3 2007, 8:35 pm
Several possibilities for diminished performance of lamps(industry term for bulbs). 1.Lamp needs to be replaced. Lumens greatly diminish from beginning to end of life. HID lamps are rated for about 30k hours. If you have had the same lamps for 2 years, you will get much more light if you replace them. Trust me-try one any you will see the difference. As far as the ballast, over time they can weaken. Try replacing the capicitor before the ballast...it is much cheaper than buying the whole ballast kit. The capacitor is the round or oval piece, usually about 4-6inches in length mounted beside the ballast. I also reccomend Metal Halide lamps over HPS because the light "color" is closer to the daylight or natural light where the cheeba grows best.(5000-6500k) Daylight contains light from both ends of the spectrum-HPS is more towards the warm end, mercury vapor towards the cool end, metal halide(some brands call it Multi-Vapor)is closer to daylight than both. CAUTION!! Don't ever use a Metal Halide lamp with a HPS ballast or a HPS lamp with a Metal Halide ballast...they are not interchangeable and doing so will cause the ballast to fry and/or the bulb to explode (over 2000 degrees!) If you have HPS, try VENTURE BRAND retrofit lamp (MS400/BU-LU) I sell lighting for a living...trust me. Send me some of that janky shit when you harvest.
Chunk
Jan 3 2007, 4:51 pm
also, the formula, P=V*I or W=V*A is the correct one.
watts is the voltage times the amperage which shows that no matter your voltage, you will use the same amount of electricity. voltage goes up, current goes down, Power usage stays the same.
check www.sengpielaudio.com/calculator-ohm.htm if you want proof.
Hueman
Jan 3 2007, 1:18 am
Does the ballasts go bad after so long?
Hueman
raging_pit
Dec 28 2006, 10:33 am
SchoolinYourWeed
Dec 27 2006, 3:47 pm
And as far as cost... 1200 watts (2 x 600w hps) running 12 hours a day is only HALF THE TIME, and thats what people don't realize. I live in california, and its not cheap here, but $40 on my bill grows me $6000 worth of goods, so don't complain, its not that much.
Chunk
Dec 26 2006, 4:49 pm
at least research the shit before u write an article about it hahahahahaha
Shane
Dec 26 2006, 4:47 pm
BTW, Canada is a 120V system too, u guys buy a crap load of our power too...
THE GRINCH
Dec 26 2006, 1:03 am
AREIAL
Dec 25 2006, 10:00 pm
THE GRINCH
Dec 25 2006, 10:51 am
dday632
Dec 24 2006, 1:01 pm
sandpiper
Dec 23 2006, 1:06 am
chip master
Dec 21 2006, 7:22 pm
Clint
Dec 20 2006, 4:41 pm
?
Dec 20 2006, 2:38 pm
Smokey McPot
Dec 20 2006, 2:34 pm
?
Dec 18 2006, 3:30 pm
?
Dec 17 2006, 6:41 pm
?
Dec 17 2006, 3:37 pm
masterwatts
Dec 14 2006, 11:41 pm
MasterWatts
Dec 14 2006, 11:39 pm
MasterWatts
Dec 14 2006, 9:39 pm
SchoolinYourWeed
Dec 13 2006, 5:57 pm
Personally, if you are worried about getting a better spectrum out of your HPS go with EYE Hortilux HPS lamps. They have enhanced blue specrum as well increased lumen output vs. standard lamps. (better spectrum and more lumens w/o having to change ballasts). And if you can... go with 600w.
MasterWatts
Dec 13 2006, 3:34 am
Smokey D bear, ThC
Dec 13 2006, 2:36 am
Smokey D Bear, ThC
Dec 13 2006, 2:34 am
Schooling is right.. its all about Kilowatt hours... what is a kilowatt hour? a 100 watt light bulb, if left on for an hour.. pulls .10 kilowatt hours. if on for ten mins, it pulled a whopping .01 kilowatt hour.. *Kwh*.
now.. a 400 watt sodium halide *its the orange HID lights you see on the streets* if run all day... will pull 9.6 Kwh.. . if you are paying 7 cents a kwh then it will cost you approx $21 a month to run the light.
the amps only matter in the fact on 240V the lamp will pull 1/2 the amperage of one on 120V.
Make sense?
and MasterWatt... they dont make a sodium vapor in a blue.. thats metal halide..
MasterWAtts
Dec 13 2006, 12:27 am
SchoolinYourWeed
Dec 12 2006, 2:31 am
HEY HIGH TIMES... LOOK AT THIS!!
Your power is billed in kilowatt hours, not kiloamp hours.
Usage is based on how many watts are drawn, not amps you schmucks.
SchoolinYourWeed
Dec 12 2006, 2:24 am
Volts X Amps = Watts
120 volts @ 10 amps = 1200 watts
240 volts @ 5 amps = 1200 watts
A 240v line is simply 2 120v lines, it is a way of cutting down the amps being pulled thru a wire to reduce fire hazard on high-draw appliances.
So for all you dumbfucks that don't understand that... you can run twice as many lights on a 240v circuit than you could on a 120v circuit, eliminating the need for extra wiring when setting up a multi-lamp grow. skeet skeet skeet, I own.
SoCal, all the way nuckas.
scoo
Dec 11 2006, 5:56 am
THMQ
Dec 10 2006, 9:48 pm
Wood
Dec 9 2006, 4:20 pm
Brother
Dec 7 2006, 6:38 pm
believe it KID they are all lying to you they want you to commit suicide thats some help
DR > GREEN THUMB
Dec 4 2006, 1:58 am
DR .GREEN THUMB
Dec 4 2006, 1:57 am
Written by Reefer Ron
Cali Dank
Dec 4 2006, 12:11 am
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