I wish to plug my ballast into a dedicated 240 volt house line. My home has 240 volts all ready wired in. The problem I have is the provided ballast 240 volt provided plug does not match the plug in my home. I am looking for a simple low cost (but safe) adapter so I may use this outlet for my ballast. The second photo is the plug on my ballast power cord. The first is the plug in my home. I will also need a extension cord to work with this must be 25 feet long
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240 volt plug question
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The required volts and amps are only 2 amp. when using 240. The plug is a 30 amp. type on the ballast. The plug in the wall is a 50 amp. I should have little trouble using a adapter as long as my requirements are less then the provided wall plug. I wish to use this socket as it is a DEDICATED circuit in my home. We have not used 240 here as we have gas. using a dedicated 240 volt wall plug would make it easier for both me and my ballast.
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As has been said, it will be much easier to swap out the plug on the wire than to try and find an adapter. I've been zapped enough times by 120 to not want to jury rig anything involving 240. I understand that necessity sometimes requires a short cut or two. I would also be extremely careful with an extension cord on 240. Even though I have re-habbed several houses it is just my opinion.It's not how crazy I am, but how much I enjoy it that makes me dangerous.
Coco/Perlite 60/40, GH Nutrients and Calimagic, 5 Gal Fabric pots
Germination lights 2 30watt LEDS
Veg and Flowering 1 600 Watt GalaxyHydro LED
Completed Grows. 1 Photoperiod and 2 Autos
Current Grows: 1 mystery Auto 71 days, 1 White Widow Auto 62 days, 1 Amnesia Auto 62 days
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You are better off using the 120v, i see no benefit using the 240v. You would actually get less voltage from the "wired" 240. The 120/240v connections are for eu/us compatibility, thats all. When you plug the ballast into a wired 240v, this is using split phase connection. Typically used for appliances that require more current available by a circuit breaker. With split phase excluding the third phase you get 2* 120v = 207.5v, just shy of 240. But the power is all the same for the HID bulbs.
Unless you need to load more bulbs with the same ballast without tripping the circuit breaker, i see no need. No matter what, power consumption is the same. Even with the higher voltage, there is very little difference in line loss over the short distance.Written Articles:
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Those plugs are different for a reason. They both carry 240v, however the range plug (stove plug) is wired with much bigger wire for higher amperage. It also has a circuit breaker in your electrical panel that will allow about 60 amps of power to be sent to the plug. This is enough amperage to melt the wire in your ballast line if there is ever a problem in your unit. Yes it could cause a fire.
To safely use that 240v line you should change the circuit breaker to a 20 or 30 amp 240v breaker, and change the plug to match your ballast. That way the amperage available at the plug will not exceed the design limits of that plug, and your ballast. IMOcompleted 7 grows
what I have learned so far:
environment maters more than nutrients
at least a dab of nutrients in every watering
effective flushing before harvest is critical to quality
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