how much power constumpion before the power company raises a concern to the police?

[Marley]

My bill was $500 last month. 😫 Thankfully it's legal here, but even if it weren't you'd think the power companies would love us as long as we pay the bill.

[alltatup]

Damn!! That's super high to me.

[OzBud]

That's high to me too. Only cost me AU$284 (US$211) in electricity for the 64 days so far in my grow

[PigSquishy]

Recently I was doing some research of my own into this very question... How do 90% of people get busted, so I turned to a variety of places including YouTube to listen to the police say it themselves on the News Channels for all to hear. The one's I heard was at:

#1.- The power company called the police after they noticed an illegal power tap into the electrical grid, they claim it is not only unsafe, but causes the rise of power rates for customers and that they do reclaim most of the money from those illegal power taps when the person is later taken to court.

#2.- The fire department which they sited was usually because of improper electrical which then led to the fire which burned everything to the ground, thus they found the illegal grow.

#3.- Neighbors, who complained from everything from druggy looking people looking out of place in a million dollar neighborhood, never seeing their neighbors and yet they have constant traffic to their house, and the overpowering smell of cannabis which overlook the area.

#4.- The police proudly also pointed out they do use IR on airplanes and helicopters to go out and look for thermal IR hot spots and get warrants based off things they see in the air as well. They look for out of place IR signatures, and in one case they busted a guinee pig farm because of its multiple HPS use laid out to look like a cannabis farm on IR cameras.

There is simply the basics to keeping yourself safe when it comes to electrical usage, first know what you meter is rated for and then don't exceed that power demand coming into your place, it should seem simple that electricity just needs to be used safely and pay your bill on time and nobody should come knocking. The cheapest IR reflective material I know of is called Reflectix, it's the same IR Blocker grow shops sells for a whole lot more. And of course at the end of the day be that super nice neighbor who everyone loves so nobody has anything to ever complain about with your name attached to it to keep any unwanted visitors away. If you need to upgrade your electrical service they don't ask you why, but if you do go to commercial/industrial service their is a lot of paperwork and inspectors who have to come check those new connections and you do need someone licensed in commercial or industrial electrical to sign off as having done all the electrical.

[PigSquishy]

If you really want to read the best two books on this subject, I'd recommend these two:

Marijuana: The Law and You : A Guide to Minimizing Legal Consequences
by Ed Rosenthal and William Logan

Ask Ed: Marijuana Law: Volume 1: Don't Get Busted Paperback – October 30, 2000
by Ed Rosenthal and William Logan

They are seriously the best two books I've read on the subject of how best to legally protect myself, and its information coming directly from lawyers and not some guy who thinks he knows the law. One of the best pieces of advice in there I ever heard was to make nice with neighbors and keep them happy, because when you are the best neighbor they like you, they stop talking about you and stop watching your every move just waiting to do something that gets you out of there and someone else to move in where you currently live. It didn't take long after hearing that I was watching some TV show and the neighbors were upset over the comings and goings of this one house, so they set up a neighborhood watch, videotaped everything going on at that house, etc... and when they had the prime opportunity they called the police and turned it all over to them. License plate numbers, times, dates, everything of who came and went... made me really think...

I became that neighbor who sees some trash on another lawn and I walk over and pick it up for you, now I hear about what other neighbors are doing and what steps they are thinking of taking against them to try to rid our neighborhood of them types of people. The best thing ever honestly was when I had a neighbor come to me and say "I am so glad you bought this house from the guy before you..." and told me things she thought of me... she seriously ran away when it was pointed out all I did was change my hair, clothes and my friends.

Over the years I've been raided three times in my lifetime... Stupid enough I had an indoor garden of just legal plants roses, tomatoes, herbs, etc... my neighbors complained to the police about being able to see my big fluorescent grow lights turning on at night, as I tried to use the sun as long as it was out through the windows and then the lights would turn on and I had to come around and close the curtains afterwards at some point. Walmart reported that I was coming in and buying large quantities of potting soil in the winter, when nobody else was buying it. Which only looked worse because I travelled across State lines to go to my nearest Walmart to shop instead of adding more hours onto the Wal-Mart trip to do it in State. Combined with my neighbors complaints about seeing things... it was enough to get me raided with the first search warrant. They found some cannabis and such, which got me a second search warrant within the week to kick in my door again, this time looking specifically for any traces of me growing cannabis. A couple of weeks after that I would get raided yet again a third time looking for proof or evidence I was selling or doing anything beyond smoking it for personal use. So many of my neighbors were convinced of it, they convinced the police and they convinced a judge... only to find out I was a smoker nothing more... but it took 2+ years to put my house back together because of it.

Today my neighbors know a lot about me, I have big outside gardens with fruit bearing trees and bushes, I am willing to share my produce with you that I gather no matter how little or much I have, I teach anyone of any age who wants to learn to garden how to do it all themselves with what they have, and not having to spend lots of money. I've proven I know my fertilizers and how to make things grow HUGE with great taste, longer shelf lives, and that leave you impressed when compared to things from others at the farmer's market and the grocery store. People keep laughing and telling me I need to grow cannabis now because of the legalization of it, and how amazing they bet it would be. Funny how before they tried to destroy me for thinking of me doing that, now they sit here and encourage it from me, all because of how their perceptions of me changed because of the people I had coming to my house.

[PigSquishy]

The other ways people get busted I forgot to mention, is to throw their cannabis waste into the trash for garbage pick up, flush their nutrients down the sewer in their house or let the nutrient run off get into the water supply of a stream, creek, etc... With the garbage men, if they pick up a bag and it rips open at some point even unloading or when they are running the packers over it at the landfill, they see a bag of cannabis they can and do sometimes report that to the police who then take more of an interest in locating where that bag came from. When you put hydroponics water/nutrients down the city sewer or storm drains or you are otherwise growing or dumping the nutrient rich water into a place where it will affect the wildlife, the game warden is going to note the dead wildlife from drinking that water you dumped out, and that will trigger someone to come looking. In the city sewer I read how a grower was found because of the algae bloom caused from dumping the waste water down the drain, which lead right back to their door.

[alltatup]

Jeez, why can't neighbors just mind their business!!! Thanks again GT: I'm going to look at those books.

[tyler_ hobbyist]

What do u run for a set up? And how many plants do u have?

[OzBud]

Not sure who this was directed at so I'll reply and if it wasn't me then someone else can come back and reply.

I run a 2x4 tent, 600W HPS, 6" fan, 2x 6" clip ons, thermostat fan speed controller for a total of 707Watts. 3 plants

Two people in our house and out bill is on par with a 5 person household in our state when I have a grow going but we're always at or just below a two person household without a grow going..

[OzBud]

Here's what my confirmed costs look like so far this grow (not including setup).
I'll fill in the rest of the blanks as the grow finishes, but it gives a pretty good break down.

[tyler_ hobbyist]

That's some good costing how many plants do u grow ozbud?

[OzBud]

3 plants going at the moment. Tent is pretty crowded with no training.
Last grow I got 8oz from 2 plants so I'm hoping for at least 10oz this time.

[OzBud]

The costing is probably a bit over the top but I wanted something more in depth rather than just looking at electricity consumption so I can get a more accurate idea of production costs vs yield.

[OzBud]

Day 65 from seed.

[tyler_ hobbyist]

Nice that's pretty good I got 23autos on week 2 and 1 auto on week 6 and 2photos on week 4of flower and 20 more photos on week 1 of seedling that's why I'm useing so much power

[OzBud]

As long as you get enough bud for whatever you need it for.

I yield enough for my own non legal recreational needs.
I'd love to have an 8x8 with 4 600W but I don't need anywhere near that much bud that could potentially get me into a whole world of trouble.

Australia is behind the times, even if they do make legal medical become readily available through dispensaries I don't think they'll ever allow patients to grow their own here, or at least not for a very long time. Lots of medical professionals here trying to say cannabis isn't a miracle drug and more studies need to be done by Australian researchers and blah blah blah.

[tyler_ hobbyist]

They look beautiful

[OzBud]

Thanks. Getting close to the finish now.

[tyler_ hobbyist]

That's awesome! I hope ya get a nice big yeild that's super tasty

[Marley]

My latest bill just came in, $433. 3075 KWH used between the house and tents.

[OzBud]

how often do you get power bills there? Mine are quarterly

[Marley]

Monthly