Looking for help ensuring sufficient power grid in grow room

[Paracelsus]

Greetings Fellow Farmers, at GWE the more I learn the more I realize I have more to learn! Here I can enjoy doing it with a down to earth group of colleagues willing to share their valued opinions. Here goes.

As far as I can tell my electric service is 120v with 20 Amp breakers, for this room I have a dedicated breaker for AC and another for 3 x 120V outlets. One room, two breakers.

I can run pumps, de-humidifiers and fans on a third breaker's hallway and a forth breaker from the dining room receptacle. My main concern is running 3 x 630W DE CMH fixtures in the grow room off of 3 receptacles and what I think is one 20 amp breaker. I may need the AC for the AC come summertime, its 120V.

I've read about relay timers so when the lights come on and go off they are staggered so as to not create a huge draw and pop the breaker's but now I've read it needs to be integrated into an environmental controller. This is a little more than I can follow or I may just misunderstand. Basically I want to run the 3 lights into what I think is an 20 amp panel without losing power and having to reset everything.

I have included some pictures to help identify the breakers and AC plug receptacle. I looked at the Hercules 2 and the Helios 2 as well as a DIY relay, are they what I need? Are they sufficient or can it be simplified. I'd like to keep everything as simple as possible. Please share what you can.
Thanks
Paracelsus

 

[UrbZ]

Technically most average size houses can run on a 20 amp breaker alone. They don't do it because its dangerous but it could be done. 1 20 amp is plenty enough for whatever 3 lights you run. If you dont want to have all 3 kick on just stagger the timers by a few minutes each. Not what time they run but by having the current time set different.

For example if all 3 are off at noon and on at midnight and its 5 pm now. Set the first timer at 5 pm current time. Set the second one at 5:02 current time. Set the third one at 5:04 current time. Even with analog you could get a close enough to do this.

 

[PuravidaC]

International building code states not to exceed 80% of breaker load. So if you have a 20 amp circuit, you shouldn't exceed 16 amps on that circuit (breaker). Count amps on ALL fixtures per circuit to calculate. Of course, if any fixture isn't drawing a load (on), you don't need to count that fixture.

 

[Paracelsus]

3x 5.58A = 16.74A is cutting it close but if I stagger turn on it should be OK on one breaker. I assume, is that correct? This would allow one breaker for HVAC alone. Can anyone identify the AC receptacle being 240V or 120V if it was 240 then if I follow I would only be pulling 3x 3.22A or 9.66Amps. I will have to get a DMM and measure but I wonder if anyone can identify the circuit by the female plug. IF so the 630 DE CMH's could use that circuit and the HVAC could run on the 120V. I don't know and I doubt it but I thought I would ask if it was because it isn't a normal 120V receptacle.

 

[UrbZ]

I think it may be the 240. Not to many 120s come with tbe sideways plug on tbe receptacle.

 

[PuravidaC]

You should be okay with 16.74 amps. Technically you are over but I'm certain there is a safety fudge factor in the electrical code. Is there nothing else on that circuit? I would do as UrbZ said and stagger start times so there isn't a start up spike. The photo appears to be a 20 amp receptacle but it is odd having a single receptacle and not a double.

 

[Paracelsus]

Thanks PuravidaC. I think I will be ok but have either of you experience using grow light relay timers?

https://www.hydroponics.net/learn/grow-light-controller.php

https://www.hydroponics.net/i/135881

 

[UrbZ]

Ive never used one myself.

 

[PuravidaC]

Me neither, I only have one LEC.

 

[Paracelsus]

I'm still hoping someone here on the forum has skills in the trade or I guess I will need to consult with an electrician, the Titan relay timer requires a 120V 50 AMP breaker. I could call Titan.
Maybe I can run them on a plain 120V 20 Amp Breaker line with individual timers but I need to confirm this and if a 5 minutes delay to give each light to fire up and stabilize before the next one kicks in as far as affecting my 12/12

 

[Paracelsus]

Bumping to the top, anybody got a hook up in the trades? I might have to find a Titan Helios Dealer who knows. AFAIK their product needs a 50amp breaker and bus, that's a no go for me. Anyone running 3, 4 or more lights off of a controller?

 

[Paracelsus]

the Actual Load on the line with 3 X 630 W DE CMH is 3 X 5.58 A = 16.74A
Theoretically it should work.
Anyone out there running multiple fixtures on 120V?

 

[Mr.furley]

Paracelsus, All of my grow room is running on 1 15 amp breaker it was only when I introduced two electric heaters and dimmed up my MH, that I needs to use a second circuit. I was running,
1 600 watt hps
1 400w mh
Up to 5 fans from inline to box fans
some mix of CFL, radio, phone charger.....
when the weather changed here and I put a small heater in the tent plus a heater in the room and turned up the mh from 50% to 75% it was to much and started Poppin breakers, I had to separate my flowering tent to it own breaker. PuravidaC is right about the draw, so you should be close enough to work in Theory. So to answer your question Yes I have run multiple light on a single circuit but did need to upgrade at a point.
hope this helps.

 

[Paracelsus]

Hello Mr.Furley, thanks for stopping by, glad you did. Theoretically if I run everything else on another breaker I will be good, it is the power surge and warm up in the beginning of the day when 3 lights come on in a row that worries me. Your 600 & 400 is only 50% of 3 X 630W leaving you enough wiggle room for your other things. I could run only 2 but 3 across will give just slightly more than optimum minimum average 30 watts per square foot and I believe much more for a 8x4 spread centered below.