I am wondering how i would go upon making my room able to handle 4,000 watts. I am talking to my uncle who is an electrician and we are planning to add a 50 amp breaker to my box and run a 240volt line from it to the room i plan on running the ballasts. But i have a question about the plugins when i get to the room with the 240. Are there 240volt plugins for ballasts made? And how would i use my 3prong 120volt timer?? Or what's the best way to run 240 so i can run 4,000 watts. and i plan on adding 2 more 1,000 watters is why i am running 240 any help would be appreciated thanks
Yup i have 4x switchable ballasts 120v/240v but i am wondering how would i go upon hooking up all of them to timers with a 240volt plugin?? when the plugin is 3prong for 120volt.
If your ballasts are switchable then there will be an adapter that changes them from 120v where the two blades on the plug are vertical to 240v where the blades will be horizontal. Any grow shop should have them. Alternatively you can purchase an mlc-4 HID timer which has dual use plugs on it so you wouldn't have to switch them. This is a box that you feed with your wire at 240v and has 4 ports for your lights. Some have an integrated timer and some have a trigger cord that plugs into your 120v timer that you already have. Just google mlc-4 HID timer. Now if you dont buy that then you will have to buy a T-104 dual pole dual throw timer from lowes or an electric supply house. It is basically a grey box with a yellow timer on it and is fed 240v with an open load side that you wire receptacles to. But seriously word to the wise go buy the mlc-4. It is so much easier and ends up being cheaper. I am an electrician and grower and i would never ever build my own timers. Its too expensive and time consuming. Just go get the mlc-4, feed it with your wire and boom your done. This will cost about 150 for the timer, 1.50$ per foot for the wire, and 10-40$ for the breaker depending on brand, plus whatever your uncle charges for the work......always pay your electrician handsomely, even family p.s. for 4000 watts at 240v you only need a 2pole 30A breaker with a #10-2 copper wire. 50 amps is overkill and will be more expensive on the wire.