00:00 Intro 00:14 Why Is It Imperative To Have An Electrician Look At The Job? 00:31 Do You Recommend Permits? 00:35 The Importance Of Doing Things Properly 01:50 Safety 02:09 How To Get Started 02:44 Efficiency 03:28 The Switch From HPS To LED 03:54 What Are The Most Common Electrical Problems? 04:30 Extension Cords 05:04 What Typically Catches Fire In A Garden? 05:27 Magnum Creek
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Grow Room Electrical Safety Tips for Home and Commercial Growers
When building out a cannabis grow room, electrical safety should be top of mind. With so many electrical devices needed for optimal climate control and plant production, you are going to need the proper electrical setup to keep everyone safe and your plants healthy.
Our guide on grow room electrical safety covers the most important electrical safety precautions for setting up your marijuana garden, including hiring a professional electrician to ensure your setup is safe for use. While some tips may be common sense, others may be commonly overlooked.
Preventing an Electric Circuit Overload
One of the biggest and deadliest mistakes amateur electricians make is plugging in too many cables and causing a circuit overload. An electrical circuit is designed to handle a certain amount of electricity, but a grow room can easily exceed these limits.
Circuits consist of wiring, a breaker, and electrical devices that plug into an outlet. When these devices exceed the rated load for the circuit, the circuit breaker box can trip and shut off the power to the entire circuit. A breaker prevents overloads to overheat circuit wiring, increasing the risk of a fire. Keep in mind, load ratings vary by circuit.
The electrical outlets in your home are on a circuit and each outlet in your grow space is attached to a circuit. Your circuit breaker box should have labels showing which outlets they belong to, although sometimes they do not, meaning you need to figure out which circuit belongs to which outlet.
Most standard American outlets use 120 volts (V). Circuit breakers with “15” breakers are rated for 15 amps. For standard circuits, your circuit can handle about 1,800 watts (15 amps x 120 volts =1,800 watts). Going over the 1,800-watt limit will overload the system.
Circuits with “20” breakers are rated for 20 amps and have a maximum load rating of 2,400 watts. Circuits with “30” breakers are rated for 30 amps and have a maximum load rating of 3,600 watts.
If you want to prevent a circuit overload, you must compare the energy usage (wattage) you will be using and the load rating for each circuit.
However, if you will be using continuous loads (or even if you are not), your load capacity should ideally be 20% lower than its maximum load rating. A continuous load means something you'll be using for 3 hours or more. In this case, you will want to divide your power usage between circuits when necessary and provide the necessary load buffer for continuous loads.
