Live Stoner Chat Live Stoner Chat - Jan-Mar '22

[Cave Dirt Cody]

Ok no problem I am work too. I believe true watts this is the driver. I was told it’s the same thing as a HLG. But after doing research pretty sure it’s just a DIY light kit. I have the lights set to come on just before I get home so if they are dim is hasn’t been for very long. where the dimmer is set now is where it was before I started having issues. Which is pretty much 100% the knob is against the detent. Any more power and it’s full on
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That’s a true 600 watt light. Can almost bet it was around 600 dollars.
Spider farmer sf 1000 = 100 watt +\-
Mars FE 8000 = 800 watts
HLG 650 = 650 watts ( The way it should be)

 

[Olderfart]

morning everyone so I’ve been having some light issues. I am curious what size wire everyone is running there lighting circuits with?

I have 600w light on it’s own 15amp circuit wired with 12/2 romex. I have only had the light 6-8 months and finally figuring out where I want to run it. So I wanted to run 100% 20/4 but now since I turned it 100% when light try’s to fire up after lights out. It flashes on bright for a second and goes dim. It does this when timer is in circuit and when not but only after lights have been out for awhile. Once I dim light down it will turn on and then I can ramp up to 100% For that day but the next day it does it again unless it’s below 75%ish

So long story short bought this from a friends friend who runs a “growshop”. Which I think is BS. But anyways they are no help and telling me I should be running 10ga. Wire. Seems like a little much for just one light. Mind you I also have another dedicated 15 amp circuit for the other tent. And that ciruit is running 2 100w lights 4&6” exhaust systems plus oscillating fans for both tents With no problems

The 600 w light does it on both circuits and everything else for the two tents runs fine on either circuit.
I have a electrician coming over this weekend to check my work but pretty confident I wired the circuits correct. I have done electrical work in the past ac&dc.
Now that I got this done I think probably should have started a new thread but not sure where

There is no way that your feed for a 600 watt light needs more than your current #12 circuit. You are pulling less than 6 amps from a circuit safely capable (I'm guessing a bit here) of at least 20 amps. The problem is either the timer or more likely IMO the ballast on your light. Telling you to upgrade that circuit is absolute bs.

If I were you, I would re-test without the timer on another circuit (any 15 amp circuit is more than enough) just in the odd chance that there is something other than the wire gauge going on with the current one. If the light behaves the same way on a separate circuit and not timer, I think the light is the problem. If it works fine without the timer, but not with it, the timer is the problem.

Good luck with it.

 

[Frank the Dank]

 

[Fermented_Fruitz]

Ok no problem I am work too. I believe true watts this is the driver. I was told it’s the same thing as a HLG. But after doing research pretty sure it’s just a DIY light kit. I have the lights set to come on just before I get home so if they are dim is hasn’t been for very long. where the dimmer is set now is where it was before I started having issues. Which is pretty much 100% the knob is against the detent. Any more power and it’s full on
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Also remember dimmers can go bad! I had 1 not even 8mo old shit the bed on my just days ago! Doubt that’ll be your issue and if it was that dimmer looks like it would be a bitch to swap out! Mine took all of 17 seconds opening up 2 wago connectors and swapping out the 2 dimmer wires!

 

[Frank the Dank]

 

[Lil Dab]

Having a smaller breaker is better protection against fire. You can push a 15 amp breaker to the max and not have to worry about the rec. or wire burning up.
Continuous load for a 15 amp breaker would be .25 less then wattage numbers from before. Code is 80% load rating of the breaker and the wire is sized at 120% of the breaker rating.

Thank you very much @Cave Dirt Cody for confirming my thoughts. I am pretty confident I wired everything to code. My electrician stepped up today and is going to come over tonight and check my work. Just gonna cost me some of my bubblegum queen. All this just so I can tell the guy we bought the light from to pound salt. I could have gotten this kind of service from sf or mh but went the route I did because “he would take care of us” BS. This has been going on for over 2 weeks now and finally got him to repond after hitting his FB page. Only for him to tell me It’s not the driver you need bigger wire.

I will give you some more rep when I can @Cave Dirt Cody. I just wanted to hear some thoughts from other guys running higher wattage lights.

Thank you @Olderfart i have been trying it every which way possible to eliminate the components like you said. And Saturday at light on it did it so I unplugged from timer and plugged directly to outlet went to do somthing else with the tent cracked open so I could see and couple mins later boom it did it went dim and won’t come back up till I dim all the way down then I can go full power. I am confident it’s the light when I moved the light to the other circuit that is running everything else for the two tents the problem moved with the light.

 

[Cave Dirt Cody]

There is no way that your feed for a 600 watt light needs more than your current #12 circuit. You are pulling less than 6 amps from a circuit safely capable (I'm guessing a bit here) of at least 20 amps. The problem is either the timer or more likely IMO the ballast on your light. Telling you to upgrade that circuit is absolute bs.

If I were you, I would re-test without the timer on another circuit (any 15 amp circuit is more than enough) just in the odd chance that there is something other than the wire gauge going on with the current one. If the light behaves the same way on a separate circuit and not timer, I think the light is the problem. If it works fine without the timer, but not with it, the timer is the problem.

Good luck with it.

If the wire from the panel is longer the 75ft. It would be #10 wire. Very rare in a house

 

[Lil Dab]

Also remember dimmers can go bad! I had 1 not even 8mo old shit the bed on my just days ago! Doubt that’ll be your issue and if it was that dimmer looks like it would be a bitch to swap out! Mine took all of 17 seconds opening up 2 wago connectors and swapping out the 2 dimmer wires!

Yeah I know it pissed me off I was gonna just take dimmer out of system but I can’t without cutting it.

 

[Cave Dirt Cody]

Thank you very much @Cave Dirt Cody for confirming my thoughts. I am pretty confident I wired everything to code. My electrician stepped up today and is going to come over tonight and check my work. Just gonna cost me some of my bubblegum queen. All this just so I can tell the guy we bought the light from to pound salt. I could have gotten this kind of service from sf or mh but went the route I did because “he would take care of us” BS. This has been going on for over 2 weeks now and finally got him to repond after hitting his FB page. Only for him to tell me It’s not the driver you need bigger wire.

I will give you some more rep when I can @Cave Dirt Cody. I just wanted to hear some thoughts from other guys running higher wattage lights.

Thank you @Olderfart i have been trying it every which way possible to eliminate the components like you said. And Saturday at light on it did it so I unplugged from timer and plugged directly to outlet went to do somthing else with the tent cracked open so I could see and couple mins later boom it did it went dim and won’t come back up till I dim all the way down then I can go full power. I am confident it’s the light when I moved the light to the other circuit that is running everything else for the two tents the problem moved with the light.

Tell him you will bring the light down so he can put a bigger wire on it.
it’s the driver or possibly the dimmer.
didn’t see the OP due to bad service.

 

[WildBill]

Record Temps expected in oregon the next few days starting tomorrow it's going to be really cold I'm glad I got my propane filled for the furnace I'm pretty prepared even if the electric goes out me an my son will have lights an heat .We survived with out such amenities last time anthe cup of water I had next to the bed froze when the power went out we survived like that for a week there was no power ,this time I not going to play the Frozen dummy.

We had a high of 80*F yesterday with an. overnight low of 66*F with lots of storms out west. Got up to 74*F before the front blew thru this morning and it now 56*F after about an hour. 90 miles west, it's 39*F.
Wed night -Thurs night wintry mix is very possible.