new lights

[NorCalHal]

hrmm i am not sure that is true, if you run 2 parallel circuits the voltage adds up the current stays the same, if you run 2 series circuits the current adds and the voltage stays the same. Sorry its been 20 years since i was in electronics school but i believe you are running 2 120v circuits in parallel when running 240, i could be wrong. Also i have never hired an electrician i do it all myself sorry for the ignorant statement ;-)
here is a site explaining it in more detail then you would ever want to know lol

You are correct in saying that it is basically 2 120v "hot legs" to make a 240v circuit, all ran back to a 2 pole breaker at the panel.

So, with that said, you are just dividing the amperage load between 2 hot legs instead of 1 when you run 240. That's why when you read the elec info on a ballast, it will say 9 amps at 120v, 4.5 at 240v. That doesn't mean that it only takes 4.5 amps to fire the bulb, it still takes 9 amps to fire it, but at 240, it is 4.5 amps with 2 legs totaling 9 amps to fire it up. Hope this makes sense. I'm pretty danked out.

No matter what, equipment needs so many amps to fire up. Lets use the ballast example again.
Run on 120, its 1 hot leg at 9 amps, at 240, it's 2 legs at 4.5 amps, at 3 phase, its 3 legs at 3 amps.

End of the day...your power meter will spin the same regardless of running equip at 120 or 240 or 3 phase for that mater.

The equipment will run a little more efficient, but negligible in regards to your power bill. The savings is gained when setting up the electrical system really only if you are going big. By this I mean it is cheaper to buy the wire needed to run big amperage load equipment then if you set it up for 120v only.

 

[Hushpuppy]

Very good point Hal. Glad to see you still coming around here with us dude.

 

[Gooch]

yes thank you for the info, my particular circumstance using the endomaxx 315 meant that i needed 240 and since i have 3 other ballasts i figured it would be better to run them all on 240, using 1 controller for four lights. and looking on the ballast says 240 3amps not 3 amps per leg of your 120 so i figured hopefully i will save on power also(the meters measure amps not power), maybe the ballast need higher voltage and not really high amperage the watts(Power) are still the same, maybe getting 120v up to the voltage it needs to be, requires more current at 120, again all **** that ran through my mind as i was considering the change over. which was going to happen one way or the other

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

Amps times volts equals watts. When you use 240v instead of 120v, you are using 1/2 the amps, but twice the volts, so power consumption is basically the same. The same ballast that uses 3 amps at 240v will use 6 amps when running at 120v. So for comparision sakes (actual wattages will vary a bit) 3*240=6*120. meaning that power consumption will be about the same regardless of whether are using 240V or 120V.

 

[Gooch]

That is correct THG but the meter on the side of my house does not measure power usage it measures amperage used.

 

[sopappy]

That is correct THG but the meter on the side of my house does not measure power usage it measures amperage used.

nope, that would be an ammeter
the power company sells power, which is measured in watts
Power equals the current times the voltage. P=I*E
110 W = 1.0A * 110V
110 W = 0.5A * 220V

 

[WeedHopper]

All i know is they both will shock the crap outta yas. Ouch

 

[Gooch]

Ahhh good looking sopappy i presumed because the breaker box is setup in amps that is how they measured, a quick look at the bill its kwhours

 

[sopappy]

Ahhh good looking sopappy i presumed because the breaker box is setup in amps that is how they measured, a quick look at the bill its kwhours

I actually did not fully understand it myself until I read NorCalHal's post.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

That is correct THG but the meter on the side of my house does not measure power usage it measures amperage used.

No, power usage is measured in kilowatts. And that is what you are charged for.
Amps x voltage equals watts.

 

[sopappy]

You are correct in saying that it is basically 2 120v "hot legs" to make a 240v circuit, all ran back to a 2 pole breaker at the panel.

So, with that said, you are just dividing the amperage load between 2 hot legs instead of 1 when you run 240. That's why when you read the elec info on a ballast, it will say 9 amps at 120v, 4.5 at 240v. That doesn't mean that it only takes 4.5 amps to fire the bulb, it still takes 9 amps to fire it, but at 240, it is 4.5 amps with 2 legs totaling 9 amps to fire it up. Hope this makes sense. I'm pretty danked out.

No matter what, equipment needs so many amps to fire up. Lets use the ballast example again.
Run on 120, its 1 hot leg at 9 amps, at 240, it's 2 legs at 4.5 amps, at 3 phase, its 3 legs at 3 amps.

End of the day...your power meter will spin the same regardless of running equip at 120 or 240 or 3 phase for that mater.

The equipment will run a little more efficient, but negligible in regards to your power bill. The savings is gained when setting up the electrical system really only if you are going big. By this I mean it is cheaper to buy the wire needed to run big amperage load equipment then if you set it up for 120v only.

Excellent explanation, NorCalHal, that 3 phase stuff ALWAYS confused me but I'm laughing now, nicely done!

 

[umbra]

NCH set up my room, and it is pumping out some dank.

 

[WeedHopper]

You have a great Mentor my friend.

 

[grass hopper]

they sure talked the 1000w double ended light up on weed radio show. made it sound like 2 grams per watt was typical.. they said keep lights 5 feet from plants which took me out in my house... 8 foot clgs.. ncl , are u using these lights and do u get that kind of poundage??? thanks!!

 

[NorCalHal]

they sure talked the 1000w double ended light up on weed radio show. made it sound like 2 grams per watt was typical.. they said keep lights 5 feet from plants which took me out in my house... 8 foot clgs.. ncl , are u using these lights and do u get that kind of poundage??? thanks!!

The short answer is...Yes and Yes. Best lights in the industry hands down imho.

We were just talking about the height of the Gavita's off the canopy today.
I am fortunate, I built my rooms with 12' ceilings. My Dual ended lights hang about 1 foot off the ceiling. I never move them at all. They stay put.

When I start a new click, I will bring the plants in and set them up on custom tables we fabricate. The tables are about 2.5' - 3' tall. The pots I use put them up another foot or so.
So, when I put them under the Dual ended lights when I first put them in the room they are a solid 7 feet below the lights. Sounds crazy, but no stretch issues or weird growth at all...ever.

I used to raise and lower them and keep a solid 4 feet of distance from the plants all the way through the cycle. After talking to a Gavita tech guy, he convinced me to set them up at the highest distance and let the plants grow into them. A lot of tech explanations, but basically, at the younger stage of growth, the cannabis plant doesn't need such intense light. He stated that if I left the lights at the highest point, the canopy would naturally stay even.
He was absolutely correct. My gardens have never been more uniform.

It would be tough to run dual ended in a smaller ceiling space. I think that if you used air cooled and ran Indica dominant strains, you could pull off some dank in a lower ceilinged room, say 8'.

On that note...they do sell lower wattage dual ended lights, like 600w. Id bet that those would ROCK a smaller ceiling space. I know on hotter days, I dial back my dual ended lights to 800w from 1000w and see no difference in bud structure of weight.

Something to think about.

 

[NorCalHal]

Excellent explanation, NorCalHal, that 3 phase stuff ALWAYS confused me but I'm laughing now, nicely done!

Good deal bro! That's all 3 phase is...3 hot legs instead of 2 for 240 and 1 for 120. The trick for 3 phase is just balancing the load back at the main panel and not overloading 1 of the legs.
One thing I learned is in industrial areas with 3 phase power, when you run a 2 pole breaker the 2 legs do not give you 240v...it is actually 208v.
At a home, the 2 legs together do add up to an actual 240v.
At least this is the case for industrial in Cali...not sure on other states.

 

[NorCalHal]

NCH set up my room, and it is pumping out some dank.

Your KILLING it this run!

 

[sopappy]

All i know is they both will shock the crap outta yas. Ouch

yup, you can get a pretty good lift from 110, 220 is even better
but RF will knock your socks off and leave a mark
I test 9V batteries with my tongue

 

[grass hopper]

WOW AND WOW!!! Thanks hal, i wanna try those soo bad. umbra and hal, u guys gotta post some pics at some point. PLEASE.... We have been thinking on moving. Dear builder. We would like a small ranch, with a big basement with at least 12 foot ceilings. please..and a pond and lots of critters around..blue state would be nice. low taxes.

 

[zigggy]

thanks for all your answers,,,,,gonna buy three new hortilux bulbs (600s) ,,taking things slow for right now ,,,have a lot going on ,,,my sons first year of school ,,,he's getting so big,,,,after life calms down will take another look at improvments ,,,ssbw