T187 Posted November 25, 2007 Share Posted November 25, 2007 i bought a standard timer that said it was safe upto 1250 watts, still i didnt feel safe using all this powerful lighting eqiuipment through it as they are only really designed for turning 1 stupid bulb on so burglars think ur in, best to get a timer made for the job intended i say , especially if you want to sleep at night, that timer the link was posted to was a new one out i think made by envirolite, especially for the grow room as it has a waterproof seal around the fittings and a built in contactor looks good for £15, the 1 i have is called a powerstar 1kw horticultural contactor and it makes me feal a bit safer so i bought another 1 for my other uses SAFE growing T187 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drtwo Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 I see everyone recommending 240V coil contactors but I think I know a cheaper way I'll be using a power supply for a few intake pc fans, 12V and since I want them out when the light goes off anyway I might just plug it into the timer and use 1 12V line to operate the HPS contactor. These 12V contactors are only 2 bucks so it saves a lot of money. If really necessary I can always make a switch operated extra power supply feed line so I can keep the fans on in the dark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticky Fingaz Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 Hi everyone having a couple of problems. We are soon to flower me Mazar but we seem to have a problem we are using a 250w H.I.D and it has already claimed the lives of two cheap Argos mechanical timers and funds don't stretch very far at the moment so i was wondering what timers do you guys use with your 250 watters?. I've heard that the Argos digital timers are able to work with a 250 but would like to hear some opinions. Thanks Ever since i had a fair amount of gear nicked, i've not had the cash to splash out £40 to £50 nicker for a contactor relay unit "AGAIN" So when i was in Homebargins one day, i came across an RCD adapter for like a couple of quid. It can handle 3000w max and has a trip current of 30mA i dont know jack shit about electrics but i know my 600w hps and fans ect dont add up to 3000w so i feel safe but could be wrong. Simply plug the RCD before your timer, apresto its gonna trip your RCD before your timer(although its never happend to me) then all you gotta do is hit the reset button(rcd) and its all back to normal agen. It works a treat, cheap, easy and no more timer blows, might not be the safest opition over a rely but it does the same job for the price of 20 smokes Ya can get them allover, tool shops ect ive posted link to one in argos just to show ya what i mean if your unsure what one is. I appolagise if the link is posted wrong im new to this and dont know how to post pics either or i'd show you how i set up mine. http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500001001&langId=-1&searchTerms=RCD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scraglor Posted April 10, 2008 Share Posted April 10, 2008 an rcd picks up earth faults, ie if your timer burns out to earth, then the rcd will trip, an rcd will in no way protect against your timer sticking on or failing to switch on. you need to buy a contactor, they can be picked up for around 10 - 20 quid. look on ebay there's tons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beebsy Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 IMO anyone who doesn't use a contactor relay for anything over 150w deserves everything they get... including your house burned down!Sorry to be so sharp, but a person who grows without one, especially using HID lamps risks at the very least, a frozen timer & at the worst... a fire which could take you, your family & your neighbours house up in flames! I believe you shouldn't be able to even BUY an HID lamp without the question 'have you got a contactor relay' being asked sorry to bang on about this, but it really is poor form when you try & save a few quid by not buying one & then moan when you have bought a few packs of timers & probably spent more on replacements than the price of the ruddy contactor Let's put it another way... As growers of our precious herb in our own homes, I say we have a responsibility to others around us by taking as many precautions as we can. We may be breaking a stupid prohibition law, but FFS people neglegence shouldn't come into it!! dikki Edited to add: Could this be pinned? It's a common enough question that NEEDS addressing by ALL growers That's a good point mate but not all growers are aware that you need a contactor relay for high wattage lamps. When I did my first grow I had the same problem with my timers. I was not aware that I would need a relay until I posted here and someone told me about them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grimweeder Posted July 16, 2008 Share Posted July 16, 2008 (edited) yea standard cheap timers that youd put your washer on wont really usually work they cant handle the power load. i bought a proper timer( eco switch) with a 4 way extension lead attached to it for about 35 quid from a hydro store ive had it for well over 5 years and its been bashed around like fuck an still works perfectly ive had around 2000 watts runnin off it at the maximum an no probs (touch wood) id say its defo worth spendin a bit more on a dedicated grow room timer especially if every month or so your buyin a new 10 quid timer anyway. itd probably work out to savin you money in the long run if people arnt aware then i think the hydro shops that sell the hid lamps should have a responsibility to at least tell the buyer they should be using a contact relay timer or jus ask if they have one my local shop doesnt always but the one i got my first kit off years ago in ipswich was a wicked shop the guy told me everything i needed to know from growing to safety an even wrote it down for me ( most places would probably point out a book an say buy it for fear of being done for conspiracy to cultivate) so information tends to be limited. i once went to store in cambridge that was jus a head shop an sold the odd bit of grow kit when i asked about items an their use they said "we cant give information on how to use the items we sell sorry". a bit stupid to think you can sell something but your not allowed to say what its used for. Edited July 16, 2008 by oliwog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fakerbaker Posted August 3, 2008 Share Posted August 3, 2008 why not go get an envirolite timer.u can get them for about £15 or less and can be used up to 600w bulb,i used one for my 250w lumatek ballast without any probs.they are designed for bulb ignition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scraglor Posted August 9, 2008 Share Posted August 9, 2008 i got a cheap digi timer here in us, and specs are these.Ratings: 15 Amps Resistive and Inductive, 500 Watt Tungsten, 1/3 H.P., 120VAC, 60 Hz seems to be more than enough for any of these specs you guys were shooting out? and i only run a 150w hps and 62w cfl... this one cost me 15 bucks at my local diy store~ it can only handle 500w of tungsten inrush current, which lasts only a split second or two and causes zero arcing on opening! 500w of hid lighting would fuck it up in no time, 150w of hid is probably right on it's limit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin69 Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Hello all. Would an imersion heater heater timer be any good. Been used to time water heater rated at 1.5 kw. could this timer be used SAFLEY with 400 watt sodium growlux bulb. Dont wanna kill myself or anyone else. Go easy on me guys i am a complete newbie and know sweet fa about electrics. This thread has got me worried Best. Assassin 69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flail Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Some techno babble. The load from from a HID may be 400W but it the ballast produces a high Inductive not resistive load (most normal bulbs are simply resistive. The inductive load can be as high as 30 Amps and canweld a 13 Amp timer shut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin69 Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Some techno babble. The load from from a HID may be 400W but it the ballast produces a high Inductive not resistive load (most normal bulbs are simply resistive. The inductive load can be as high as 30 Amps and canweld a 13 Amp timer shut How many amps do`s an imersion heater take always thought it was 30. Best Assassin69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flail Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Some techno babble. The load from from a HID may be 400W but it the ballast produces a high Inductive not resistive load (most normal bulbs are simply resistive. The inductive load can be as high as 30 Amps and canweld a 13 Amp timer shut How many amps do`s an imersion heater take always thought it was 30. Best Assassin69 For sure the fuse is often 30A. Immersion KW ratings vary from 1-3KW and are totally resistive load so no worries. The inductive load is the one that increases the total current drawn significantly for a short time. Reason I read up was I bought some Screwfix timers-absolute shite tbh. I'm a Mechanical Engineer btw who understands a smigen of Electrical stuff cus I have to these days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakter Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Jus been readin and wonderin, rather than use a contactor/relay could i just use a thyristor and large heatsink. assuming i could source 1 to handle the power ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flail Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 Hello all.Would an imersion heater heater timer be any good. Been used to time water heater rated at 1.5 kw. could this timer be used SAFLEY with 400 watt sodium growlux bulb. Dont wanna kill myself or anyone else. Go easy on me guys i am a complete newbie and know sweet fa about electrics. This thread has got me worried :wink: Best. Assassin 69 Hi Assasin, IMO yes will be fine-just. Ohms law (remember your School Physics?) is Power=IV Watts (soppy aide memoire). Calc is for totally resistive load (formula transposed) 400W/240V=1.67Amps. Now for an inductive load this goes out of the window and a factor of about times 4 should be used. So 1500 W breaker you have = 1.67 (A) * 240 V *4 factor=1632W, so as i say a 1.5KW breaker just ok. Put a 10 Amp fuse on it just in case and this should blow if overloaded. Hope this helps-don't sue me if I'm all to cock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assassin69 Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 Hi Assasin, IMO yes will be fine-just. Ohms law (remember your School Physics?) is Power=IV Watts (soppy aide memoire). Calc is for totally resistive load (formula transposed) 400W/240V=1.67Amps. Now for an inductive load this goes out of the window and a factor of about times 4 should be used. So 1500 W breaker you have = 1.67 (A) * 240 V *4 factor=1632W, so as i say a 1.5KW breaker just ok. Put a 10 Amp fuse on it just in case and this should blow if overloaded. Hope this helps-don't sue me if I'm all to cock Cheers for that Daktar & Flail. All clear on that subject (till next problem ). all the best and thanx to everyone who replied. Assassin 69 D.F.F.L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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