ANY ELECTRICIANS AROUND Need help/advice with Feeder Cable & Sub Panel.

mikeybtoken · Aug 19, 2013

So here is my deal.

I just finished building a 12x16 grow room about 20' from the backside of a newer 1400sf residential home. To get power to the room, I will now have to run about 125' of feeder cable from the front of the garage at the front of the house, where the 200amp service panel is located.

I want the feeder cable to be plenty big enough to run up to an 8-10k light system along with ALL of the electrical goodies that will come up in a grow room of this size, including 10,000BTU AC window unit

My Original Plan A....Was to run the cable in conduit, at the bottom of the T-lll, to the backside of the house. Then run the remaining 20' under ground, to a 60amp or a 100amp sub panel.

My New Plan B.....Rent a Ditch Witch, and run the cable in conduit in a 18-20" trench. I'm just now realizing that cable size and choice will likely determine what I should choose to do.

At this point, I have heard so many different things about cable types and sizes, that my head is spinning..... One electrician says that I will never need more than #6 THWN to a 60amp sub panel....... another one says that I should go 1/0 AL to a 100amp sub panel.
The problem here is that I do not feel comfortable telling either one what I really plan to do in this room.

I'm pretty handy.....BUT I'M NO ELECTRICAL ENGINEER.
I'm really trying to avoid having to hire someone that I do not know, to help me with this project.

Thanks to the great people at this site, in the past I have had the best luck right here, with these very same issues.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice that anyone here is willing to offer.

Peace MBT

pcduck · Aug 19, 2013

Go bigger then what you may even think you may need.

Tell them you are an artist with a plasma cutter making sculptures

Growdude · Aug 19, 2013

A 12x16 room should not need more than 7000 watts of lighting.
If you do go 8-10 k your going to need more than 10,000 btu AC.

So if you stay under 14000 watts you can go with 60 amp sub panel, Use #6 UF and you wont need the conduit.

If your going to be as high as 24,000 watts go with 100 amp sub panel.
1/0 AL might be cheaper than #1 copper but either way UF wire does not need conduit.

Now the big problem is your service is only 200 amp so running a 100 amp sub panel might be more than the main will handle, if so you need a bigger service to your house.
For this reason I would try to make 60 amps work and it should.

zem · Aug 19, 2013

use the shortest route for the cable. the longer the distance, the more power loss you will have. i'm no electrician, but i know you can do it

keep us posted

7greeneyes · Aug 19, 2013

mikeybtoken said:
So here is my deal.

I just finished building a 12x16 grow room about 20' from the backside of a newer 1400sf residential home. To get power to the room, I will now have to run about 125' of feeder cable from the front of the garage at the front of the house, where the 200amp service panel is located.

I want the feeder cable to be plenty big enough to run up to an 8-10k light system along with ALL of the electrical goodies that will come up in a grow room of this size, including 10,000BTU AC window unit

My Original Plan A....Was to run the cable in conduit, at the bottom of the T-lll, to the backside of the house. Then run the remaining 20' under ground, to a 60amp or a 100amp sub panel.

My New Plan B.....Rent a Ditch Witch, and run the cable in conduit in a 18-20" trench. I'm just now realizing that cable size and choice will likely determine what I should choose to do.

At this point, I have heard so many different things about cable types and sizes, that my head is spinning..... One electrician says that I will never need more than #6 THWN to a 60amp sub panel....... another one says that I should go 1/0 AL to a 100amp sub panel.
The problem here is that I do not feel comfortable telling either one what I really plan to do in this room.

I'm pretty handy.....BUT I'M NO ELECTRICAL ENGINEER.
I'm really trying to avoid having to hire someone that I do not know, to help me with this project.

Thanks to the great people at this site, in the past I have had the best luck right here, with these very same issues.

Thanks in advance for any help or advice that anyone here is willing to offer.

Peace MBT

Where you been bro, we've missed you....how's life treating you? Three years ago year were in my journal then up and :bolt:

mikeybtoken · Aug 21, 2013

What's up 7g, It's been a bit of a haul, I had some medical issues to get through. I'm really dam lucky to be here at all, but I'm still kicking. Glad that's all over.

Thanks to everyone for the feedback.

As for the main house panel, this is where I'm still in over my head. I already have a 60 amp sub panel running off of this 200amp box now. I plan to add one more next year.
So there will be a total of three sub panels when I'm completely done. More than likely, I will have to add another 200 amp panel to cover all three sub panels.
To be 100% sure, I'm just going to have to bite the bullet here, and spill the beans to one of my electricians for this project.

Thanks Again to Everyone.

Peace MBT

ozzydiodude · Aug 21, 2013

An electrician you can trust is priceless, when is comes to safety in the grow room

N.E.wguy · Aug 21, 2013

should go get a DBA for a welding shop and just throw in another 200 amp

nouvellechef · Aug 22, 2013

There are a couple super skilled electricians here. I think Bwanabud and Viper are experts in the field. PM them.

I will say this though. That's a huge undertaking for that many watts not including any of the set up. When you start talking about 12 watts plus. Your into it for 10k plus, easy. A window unit ain't gonna cut it, waste of power. Even with that many watts, moving alot of air with winter temps will keep it cool in there. Once winter is over, I would get a self contained frostbox or a mini split. At that point running those, you might as well run LP or NG to a CO2 unit. Running any kind of cheap AC in a non sealer room, especially with a large amount of watts, is counter productive to your net gram cost at the end of the day.

Hope that makes sense

I would post pics of the sub panel and the job itself and I am sure one of those guys will walk you thru it in no time.

Hushpuppy · Aug 22, 2013

Don't go to an outside person for help unless you can absolutely convinse them that it is for anything other than what you are using it for. I just got busted because of a "friend" who I thought I could trust. He was busted and gave me up to save his own hide. "TELL NO ONE" is the best method.

ANY ELECTRICIANS AROUND Need help/advice with Feeder Cable & Sub Panel.

mikeybtoken

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pcduck

Feed the soil, not the plant

Growdude

I am the Smo King

zem

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7greeneyes

MedicalNLovingIt!

mikeybtoken

Well-Known Member

ozzydiodude

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N.E.wguy

Product of my environment

nouvellechef

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Hushpuppy

Dr MadBud

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***ANY ELECTRICIANS AROUND*** Need help/advice with Feeder Cable & Sub Panel.

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Feed the soil, not the plant

I am the Smo King

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MedicalNLovingIt!

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Well-Known Member

Product of my environment

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ANY ELECTRICIANS AROUND Need help/advice with Feeder Cable & Sub Panel.