When connecting LED lights & basic equipment in a 4x5 . Do you just plug directly into the wall ? Or do you use a surge protector? I’m concerned about creating a fire hazard. What are some tips for safety? Any fire protection?
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Calculate the total wattage of your equipment and if you’re here in the US, do not exceed 1800W per receptacle (both outlets combined). Try not to even get close to that. My personal max is 1200W, but my tent is much lower than that.
Make sure the receptacle strip you use (you will use one) is rated for the current draw. Surge protectors protect your equipment, so it’s not a bad idea to have one. Most good quality receptacle strips have surge protection built in.
Try not to skimp on cheap equipment that doesn’t have a good reputation. Search around the threads here. There is plenty of information regarding the reliability of some of the more popular gear.
Never skimp when it comes to safety.
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What else is in the circuit you plan to use? Each tent if mine has its own 20 amp circuit. Nothing else on it. 80% of what the circuit is rated for is the max I use
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Are you sure it’s 20A? Most homes are 15A. 15 X120V=1800 Max. 20% of 1800 is 360W. 1800-360=1440W. I cap mine at 1200W because I’m paranoid.
I should also mention that you can have more than one receptacle on a breaker (my room has two), so you have to account for anything plugged into that as well. A breaker finder is a good investment when it comes to setting up your gear, as is a Killawatt.
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Yes, I installed the breakers and circuits. Single outlet for each breaker right next to the tent
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Gotcha. Mine are all 15A.
We have 200 amp service. I removed a bunch of old shit from the house and freed up a ton of space. Old house from the 50s, hot tub baths, heat lamps in the bathrooms, all that good stuff. Replaced a ton of stuff with much more effecient appliances or completely removed the stuff we didn’t want.
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Yeah, I believe most modern homes are 200A service now. He should check his breaker size and the number of circuits on it.
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Yea they upgraded the panel a few years before be bought the house, that was nice to see.
The best advice ever for electrical. If you are nervous, unsure, or not handy… Call a professional.
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Words of wisdom right there my friend.
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It’s better to pay than burn your house down or die
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Use a GFCI to make it safe, be sure to plug 
the GFCI in first to the receptacle. 
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Im no electrical expert. But, a gfci is used around sinks and water supplies to stop people from getting electricuted. If you run a high load device on one such as a high powered grow light the initial spike in current when the light kicks on can actually trip the gfci. Thats what my electrician buddy told me and after some reseaech i decided he was correct on the subject.
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That is true that it will trips based upon load and that is why they are sold in 15 amp and 20 amp variety, but the also afford protection for anything plug into them and are always a good idea to have them watching when you can’t.
electric shocks
The GFCI is designed to protect people from severe or fatal electric shocks but because a GFCI detects ground faults, it can also prevent some electrical fires and reduce the severity of other fires by interrupting the flow of electric current.
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I’ve had no issues with my gfci plugs, I’m also only running 730 watts for my max lighting
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You are only at 6.08 amps, all you have to do to figure out amp is divide the watt by the voltage. 730 watts ~ by 120 volts = Amps.
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Something to consider as well is the size of your electrical wiring. Make sure for 20amps your running at least 14 gauge. When I built my room I ran ten all thru it just to be safe. 10gauge 30amp on a 300amp box. No worries over here lol
Grundle
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Yes do not undersize wiring to save money.
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14 gauge for 15 amp circuits and 12 gauge for 20 amp circuits.
Amperage Capacities for wire gauges from NEC.
16-gauge wire 13 amps
14-gauge wire 15 amps
12-gauge wire 20 amps
10-gauge wire 30 amps
8-gauge wire 40 amps
6-gauge wire 55 amps
4-gauge wire 70 amps
3-gauge wire 85 amps
2-gauge wire 95 amps
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Ya it should be 12 but you can get away with 14 if money is tight. That’s what my electrician told me, as long as you’re under the 20amp limit. Always better to be safe then sorry but budget does come into play.
Grundle
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