Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible

aluminum or silver screw.
The ground wire always attaches to the ground prong.
Note: Keep the wires from crossing and forming a short circuit.
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    Plugs and outlets must have a solid connection. If they are jostled around and the electricity is allowed to jump, electricity is lost in the form of heat; the prongs will burn, and a fire could result. Periodically check plugs and outlets to ensure they have a solid connection.
    If installing a new circuit or breaker box, hire an electrician or purchase Wiring Simplified by H. P. Richter and W. C. Schwan. It costs about $10 and is available at most hardware stores in the USA. Installing a new circuit in a breaker box is very easy, but installing another fuse in a fuse box is more complex. Before trying anything of this scope, read about it, and discuss it with several professionals.

Electricity Consumption
    It is not a crime to use electricity that has been legally purchased. No sensible judge would issue a search warrant on the basis of suspicious electricity consumption. However, not all judges are sensible, and small communities with bored police officers or special marijuana task forces often take it upon themselves to investigate whatever information theyare able to weasel out of electric company employees. Larger police forces do not have the desire, time, or money to look for small-time marijuana growers. I once went to check on the electricity consumption of a home I was thinking about renting; I went to the electric company and asked how much electricity the current tenant was using. The electric company employee called up the address on the computer and spun the screen around for me to examine. I could see the electrical consumption for the past few years as well as all the personal information about the tenant! If this is what I can do with a simple question and a smile, imagine what law enforcement officials can do with intimidation!

Water and electricity don’t mix. Always work with a grounded system, and keep all standing water off the floor!

Avoid scenes like this, and never operate lamps on an overloaded circuit.
    There are many ways to deal with the increase in consumption of electricity. One friend moved into a home that had all electric heat and a fireplace. He installed three HID lamps in the basement that also generated heat. The excess heat was dispersed via a vent fan attached to a thermostat/humidistat. He turned off the electric heat, bought a fireplace insert, and started heating with wood. Even running three lamps, consuming three kilowatts per hour, the electric bill was less than it had been with electric heat! Electric bills are controlled with and generated by a computer system. Monthly energy consumption is often displayed on a bar graph for the previous 12 months. This graph makes it easy to see fluctuations in electricity consumption.

Electrical ground

Breaker switches have their ampere rating printed on the face.

The diameter of electrical wire grows thicker as the gauge number decreases. Notice how much thicker a 14-gauge wire is than 16-gauge.

A ground fault interrupt (GFI) outlet contains a breaker switch and will turn off electricity when tripped.

The voltage drops if electricity travels more than ten feet (3 m) from the outlet to the ballast. The longer the distance, the greater the voltage drop. Ballasts are underpowered when voltage is low, causing the bulb to dim.

Left European 240-volt grounded plug. Center UK 240-volt grounded plug that con tains a fuse. Right Grounded US and Canadian plug. The green or green-striped wires are ground wires.
    A one- to three-bedroom home can run two to three 1000-watt lamps, and a four- to five-bedroom home can operate three to five lamps with little or no suspicion regarding electrical consumption. Powering any more lamps usually requires adding new incoming circuits, or the use of present circuits will be severely limited.
    The amount of electricity consumption and the size of the home are proportional. Often, an increase in electric consumption is normal. For example, electric bills always increase if there is a baby in the home or if there are more residents living there. Changing to gas or wood heat and a gas stove and water heater will also lower the electricity bill. Some friends bought a new, efficient water heater and saved $17 per month! Just by changing water heaters, they were able to add another 600-watt lamp. Another grower set her water heater for 130°F (54°C)