Electric cords & water

[jeredh]

well, i tend to not think of disaster, but by nature i plan for the worst and hope for the best. check out the way my wiring is setup for my ballasts.

note six-strip AC bay...on the left coming out of digital timer is a 3 way split (this controls 2x32wPC and 2x55PC ballast). the 175wMH is connected to a seperate digital timer.

i am adding my refugium, and will need a few more outlets. I do not have any more receptacles within 20' of my tank/stand. Any suggestiopns, flames, suggestions about this medley of electrical ganglia? :mrgreen:

[mnoon]

Any idea if the receptical that You are using is a dedicated circuit...?
If so then what size breaker do You have installed 10-15 amp most likley.
If it's not a dedicated circuit then You need to find out what outher items are on that circuit. Tally up all the items You have for amperage draw on them and then can make a determination upon that. If the item doesn't have amp draw listed on it take Watts divided by voltage equals amps. :)

[jason gilman]

well is it your house.i would rewire the outlet with dual gfci receptecles.
on a 20a breaker then mount the powerstrips above the gfci's.that way
theres no chance of starting fire do to wet electrical possibilitys.

[Travis]

GFCI !! Make sure it's hooked into a GFCI and if not, install one.

[jeredh]

:shock: is this the joker you peeps are referring to?

http://www.centurywire.com/outdoorGFCI.htm

My home was built in 1995,and has all the latest bells & whistles.

...for those who may be mourning the suicidal tendency's of my maroon clown, we will be having an irish wake at the DNA lounge in downtown memphis. Debauchery and tomfoolery encouraged :wink:

[salty dragon]

I agree with installing a GFCI outlet if only to protect your equipment. Also and most importantly raise all of the plugs as high as you can and create drip loops with every cord so any water that runs down them will not find it's way into aan outlet. I actualy went as far as installing 5 new outlets above the tank in the tank room all with their own dedicated breaker. You can never have too many outlets. Finally you can (with a little computer knowhow) install simple computer power batteries inline to give you power when you have a blackout. Of course consult an electrician before attempting anything too crazy. Good Luck.
EC

[Brad]

Here is a link to what I made for my setup I wired the outlet into its own 20amp breaker and it is also on a GFCI http://www.coralforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=412

[tangwang]

I agree with everybody here. Any marine aquarium should be plugged into a GFCI outlet. But another thing that is often overlooked, is a grounding probe. Equipment that is run in the aquarium that only has two wires, and no ground, such as powerheads, some pumps, heaters, etc., will render a GFCI useless, unless the aquarium water is properly grounded, i.e., a grounding probe.

Matt

[jason gilman]

tangwang is right i forgot to mention a grounding conductor.i just recently rewired somones tank room,i put in to dedicated gfci circuits,and two nominal circuits up at about 6' for his lighting.it work out very well,and looks good to.make sure if you install gfi's to use deep boxs to fit the wireing and outlet.

[tangwang]

Yes, a deadicated circuit for your aquarium seems to be the best route to go. When I rewired the circuit for my reef, I didn'd run the GFCI outlet in series, I ran them each to the breaker box. Because when I had them run in series, all feeding off of one GFCI outlet, I had a hose spring a leak, wetting a ballast, and killing the whole circuit, leaving the tank with no filtration all day long. So that is why I got rid of the series wiring, and used independant outlets. The lighting goes to one outlet, the heater to another, powerheads and electronics to another, and the main pump to the last one, that way, if there is a ground fault with one aspect of the tank, tripping the GFCI, it won't put the other equipment out of comission, leaving the tank high and dry.

Matt

[jeredh]

This afternoon I attempted to install a ground fault circuit interrupter to my power supply. See attached photo for the cord I bought. It is rated at 15amps, 125 volts, 1875watts.
When I plugged in my equipment, the GFCI tripped and would not turn on. I only turned on my 2x55wPC's and 2x32wPC's and the Prizm skimmer and a Rio600 Powerhead.

Can any of you electrical experts tell me what's wrong & why the power will not stay on? My assumption is that a 15watt GFCI cannot support the ballasts. :?

Many thanks in advance,
Jered

[jason gilman]

ya thats you problem jeredh.you should install two gfci receptacles instead of the crappy extension cord.2 seperate gfci's on 20amp breakers will solve your problem.ill fly down and throw them in but it will cost ya a grand and a 18 pack of bud bottles haha.j/k.

[jeredh]

niiiiiiiiice! my work is cut out for me then. i'll send my dad's king air up to your tiny state and pick you up. hehe
For really, my intentions here were to try a quick fix prior to me leaving out of town this Thursday. That's not going to happen..
I have a buddy staying at my house while I'm away - and this guy is the original owner of my tank. So, I guess I will just be a paranoid reefer while I'm trying to enjoy myself in the Bahama's this weekend. Yep, that's right...the Bahama's baby! 8)

[jason gilman]

well you have a good time in the tropics ill keep an eye on the tank to hehe!you will be alright with the wireing till you get back peace.