Electricity, some basics for all!

[Scooterman]

12awg. wire in now rated for 20A breakers, 14awg. is rated in homes at 15A, two of those would be good in most cases, I'd go with 12awg and 20a breakers myself, unless your running 4,000W of lights & a huge chiller. I saw a few designs, like at RC where a guy made a outlet board that was protected with surge protectors, each surge strip was rated I think at 15A. Which is underrating the main CB, which is good practice. If your adding these, use the type circuit breakers as Joe mention. they may cost more but well worth it, also while your at it, get one or two ground probes, even though arguable, because they can mask possible problems but save your tank, & yourself. If you do use GP's or not, regardless, if is our responsibility to thoroughly check any electrical equipment submerged or external for that matter. I read the manufacture of some devices recommend replacing the submerged pumps after 3 years regardless ( I think it was for Danner Mags but don't quote me on that.) he said that most people get away with 5 years of service any longer your asking for problems.

[Craig Manoukian]

Thanks Scooter!

[Witfull]

Please folks dont forgot the obvious, water and electricity dont mix!! if your playing with any electical device near the tank UNPLUG IT!! make sure your lights are well mounted and secure! make sure endcaps are seated firmly and cords are not subject to snagging. drip curves in power cords to all any water that may get on the cord to drip off and not run directly to the plug. and its helpfull to label cords with masking tape as to what it operates so you can easily unplug.

[Scooterman]

http://www.homewiringandmore.com/codesafe/index.html

Codes today aren't necessary good for tomorrow, so as I speak, things change, so we can try keeping it to the basics & safety, codes will have to be determined at your location & at the time of the install or upgrade.

More pictures of basic home wiring.

http://www.homewiringandmore.com/pic...ory/index.html

This link has tons of good stuff.

http://www.homewiringandmore.com/sitemap.html

[Scooterman]

http://www.ul.com/regulators/afci/labdatav5n3.html


http://www.ul.com/regulators/afci/Dini2.pdf

Why AFCI?

1) Suppose a lamp cord (as an example) has been pinched, so that part of the hot conductor is cut. It starts arcing between the strands upstream of the cut and the strands downstream of the cut. The current associated with the arcs flow along the wire, so the current on the hot wire always equals the current on the neutral. Therefore, a GFCI would not detect the event. The arcs are of high currents, but of low durations. Therefore, the branch circuit breaker would not detect the event. Continued arcing could lead to overheating, and to a fire. The AFCI device is designed to detect currents that display the signature of this type of arcing, and to trip before a fire could start.

(2) The code says to put AFCIs in bedrooms primarily because the industry would never accept an immediate change that required them everywhere. As a starting point, it was an easy enough sell. If time shows them to be effective, and if mass-production makes them cheap, you might see them as the one and only type of breaker in any new dwelling unit’s power panel

http://www.mikeholt.com/documents/ne...ment_page2.pdf

GFCI’s are required on all circuits with the potential of getting wet, I want to make this clear as NEC standards for the USA. You can use an AFCI on the branch breakers & install the GFCI outlets and this will work fine. I like Joe's set-up on a new installs but it does come with a nice price tag.

[Curtswearing]

Scooter,

You've given me a headache!!!

[Scooterman]

Sorry Had a little fee time!

[pipbarr]

How much current is too much to draw through a normal 2 plug outlet? I just ordered some new lighting and was wondering if I'd be running a risk if I had 384 watts of pc light, 2 MJ900's, a dolphin return, heater, skimmer, etc running on surge protectors through one outlet.

I'm guessing it depends partially on the current wiring in my house...but is there a general rule of thumb?

Thanks,
Philip

[Scooterman]

Homes of the past was wired using smaller gauge wire, that had lower current limits, I guess at the times they could never imagine the need as in our modern lives. Typically today 14g & 12g is the standard, 12 gauge is in the majority of homes. With this wire NEC limits usage to a 20A breaker but it could be a small as 10A. So depending on your wire gauge & breaker, you may be able to split the load across the two outlets. Seems like allot, I have a 350W heater, 280VHO, 250MH, & a series of pumps on one outlet. That will change soon when I move the tank. What I did was add the total amperage of everything plugged in, including whatever else is on that circuit, like lights etc, I try and keep a 75% limit on a breaker, which means at worst case of everything starting up at once, the total load would be 75% of the 20 amp breaker, actually, when equipment is running it is considerably lower in power consumption. Also, my heater hardly ever comes on, don't know if I even need one typically, I also use electronic ballast which are efficient in power out to power loss ratio, which also lessens the load on a circuit, and wallet in the long term.

[Travis]

Let me make sure I’ve got this right then… If I had a 15A breaker and nothing else running I could technically plug 1800 watts (120 x 15) into one outlet?

But I would be better at the 75% mark or below, so 1350 watts?

[Scooterman]

Yep, if you ran it at 1800 watts, eventually it will trip, you have to take into account start-up surge which can go as high as three times the labled amperage.