lets get real. how big is your power strip?

cmross13

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im looking at my RSR 350, which is pretty "bare bones" as far as that goes, and im still running out of outlets with my 10 port Monster Surge protector. My fear is that it would ultimately involve upping the breaker at a minimum, or the whole breaker box if needed.

1: Red Sea ReefLED90 Left
2: Red Sea ReefLED90 Middle
3: Red Sea ReefLED90 Right
4: Inkbird twin heater controller with BRS 150W Ti Heater and Finnex HMH 300w Ti Heaters
5: Ecotech S2 Return Pump
6: Ecotech Backup Battery for return pump(lots of short(1-5 minute) power outages where i live)
7: Red Sea ReefWave45 Left
8: Red Sea ReefWave45 Right
9: Kessil H80 Tuna Flora fuge Light
10: Sicce 1.5 pump just to shoot water into the fuge for circulation

so, now im out of outlets, but i still need at least 3-4 for my RSK300 Skimmer and UV Green Killing Machine, before i found out about dosers and reactors and such...
 

CMMorgan

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When I set up this new build, I had an electrician upgrade the breaker on the wall receptacle to a dedicated 20 amp breaker. We added a second 15 amp breaker about 5' higher, just for the lighting.
Off of that 20 behind the stand, I have two power strips going. Each is a Kasa Smart Strip. That makes it programmable, I can monitor the power usage and they have surge protection. I believe that each has 6 ports, so 12 total.
As of right now, it looks like this:
Strip one
Flood Guardian
RODI
(Available - future Tunze Eco Chic Refugium Light)
Sicce SDC XStream Wavemaker - left side
(Available)
Red Sea RSK 600 Protein Skimmer
There is also a USB port which will run strip lighting for the sump area.

Strip Two
ATO / AWC
Lifeguard UV Sterilizer
Sicce SDC XStream Wavemaker - Right side
(Available)
(Available - pending arrival of Reef Dose 4 doser)
Sicce SDC 9.0 return pump

Up above, I'll have a third strip to run 4 Kessil 360X on the other breaker.

I currently have a few open. That may change as need change. The biggest issue that I have encountered is that some of the plugs are so big that they block other receptacles on the strip. That is very frustrating.
 

revhtree

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Could always use more outlets!
 

laverda

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Personally its a small cost for such a big risk cost. I upgraded my fuse from a 10amp to 30amp for extra protection.. touch wood but minimal power outages where I live.
I recommend you put the 10 amp fuse back right away. At least until you determine the wire guage used in your house. I seriously doubt it is up to the job.
Upgrading your fuse from 10 amps to 30 amps is a potential fire waiting to happen. The fuse is designed to protect the wiring from the fuse to the outlets. By replacing the fuse with a 30 amp it will be unable to do its job properly. If you apply 25 amps of load to that circuit the wire will over heat and could easily start a fire. Wiring for a 30 amp circuit is much thicker. A 10 amp circuit could possibly have only 16 Guage if it is a short run. More likely 14 guage.Guage. A 30 amp circuit requires 10 gauge wire or larger depending on the wire run length.
Go to a hardware store and compare the wires and you will see it is a significant difference.
The fact you felt the need to replace the fuse with a bigger one indicates you are over loading the circuit.
 

olonmv

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I recommend you put the 10 amp fuse back right away. At least until you determine the wire guage used in your house. I seriously doubt it is up to the job.
Upgrading your fuse from 10 amps to 30 amps is a potential fire waiting to happen. The fuse is designed to protect the wiring from the fuse to the outlets. By replacing the fuse with a 30 amp it will be unable to do its job properly. If you apply 25 amps of load to that circuit the wire will over heat and could easily start a fire. Wiring for a 30 amp circuit is much thicker. A 10 amp circuit could possibly have only 16 Guage if it is a short run. More likely 14 guage.Guage. A 30 amp circuit requires 10 gauge wire or larger depending on the wire run length.
Go to a hardware store and compare the wires and you will see it is a significant difference.
The fact you felt the need to replace the fuse with a bigger one indicates you are over loading the circuit.
please listen to laverda. You possibly have a fire hazard.
 
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cmross13

cmross13

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Revisiting my OP. Had some additions and am now looking to add DJ-style power centers with rockers, only problem is i would need two of them. last talley for RSR 350 plug count was 16, RSR 170 is a minimum of 8. total wattage count for 350 is approximately 1,400

1-3- 3x ReefLED 90
4-5- 2x ReefWave 45s
6- 1x Kessil H80
7- 1x Vectra S2
8- 1x MP40QD
9- 1x Ecotech battery
10- 1x UV sterilizer
11- 1x Sterilizer pump
12- 1x ChemiPure Reactor
13- 1x Hydor wave pump for sump/fuge
14- 1x ATO pump
15- 1x Heater controller
16- 1x Protein Skimmer

so im thinking with a couple basic "L" shaped brackets i should be able to hang two rack-mount 8 channel power centers from the top of my cabinet and find some 3D Printed or whatever AC Adaptor brackets and mount all 8 power bricks plus the back up battery to the right interior wall, and all the controllers to the inside of the door. using the DJ style power centers would allow me to cleanly route all the excess wiring to the "ceiling" of the cabinet, out of sights way. THEN, since everything will be securely attached to the structure of the cabinet, i can move my ATO reservoir inside the cabinet as well as add a proper refugium and not worry about getting electrocuted or power bricks/surge protectors getting wet by accident, AND the style of power center i was looking at has a 9th "always on" front channel which i could easily access to plug in a pump for water changes.

thoughts or ideas/suggestions?
 

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homer1475

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Currently have 3 EB8's on 2 different circuits, and another 6 port kasa power strip. You can never have enough power strips/bars for a reef tank. There always seems to be another pump/light/PH to plug in.
 
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cmross13

cmross13

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Well I pulled the $100 trigger on the rack mount DJ power station as well as what appears to be a nice screw down 1U holder and 50pc screw in zip tie holder(for cable management and power bricks). We’ll see how it turns out on my 170 in a few days when Amazon delivers…

anything is better than this(lol:

B4ABEDA6-430D-4B62-9D52-D0187AD71F9A.jpeg
 

homer1475

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Lol thats nothing. You would not want to see inside my electronics side of my stand. It's a nightmare of tangled wires. I'm just not into cable management. If it's plugged in and works, I'm ok with the wire mess.
 
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cmross13

cmross13

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this drives me bonkers. my RSR 350 is 2x as bad due to having 2x the equipment. i get angry on a daily basis when i walk by and the door isn't shut because the crappy Gorilla/3M/Velcro tape didn't hold a 6 ounce pump driver. at least in that tank i have a spare "dry" cabinet compartment to shove everything into. on the 170 the sump is all but 2-3" as wide as the cabinet so i literally have nowhere to put the stuff unless i mount it to walls and door. this is, IMHO, the "Cadillac" of quarantines lol. not a cheap 20G Aqueon breeder with a HOB and air stone.

Red Sea Reefer 170
single RFG return nozzle(for water circulation while new fish are weak and dazed)
Red Sea ReefLED90
Ecotech Vectra S1 return
Ecotech MP10 and MP40 wave makers(once the daze wears off)
Ecotech Backup battery(attached to the S1 and MP10)
IM "Sump" reactor with Chemipure Elite(once Cupramine cycle is over)
USB nightlight for obvious reasons
 

homer1475

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My power strip is 2 20 amp circuits with 10 outlets each I installed when I built the system. I should have made 3.
Dedicated circuits! Just what I did when I rebuilt my tank.

I have 3 20amp circuits in use, that are directly wired back to my panel box. Nothing "daisy chained" on those circuits. Basic wiring is easy, but it helps when most of your family is in the building industry and can double check what your doing, to make sure your doing it correctly.

It helps in this hobby to a jack of all trades.
 

WVNed

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Dedicated circuits! Just what I did when I rebuilt my tank.

I have 3 20amp circuits in use, that are directly wired back to my panel box. Nothing "daisy chained" on those circuits. Basic wiring is easy, but it helps when most of your family is in the building industry and can double check what your doing, to make sure your doing it correctly.

It helps in this hobby to a jack of all trades.
I have been doing basic wiring and plumbing all my life. I put the sink in and did the wiring when I built the fish room.
It just takes a little courage to cut drain pipe and water lines in a wall so you can tap into them. The ceiling isnt finished in the fish room so I just ran wire overhead.
 
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cmross13

cmross13

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i have a small house. it was cheaper than a Camry and solid, so i went with it lol. however, im fairly certain my RSR350 outlet is on same circuit as bathroom outlet. no super big deal there as i don't own a hairdryer or any other high-draw equipment that would be plugged into the bathroom GFCI anyway, but draw is still a concern. i may try a kill-a-watt alternative that has a backlit LCD and peak draw memory, just for peace of mind.

what else does one do in this type of situation? tie some 10 gauge to the assumed 16 gauge and just pull the wires through, then upgrade the breaker?
 

homer1475

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I have been doing basic wiring and plumbing all my life. I put the sink in and did the wiring when I built the fish room.
It just takes a little courage to cut drain pipe and water lines in a wall so you can tap into them. The ceiling isnt finished in the fish room so I just ran wire overhead.
Agreed 100%

When we remodeled our house, we had to remove and rewire the entire house(old fiber jacketed wire that was mostly chewed by mice). Just a wireing diagram was all I needed to rewire the entire house and pass with flying colors my wiring inspection.

Just a little courage to just get in there and do it, is all thats really needed. Basic wiring isn't all that hard.

When you own your home, you either become a jack of all trades, or you have enough money to hire someone to do it for you. I'm in the latter camp.
 

homer1475

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i have a small house. it was cheaper than a Camry and solid, so i went with it lol. however, im fairly certain my RSR350 outlet is on same circuit as bathroom outlet. no super big deal there as i don't own a hairdryer or any other high-draw equipment that would be plugged into the bathroom GFCI anyway, but draw is still a concern. i may try a kill-a-watt alternative that has a backlit LCD and peak draw memory, just for peace of mind.

what else does one do in this type of situation? tie some 10 gauge to the assumed 16 gauge and just pull the wires through, then upgrade the breaker?
If it were me.....

I would buy a wire snake(fish tape) and pull some 10 or 12 gauge wire(12 is easier to pull and is plenty for a 20 amp breaker) through to the panel box. Then if your not confident in your wiring skills have an electrician put new breakers in the panel and new outlets by the tank.

FWIW.... Never play in your panel box if your not 100% confident in your wiring skills. You can seriously injure, or kill yourself!

I put 2 outlets in one box. Each outlet has it's own wire, and own breaker in my panel box.
 
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