Your Resident Electrician for all your electrical questions!

[Taxus812]

Thanks for the help. I am loving this site !! sooooo much better than walking into Home Depot and and asking someone (well trying to figure it out on my own)

 

[fishead]

Hi helpful electricians. I'm looking at back up power options to run my return pump and one of the flow pumps (Red Dragon RD3 50w and a single MP40).
Could I permanently maintain a 130 amp hour AGM 12v battery with a smart charger and run the above pumps from an inverter coming from the battery?
Full time?
With a power outage the two pumps would run off the battery until exhausted. Don't know how long the battery would last with that load but should give me time to start the generator. If just a short outage when power comes back on the smart charger would kick back in and charge the battery. Would the battery have a limited life in that configuration and would there be a significant delay in the battery being able to run things after draining and then restarting the charger??
Am just seeing if I can avoid an auto switching set up really.
Thanking you, Steve.

 

[Peace River]

Hi! Do y'all know if there is a plugin adapter (or similar) that I can connect between my canister filter and the wall outlet so that the filter won't come back on when the house loses/regains power? I want something that will force a manual reset and not just automatically restart. I know that the easy answer is don't use a canister filter, but there are times that I use them for temporary tanks and other people ask questions about how to work around the risk of anoxic conditions in the filter created from extended power loss.

 

[Brew12]

Hi helpful electricians. I'm looking at back up power options to run my return pump and one of the flow pumps (Red Dragon RD3 50w and a single MP40).
Could I permanently maintain a 130 amp hour AGM 12v battery with a smart charger and run the above pumps from an inverter coming from the battery?
Full time?
With a power outage the two pumps would run off the battery until exhausted. Don't know how long the battery would last with that load but should give me time to start the generator. If just a short outage when power comes back on the smart charger would kick back in and charge the battery. Would the battery have a limited life in that configuration and would there be a significant delay in the battery being able to run things after draining and then restarting the charger??
Am just seeing if I can avoid an auto switching set up really.
Thanking you, Steve.

Yes, you could do that. Shouldn't be a problem at all. As for how long it will hold, let assume 100W between the two pumps. 100W @ 12VDC is 8 amps. With 130AH at an 8 amp rate gives you roughly 16 hours.

 

[Brew12]

Hi! Do y'all know if there is a plugin adapter (or similar) that I can connect between my canister filter and the wall outlet so that the filter won't come back on when the house loses/regains power? I want something that will force a manual reset and not just automatically restart. I know that the easy answer is don't use a canister filter, but there are times that I use them for temporary tanks and other people ask questions about how to work around the risk of anoxic conditions in the filter created from extended power loss.

I don't know of an off the shelf product that would do this.

 

[Peace River]

I don't know of an off the shelf product that would do this.

Ok, thanks. I’ll try to build one with an arduino.

 

[fishead]

Yes, you could do that. Shouldn't be a problem at all. As for how long it will hold, let assume 100W between the two pumps. 100W @ 12VDC is 8 amps. With 130AH at an 8 amp rate gives you roughly 16 hours.

Thanks for your help my friend.

 

[Brew12]

Ok, thanks. I’ll try to build one with an arduino.

If you need help, let me know. It can easily be done a relay and a push button.

 

[Peace River]

If you need help, let me know. It can easily be done a relay and a push button.

Thank you, that sounds like a simpler approach. If you can point me in the right direction then I should be able to put it together. Do you have a specific relay and/or switch in mind?

 

[Brew12]

Thank you, that sounds like a simpler approach. If you can point me in the right direction then I should be able to put it together. Do you have a specific relay and/or switch in mind?

I don't have a relay in mind, but if you don't see something from my by mid Monday, give me a shout out. I can draw out and scan what you need to do and make a relay and button recommendation.

 

[Peace River]

I don't have a relay in mind, but if you don't see something from my by mid Monday, give me a shout out. I can draw out and scan what you need to do and make a relay and button recommendation.

Awesome! Thank you!

 

[wareagle]

Hi! Do y'all know if there is a plugin adapter (or similar) that I can connect between my canister filter and the wall outlet so that the filter won't come back on when the house loses/regains power? I want something that will force a manual reset and not just automatically restart. I know that the easy answer is don't use a canister filter, but there are times that I use them for temporary tanks and other people ask questions about how to work around the risk of anoxic conditions in the filter created from extended power loss.

A manual reset GFCI will do this, it has to be reset anytime you lose power, plug it in, or when it trips. Not sure if you want the GFCI part, but it's an option. Link with manual and auto reset GFCI outlets.
http://towermfg.com/gfci-in-line/

 

[Peace River]

A manual reset GFCI will do this, it has to be reset anytime you lose power, plug it in, or when it trips. Not sure if you want the GFCI part, but it's an option. Link with manual and auto reset GFCI outlets.
http://towermfg.com/gfci-in-line/

Thank you! This looks like exactly what I wanted, but I didn't know what to ask for. I don't really need the GFCI, but if that is the mechanism that trips the switch then that is fine. Besides, I don't think GFCI is a bad thing in a fish room! @Brew12 's approach will likely be less expensive, but it is nice to know that there is an off-the-shelf option.

 

[MSB123]

Hello Helpful people!
I am getting a new tank and I need to know what electrical I need to run.
I will be replacing the entire panel and running a sub panel, I just need advice on what to do and how to configure it.
Here is a rundown of current equipment and its wattage:

So total of about 10 amps.
The tank is 260 gallons.
I think I should run 4x 15 amp lines. Or should I run 4x 20 amp lines to account for future additions?
Also, what is a good socket array for 8 sockets?

I am thinking 1 socket for each EB832, and then 2 for my return pumps, and the 4 spare.
The first two I would want 4 at 15 amps, the second two at 10 amps, and the remaining ones at 5 amps

Thanks!

 

[Brew12]

A manual reset GFCI will do this, it has to be reset anytime you lose power, plug it in, or when it trips. Not sure if you want the GFCI part, but it's an option. Link with manual and auto reset GFCI outlets.
http://towermfg.com/gfci-in-line/

That's a nice find! I didn't think anyone made those anymore.

 

[Brew12]

Hello Helpful people!
I am getting a new tank and I need to know what electrical I need to run.
I will be replacing the entire panel and running a sub panel, I just need advice on what to do and how to configure it.
Here is a rundown of current equipment and its wattage:

So total of about 10 amps.
The tank is 260 gallons.
I think I should run 4x 15 amp lines. Or should I run 4x 20 amp lines to account for future additions?
Also, what is a good socket array for 8 sockets?

I am thinking 1 socket for each EB832, and then 2 for my return pumps, and the 4 spare.
The first two I would want 4 at 15 amps, the second two at 10 amps, and the remaining ones at 5 amps

Thanks!

I wouldn't bother with more than 4 @ 15A and it is very likely that 2 @ 15A will be more than you ever need.

I'd have a hard time recommending the socket layout without seeing the tank location. The only advice I could offer there is to not put any outlets behind the tank where they are not easily accessed. I have one that I would have to drain and remove my sump if I ever need to change it out. That won't be fun.

 

[MSB123]

The tank will be on the inside of the house bordering an exterior wall. I am drilling through that wall and putting the sump outside so I can have more water volume and space. I am thinking that I will mount the outlet under the stand so that I can run cords from outside through the wall and plug them in inside. I will also have all of my Apex equipment under the standbyThe tank will be on the inside of the house bordering an exterior wall. I am drilling through that wall and putting the sump outside so I can have more water volume and space. I am thinking that I will mount the outlet under the stand so that I can run chords from outside through the wall and plug them in inside. I will also have all of my Apex equipment under the stand

I wouldn't bother with more than 4 @ 15A and it is very likely that 2 @ 15A will be more than you ever need.

I'd have a hard time recommending the socket layout without seeing the tank location. The only advice I could offer there is to not put any outlets behind the tank where they are not easily accessed. I have one that I would have to drain and remove my sump if I ever need to change it out. That won't be fun.

 

[Brew12]

The tank will be on the inside of the house bordering an exterior wall. I am drilling through that wall and putting the sump outside so I can have more water volume and space. I am thinking that I will mount the outlet under the stand so that I can run cords from outside through the wall and plug them in inside. I will also have all of my Apex equipment under the standbyThe tank will be on the inside of the house bordering an exterior wall. I am drilling through that wall and putting the sump outside so I can have more water volume and space. I am thinking that I will mount the outlet under the stand so that I can run chords from outside through the wall and plug them in inside. I will also have all of my Apex equipment under the stand

With the sump no under the stand you should have plenty of room to change the receptacles if needed. I think it should work fine to put at least 2 of the circuits under the stand. You may want to put a 3rd up higher for the lights, especially if you have a canopy.

 

[MSB123]

With the sump no under the stand you should have plenty of room to change the receptacles if needed. I think it should work fine to put at least 2 of the circuits under the stand. You may want to put a 3rd up higher for the lights, especially if you have a canopy.

The lights will be hanging freely, with the cords routed behind the tank (I bought watertight extension cords.

 

[Brew12]

The lights will be hanging freely, with the cords routed behind the tank (I bought watertight extension cords.

Forgot you were using T5's, so you will want those on the Apex.