Your Resident Electrician for all your electrical questions!

[fyrfytr]

Just got my Aqueon 36gal bowfront up and running. Tank looks great and the stock T8 (I believe) looks nice...but for a while I have had my heart set on LED. Being a bowfront, I dont see one of the standard LEDs working well, so I am thinking I will have to retrofit the exhisting light housing. I dont have a lot of electrical experience, am I in over my head or is this a fairly simple but labored process?

 

[Budman's Corals]

Can I replace any outlet with a gfi plug..?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Reef2Reef Aquarium Forum mobile app

 

[skinz78]

Yes, just make sure the connections are tight.

 

[Flipside]

I want to add a 100A breaker panel, as a sub-panel, off of my current 200A breaker panel for the house. Only problem is, there are only 2 spots available at the bottom of the currently running box. Each of the empty slots are on the different sides of the box. Do I have to move breakers around in the 200A box to get a dual breaker setup in there to feed the new 100A box that I want to install?

 

[skinz78]

Yes, just move one breaker to the other side of the panel to free up space for a double pole breaker.

 

[Flipside]

Cool. I'm going to do that first, then do all the physical labor stuff, minus the actual connection to the live panel. I need to get a 230v feed for my chiller going, and a few normal outlets for my accessories. I'll probably use conduit on the outside of the wall, ran up high, in the garage to do this.

 

[Ronantoon]

Hello Young, how much power do I need for a 400g aquarium. Im installing 2 dedicated 20A circuits, I wonder if that's enough. Also can use the Orange 20A Isolated Ground Outlets. Thanks in Advance

 

[Hahnmeister]

I need electrical help: I am currently in China and Indonesia for work, and I am using some PLC's from work to automate my new reef aquarium, control the pumps, etc. My Siemens D445-1 6AU1445-0AA00-0AA1 is using a program that is failing its consistency checks in Simotion scout. How do I get Simotion scout (latest version) to display the consistency problems?

 

[skinz78]

Hello Young, how much power do I need for a 400g aquarium. Im installing 2 dedicated 20A circuits, I wonder if that's enough. Also can use the Orange 20A Isolated Ground Outlets. Thanks in Advance

I would recommend at least 3 circuits possibly 4. Those outlets will work as long as their GFI protected.

 

[skinz78]

I need electrical help: I am currently in China and Indonesia for work, and I am using some PLC's from work to automate my new reef aquarium, control the pumps, etc. My Siemens D445-1 6AU1445-0AA00-0AA1 is using a program that is failing its consistency checks in Simotion scout. How do I get Simotion scout (latest version) to display the consistency problems?

That one is over my head, I'll ask the electrician I'm working under if he knows how to do it.

 

[Ronantoon]

Thank You fir the fast response Skinz
Just had these installed.

 

[skinz78]

I need electrical help: I am currently in China and Indonesia for work, and I am using some PLC's from work to automate my new reef aquarium, control the pumps, etc. My Siemens D445-1 6AU1445-0AA00-0AA1 is using a program that is failing its consistency checks in Simotion scout. How do I get Simotion scout (latest version) to display the consistency problems?

You need the key for the program, if you don't have it you need to call Siemens tech support.

 

[Hahnmeister]

I have the key. I called Siemens. Something about me writing the program with an old version of Simatic Manager and then upgrading it to the current version corrupted something. The controller wouldn't enable itself (weird... I couldn't tell itself that it was on). Ack!

 

[skinz78]

Did you get it to work now?

 

[Sacohen]

This is probably easy for you electrical whizzes.

I have 2 R2 Solutions Extreme LED Moonlight's.

I want to run them off one of the supplied walwarts so I only use one outlet on my RA+ controller that I'm getting.

Will just splicing 1 into the cord of the other one work or am I splitting my voltage to the lights there by one sending 6v to each light and not getting the full light?

I see that they now offer a Dual Set, that is exactly what I want to do, but I don't want to spend another $45 on these light,if I can just splice them together.

It looks like the specs of the Dual Set is the same as the single set.

Single Specs
LED Tube with 5 Wide Angled Ultra Bright LEDs
Safe Low voltage 12v DC Power Supply
8 Foot Cable with On/Off Switch for Easy Manipulation
2 Easy to install Brackets with Double sided Mounting Tape
Ultra Long LED Lifespan!

Dual Specs
2 x LED Tube with 5 Wide Angled Ultra Bright LEDs
Safe Low voltage 12v DC Power Supply
8 Foot Cable with On/Off Switch for Easy Manipulation
2 Easy to install Brackets with Double sided Mounting Tape
Ultra Long LED Lifespan!

Thanks for the knowledge

Steve

 

[firstlight10]

I am thinking about changing out the outlets my tank is on for GCFI outlets at the condo I am renting. Do I have any liability or insurance concerns if I do this? I am not a licensed electrician but have experience doing wiring.

 

[mcarroll]

[running two lighs off one power supply]

Just get a 3:1 AC plug adapter so there's room for both wall warts on one plug. target, Lowes, and home depot all carry them. I'm sure dollar stores and walmart too. I combine these with a 8" extension cord for this purpose all the time. These come in a three-pack for around $5 at mostly the same places. Woods is one brand I remember.

If you must run two lights off one transformer, then you will need a transformer that's twice as powerful.

Or you can run the lights at whatever brightness you get by splicing both lights onto one transformer. The additional caveat is the extra wear on the transformer from its having to run beyond its design specification, so don't be surprised if it doesn't last long. (How long depends on a lot of factors.)

-Matt

P.S. Why does your smiley link back to Reef Central?

 

[mcarroll]

I am thinking about changing out the outlets my tank is on for GCFI outlets at the condo I am renting. Do I have any liability or insurance concerns if I do this? I am not a licensed electrician but have experience doing wiring.

Yes, if you are only renting. Get the landlord to do it, or at least OK it. (doubt that'll happen unless he' a fish nut)

Get plug-in GFCI's instead.

You can get a 1:1 outlet converter, 3:1 mini-extension cable, as well as a 6:1 that screws into the outlet you are converting...two of the six plugs are spaced for wall warts too.

-Matt

 

[firstlight10]

Thanks Matt. I highly doubt my property manager will approve it. Next time I am at the hardware store I'll get a few plug in GCFI's.

 

[Sacohen]

Boy that was a long time ago.
I spliced the 2 together months back and it has been working fine.

The smiley probably links back to RC because I probably wrote it on RC then copied and pasted it here.