Your Resident Electrician for all your electrical questions!

[homer1475]

The tunze pump is very low voltage.

Lamp cord from the hardware store will work just fine. Color coding doesn't matter in this case. Just twist them together, add a wire nut, some black tape, then put the other ends into the connectors(after you strip them). '

Easy peasy.

 

[New&no clue]

The tunze pump is very low voltage.

Lamp cord from the hardware store will work just fine. Color coding doesn't matter in this case. Just twist them together, add a wire nut, some black tape, then put the other ends into the connectors(after you strip them). '

Easy peasy.

Lol, maybe I should explain my electrical knowledge extends to screwing in a lightbulb.

1. What am I taping ?
2. How do you strip wire?

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I’m hooking up my ATO (tunze). I need about five more feet of wire. Can I add additional wire on here, and if so how?

You can add quite a bit of the same Guage wire before you have any voltage drop(loss) a couple feet should be no problem 5ft should be ok

Go fancy and get connectors for both sides...that ato is awsome too worth the work!

 

[New&no clue]

You can add quite a bit of the same Guage wire before you have any voltage drop(loss) a couple feet should be no problem 5ft should be ok

Go fancy and get connectors for both sides...that ato is awsome too worth the work!

Can I use this

 

[homer1475]

Those would work. lol

I would just tape them with electrical tape just so they stayed put.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Can I use this

Those look good, that will look cleaner more professional, good choice

 

[kilnakorr]

A quick question as my school years are way behind me.
I'm thinking of setting up my ATO container on the first floor above my tank, as I already have pipes and hoses running from that area.
Using gravity, to feed the water to the sump I could simple add a magnetic valve (or two, just to be safe) to top of water.
I found some 24V DC, 4.8Watt made for 1/4" pipes.
Shouldn't I just use a power supply that is rated 24V DC, and minimum 0.2A (per valve), to run these?

 

[Sleepydoc]

A quick question as my school years are way behind me.
I'm thinking of setting up my ATO container on the first floor above my tank, as I already have pipes and hoses running from that area.
Using gravity, to feed the water to the sump I could simple add a magnetic valve (or two, just to be safe) to top of water.
I found some 24V DC, 4.8Watt made for 1/4" pipes.
Shouldn't I just use a power supply that is rated 24V DC, and minimum 0.2A (per valve), to run these?

First - I would say this sounds like a bad idea and a setup for a massive salinity shift and/or a flood if it doesn’t work as expected.

As for the power supply, yes, you would need a minimum 24V, 9.6W (400mA) supply. I would recommend getting something at lest 20% larger, though.

 

[powers2001]

@Brew12 or anybody else. I recently was installing a wire harness for my DIY T5 ballast job. I bought a multi meter to know which wire was which. I was totally overwhelmed by the complexity of the multi meter. My brother who restores guitar amps told me all I needed was a continuity tester and that got the job done for me. Now I have this multi meter and don’t know how to use it. I did a thorough job searching YouTube for videos on how to use them and didn’t understand any. My question is: does anyone know of websites where I can find articles and or videos for beginners on how to use a multi meter?

 

[Sleepydoc]

@Brew12 or anybody else. I recently was installing a wire harness for my DIY T5 ballast job. I bought a multi meter to know which wire was which. I was totally overwhelmed by the complexity of the multi meter. My brother who restores guitar amps told me all I needed was a continuity tester and that got the job done for me. Now I have this multi meter and don’t know how to use it. I did a thorough job searching YouTube for videos on how to use them and didn’t understand any. My question is: does anyone know of websites where I can find articles and or videos for beginners on how to use a multi meter?

What multimeter did you get/where did you get it? it should have come with a manual.

In general, the continuity tester function will show up as a speaker symbol or a 'sideways wifi' symbol. For most multimeters, you set it to continuity and then the meter will beep when you touch the probes together. All multimeters are a bit different. if you upload a picture it would help.

As to your current project, are you replacing a ballast? you shouldn't necessarily need a multimeter for that.

 

[powers2001]

What multimeter did you get/where did you get it? it should have come with a manual.

In general, the continuity tester function will show up as a speaker symbol or a 'sideways wifi' symbol. For most multimeters, you set it to continuity and then the meter will beep when you touch the probes together. All multimeters are a bit different. if you upload a picture it would help.

As to your current project, are you replacing a ballast? you shouldn't necessarily need a multimeter for that.

@Sleepydoc I got it from Amazon I don’t know the brand it is down at the farm shop right now and I’m at the house. It came with a manual if you want to call it one, just has a diagram labeling all the settings.

My ballast project is done however I want to be able to use it for another reason. If I get stray voltage in my saltwater system from a piece of equipment I want to be able to find the source. Can I do that with a multi meter and how so?

 

[powers2001]

@Brew12 or anybody else. I recently was installing a wire harness for my DIY T5 ballast job. I bought a multi meter to know which wire was which. I was totally overwhelmed by the complexity of the multi meter. My brother who restores guitar amps told me all I needed was a continuity tester and that got the job done for me. Now I have this multi meter and don’t know how to use it. I did a thorough job searching YouTube for videos on how to use them and didn’t understand any. My question is: does anyone know of websites where I can find articles and or videos for beginners on how to use a multi meter?

@Sleepydoc I took two Physics college classes back in the 90’s and we covered some on electrical so I do know something about electrical stuff. Were can I find basic information about multi meters?

 

[Sleepydoc]

@powers2001
It looks like a pretty standard multi meter.

• Plug the black cord into the COM port (make sure you press firmly so it's fully seated in the socket)
• Plug the red cord into the VΩAµA port. (The 10A port is for high current measurements - you shouldn't need it.)
• The first position is for DC voltage measurements - touch the red lead to the positive terminal/contact and the black lead to the negative.
• The second position is for AC Voltage measurements - touch one lead to each contact; doesn't matter which
• The third position is for resistance measurements (ohms)
• The 4th position is for diodes and continuity testing - If you touch the leads together at this setting it should beep indicating continuity/short circuit.
• The 5th position measures frequency
• The 6th, 7th and 8th positions are for current measurements (microamp, milliamp and amps.)

 

[powers2001]

@powers2001
It looks like a pretty standard multi meter.

• Plug the black cord into the COM port (make sure you press firmly so it's fully seated in the socket)
• Plug the red cord into the VΩAµA port. (The 10A port is for high current measurements - you shouldn't need it.)
• The first position is for DC voltage measurements - touch the red lead to the positive terminal/contact and the black lead to the negative.
• The second position is for AC Voltage measurements - touch one lead to each contact; doesn't matter which
• The third position is for resistance measurements (ohms)
• The 4th position is for diodes and continuity testing - If you touch the leads together at this setting it should beep indicating continuity/short circuit.
• The 5th position measures frequency
• The 6th, 7th and 8th positions are for current measurements (microamp, milliamp and amps.)

@Sleepydoc thanks @TheHarold directed me to this article:

How to Use a Multimeter - Beginner's Guide | Random Nerd Tutorials

This post shows how to use a multimeter. It is mostly addressed for beginners who are starting out in electronics and have no idea how to use a multimeter.

randomnerdtutorials.com

 

[rmcrom]

I see a lot of people running a dedicated circuit for their reef. Before going that route, I found the breaker for the circuit that powers the outlet where I want to put my tank. With the breaker off, I found the only other things on the circuit are kitchen/living room lights and ceiling fan. I already run LED for all my lights so the total draw for all those lights plus the fan are only 1.8A. That leaves my about 13A for the tank, but I don't want to max out the circuit. Would 75% total capacity be safe? That would leave me (15A *75%) - 1.8A = ~9.5A for the tank without ever exceeding 75% load on the circuit. My current tank plan requires 7A with all equipment running including all lights and heaters. By my calculation, the 15A circuit would never exceed 60% capacity. Does my napkin math check out?

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I see a lot of people running a dedicated circuit for their reef. Before going that route, I found the breaker for the circuit that powers the outlet where I want to put my tank. With the breaker off, I found the only other things on the circuit are kitchen/living room lights and ceiling fan. I already run LED for all my lights so the total draw for all those lights plus the fan are only 1.8A. That leaves my about 13A for the tank, but I don't want to max out the circuit. Would 75% total capacity be safe? That would leave me (15A *75%) - 1.8A = ~9.5A for the tank without ever exceeding 75% load on the circuit. My current tank plan requires 7A with all equipment running including all lights and heaters. By my calculation, the 15A circuit would never exceed 60% capacity. Does my napkin math check out?

Lighting and receptacles should stay seperate usually lighting is on a 15a circuit and receptacles are typically on 20a circuits

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Its very easy to run a new circuit down to your plug and back to your panel

 

[Beau_B]

I see a lot of people running a dedicated circuit for their reef. Before going that route, I found the breaker for the circuit that powers the outlet where I want to put my tank. With the breaker off, I found the only other things on the circuit are kitchen/living room lights and ceiling fan. I already run LED for all my lights so the total draw for all those lights plus the fan are only 1.8A. That leaves my about 13A for the tank, but I don't want to max out the circuit. Would 75% total capacity be safe? That would leave me (15A *75%) - 1.8A = ~9.5A for the tank without ever exceeding 75% load on the circuit. My current tank plan requires 7A with all equipment running including all lights and heaters. By my calculation, the 15A circuit would never exceed 60% capacity. Does my napkin math check out?

Yes.

There are probably other receptacles on that circuit, just be aware. Perhaps don't plug a vacuum cleaner or whatnot into them.

 

[Sleepydoc]

How old is your house? As others have mentioned, normally lighting and outlets are on separate circuits, so your description is a bit strange but not unheard of.

Whether you need a separate circuit for your tank or not depends on the size of the tank, the likelihood of things tripping, etc. I ran a separate circuit for my tank because the other items on the circuit overloaded it, but many people do not have separate circuits for their tank. What do you plan on running with your tank?

To answer your question, normally circuits should not be run at more than 80% of their rated capacity (16A steady current load for a 20A circuit, 12A for a 15A circuit.) If you transiently go over that it's not a big deal, but 80% is the general rule.

 

[rmcrom]

How old is your house? As others have mentioned, normally lighting and outlets are on separate circuits, so your description is a bit strange but not unheard of.

Whether you need a separate circuit for your tank or not depends on the size of the tank, the likelihood of things tripping, etc. I ran a separate circuit for my tank because the other items on the circuit overloaded it, but many people do not have separate circuits for their tank. What do you plan on running with your tank?

To answer your question, normally circuits should not be run at more than 80% of their rated capacity (16A steady current load for a 20A circuit, 12A for a 15A circuit.) If you transiently go over that it's not a big deal, but 80% is the general rule.

It's a 2003 house. I looked at the panel again and the breaker is in a section clearly marked as "Lighting Section", but it also shuts off my outlet. I test the outlet using one of those plugin testers with the 1 red and 2 amber lights.

I would be running 3 radion xr15, 2 150w heaters, reef octopus 150, and 2 nero 5s.