Power supply??

[J double R]

Daisy chaining outlet strips is still discouraged by fire officials and building designers, and the reason is, some people aren't as cautious as you might be. While many clock radios connected to a daisy chain might not be a hazard, several pumps, lights, heaters and the like could be.

Also, house wiring tends to be more robust than that in an outlet strip. In general... although older houses can be an exception.

All I'm saying is that it's a dangerous practice. People can easily overload the strips without realizing what they're doing. While you have every right to express your opinion, I'm exercising mine to disagree. And you are correct that everyone can choose what is right for themselves. Differing opinions can help them do that.

As a firefighter who has seen countless eletrical fires, you would be surprised as to what can be considered an 'overload' to a circuit.

IME, daisy-chaining power strips has NEVER worked out in the long run, and i would never dare to attempt it without at the very least, a smoke detector above the tank and a portable extinguisher readily available in the house, and even then it would have to be an extremis situation (and if i have THAT many items that need to be plugged into the same outlets, there's some re-arranging in order.)

 

[darkcirca]

Maybe where you are, but the fires here are always arson, someone dropping a cigarette, or from some other reason. I haven't read a single article in our newspapers or fired departments about a fire caused by chaining power strips. Heck, even people I know have never said anything like this that work for the department.

Here's the thing, that's your opinion, that's his opinion, and whatnot. It CAN be dangerous if someone is stupid and doesn't think about what they are doing, but at the same time it can be safe. Colleges prohibit extension cords, does that mean we all shouldn't use them as they are a fire danger? No it doesn't. It's a warning, not something that has to be taken to oath, something that must be thought about and carefully decided before trying to connect crap together.

 

[uacich12]

I'd still be using the same amount of plugs so I guess it wouldn't make a difference right? And back to what Mykayel said...I can plug a power strip into another power strip?quote]
1st, I have to say I have NEVER laughed so hard at something soooo serious. All this intelligence displayed (5 pg's, 41 posts only 5 post's from NewLuv4Fish) & no mention of a simple, elementary drip loop as another realistic, understandable precaution to take when dealing w/ these situation's. This individual asks for assistance stating that don't have even basic knowledge of that which they need help w/ & we go off on way TMI tangents that probly resulted in a bit more than a state of minor confusion, what happened to KISSP (keep it simple smart people)TRY to remember that at all times we are possibly being observed by people all over the WORLD, some who might be considering this hobby, looking for a "SAFE" haven to inform themselves & this is the best we can give them, ouch Most of us share a great passion for what we do or we wouldn't be here, but to be nasty, attack people, potentially refer to someone as STUPID, to try & discredit other's personal knowledge & intent to help is just SAD certainly not the type of "help" I would continue to want to be part of. As an individual w/ ADD I know the pain of trying to stay focused, but come on folk's let's try to KISSP & say what you have to say, but don't be nasty about it. Are we really here to HELP each other or just jockey up

Just in case NewLuv4Fish is still "in need" a drip loop is what you make w/ any pwrcord traveling to your pwrsrce, which, by the way look at your pwrstip, notice the holes/slot's in bck or the places givin on the sides to place screw's into, this is to encourage you to secure it elevated above the grnd, to the wall, tank stand ect. Elevate your pwrsrce (powerstrip) about 24" above the ground, about the same as the outlet on your wall, make sure that you run your cord from your heater, filter pwrhd, ect. so that it comes dwn & drops below your pwrsrce, then travels bck up to plug into your hopefully GFCI pwrsrce outlet. This is done as a precaution so if water runs dwn anything plugged into a pwrsrce that it (water) because of gravity will not travel bck up to the pwrsrce. This is the same reason our outlets on the wall's are elevated above the grnd like they are. It seems that at the heart of this discussion is the fact that the "safest" way to go is w/ a GFCI outlet that will clamp/cut the pwr to that particular outlet should it get wet so you will be protected as possible, but take all the precaution's you can to stay as safe as you can. Use a drip loop on anything pwrcrd that could potentially have water travel dwn it into your pwrsrce, don't overload your pwrsrce. If you use a pwrstrip w/ 6 or 8 outlet's that is plugged into the wall then don't exceed that amount givin if your unsure of what amp/volt's your using & if 16 outlets aren't enough (kinda hard to grasp) to wrk for your tank (2x's 8) then you need to make some adjustments w/ your set up i.e. look for somewhere to reduce/condense item's that have to be plugged in (maybe a bigger filter in place of multiple 1's or 1 heater instead of 2). You may or may not find a manufacturer selling a water resistant pwrsrce, if you do great, regardless still make sure to take any precaution you can, which has been exceedingly exhausted in this thread LFS's & Hrdwr store advice not looking so bad at this point, LOL.

Crossed eyed yet I will now step down, good luck to all of us, appears we're all gonna need it. To bad I don't believe in luck, LOL

 

[loaches r cool]

Not that I have looked into a lot of house fires, but after asking my friend who is also a volunteer for the fire department (well used to be at least, in Forrestport NY) he has never heard of a fire nowadays being caused by daisy chained strips, neither have I. Just about every computer system I have (which is several) take more than 6 outlets to run, especially since a couple have transformers that take up more than one slot. Though I never daisy chain past two personally, since its never needed. If you need more than one additional strip you can always plug them into the first strip instead of the one that’s already daisy chained. As far as extension cords, I often use long extension cords, even for high draw power tools, but they are actually heavier gauge than my house wiring. Using the term extension cord is rather vague, there are 99 cent x-cords with light gauge wiring not designed to power much more than a 100W light. Then there are heavy gauge extension cords that hook up several thousand watt generators to a houses circuit.

uacich12 - good points. Whren someone goes on a tangent we all often follow. I just assume everyone knows to make a drip loop but thats good to bring up. Dont also forget to make a drip loop on the wires going in to the power strip as well, and thats pretty easy when the stip is mounted up higher.

 

[Soulcoffr]

Wow. Ok. I never thought I would have touched a nerve like this.

All I know is that safe pratice is to not plug outlet strips into each other. And I run my computer systems just fine without having to do that.

And as someone who works in the news business, I can't tell you how many house fires I've been to where the ultimate cause has been electrical. That may not mean that someone plugged 15 outlet strips together and ran 60 blenders all at once, but that means there was some sort of overload that caused a short. A lot of times it's extension cords plugged into each other.

Underwriters Laboratories doesn't recommend plugging them into each other, and that's good enough for me. I'd rather not take the chance of burning my house down.

What you do on your own time is your business.

Don't even get me started on candles and space heaters.

 

[watermelon]

Why is this a bad idea? Lets say the first power strip is rated at 10amps, as long as you don't exceed this with the devices you plug into the first power strip and what you plug into the power strip chained to this one there is no problem. The power strip is meant to handle a max of 10 amps and it will function just fine.

What do you think outlets are around your room. They are all chained together. You start at the breaker box and run wire to the first outlet, goes to the next and so on. Everything is rated for lets say 15 amps (common household circuit) and there is no hazard. Its when you exceed this rating that the problem occurs.

Dude, it is common knowledge not to daisy chain powerstrips..It is a fire hazzard....

 

[PDX-PLT]

There is not enough electricity in your outlet to kill you...it'll give ya a good zap, but more uncomfortable than anything...certainly won't toast you. I am speaking from first hand experience!

So because you got zapped once, and lived through it, you conclude that it is impossible 120V AC to kill you? 'pretty flawed logic you got there,

 

[PDX-PLT]

Why is this a bad idea? Lets say the first power strip is rated at 10amps, as long as you don't exceed this with the devices you plug into the first power strip and what you plug into the power strip chained to this one there is no problem. The power strip is meant to handle a max of 10 amps and it will function just fine.

In your specific instance, yes.

However, according to the National Electrical Code (NEC), any device is only permitted to be used "according to its Listing" by a qualified testing laboratory; e.g., UL.




The UL standard for these devices, UL 1363 (it calls power strips "cord-connected Relocatable Power Tap"), contains this statement in its scope:

1.8 A cord-connected Relocatable Power Tap is not intended to be connected to another cord-connected Relocatable Power Tap.​

So daisy-chaining them constitutes a use contrary to its Listing; this makes it a violation of the NEC. A technicality perhaps, and in a home no one is going to come barging in and cite you. But I can tell you from experience, in a commercial environment this will be tagged, no matter what the current draw of the attached equipment may be.

Going back to the original post: if the plug strip instructions state it is not for aquarium use, the NEC also requires that manufacturer's installation instructions be followed. So this would also technically be a violation of the NEC, no matter how clever you were with drip loops and whatnot.

 

[PDX-PLT]

Don't even get me started on candles ...

I hear ya. I hate how trendy candles have become in some circles. Inside a typical home, they scare the $#*@ out of me.

 

[snickle]

My how this thread twist and turns.

My opinions on all this:

Every device being used in aor around water should be plugged into a GFI protected circuit. All three of my tanks are. I replaced the outlets with GFI ones.

Electrical shock can kill you. While you might die if your flourescent light fixture hit the water with you hand in it (You are probably no the best path to ground.), it could. Depends on lots of other factors. Better safe than sorry.

I use non aquarium use all the time, but they are plugged into GFI protected circuits.

It is hard to get a fatal shock from a 12V car battery, but it still needs to be respected. A friend of mine lost a finger by shorting the batery out with his wedding ring. The ring melted and burned into the bone.

Drip lopps are a requirement. Your best protection against shorting something out.

Daisy chaining power strips: Bad idea, but I am guilty at times.

E;ectricity is useful and can be dangerous. Treat it with respect