I have 110 gallon, 55 gallon and a 20 gallon running in my basement..I have a lot of plugs because I am using about 6 powerheads, 3 powerfilters, and 4 heaters...I am scared of an electrical fire..How should I safe guard myself? Thanks..
Ways to avoid electrical fires from having too many tanks..What should I do?
- Thread starter watermelon
- Start date
Hehe...I know the electric cord spaghetti syndrome all too well...I actually just upgraded my fish room with 2 new dedicated breakers for fish tank plugs. Go to Home depot, Lowes, etc. and look at their heavy duty extension cords and circuit breaker protected multi-plug strips. I have a couple that house 10 plugs in a metal box with 15 foot cords. I use construction grade cords/strips - the overkill gives me peace of mind. I have NEVER had an electrical mishap in nearly 40 years of fish keeping (I am knocking on wood as I type this). Keep the cords as organized as possible and out of potential "splash zones" and you should be fine!
Yipes. If you really want to be sure, get an electrician in to check it out.
For our insurance, we need qualified electricians to do our "iffy" stuff, otherwise we don't get compensated if the house goes on fire because of some stupid hook up we did.
For our insurance, we need qualified electricians to do our "iffy" stuff, otherwise we don't get compensated if the house goes on fire because of some stupid hook up we did.
I will check out home depot...I am kind of scared about the extension cords because I read they are a fire hazzard..
Having experienced a fire previously in my old residence, I'd be lying if I said I was never concerned with fire hazards and all my tank plugs.
I just use a high quality surge protector power strip. I turn my lights on/off manually (won't be able to do that with the reef tank though). All that's really running are the filters, heaters and skimmer (and UV on my one tank).
My tanks are all running from different strips and I refuse to share the same outlets with different tanks.
I just use a high quality surge protector power strip. I turn my lights on/off manually (won't be able to do that with the reef tank though). All that's really running are the filters, heaters and skimmer (and UV on my one tank).
My tanks are all running from different strips and I refuse to share the same outlets with different tanks.
I was doing some broswing..I think these are good products from the link..They have fire proof extension cords and power strips. The company claims that it is the only cord that prevents electrical fires..
http://www.fireshield.com/
http://www.fireshield.com/
Code only allows any circuit to be loaded 80 % of its rated load. Most devices will not be on all the time, however, there only needs to be one time for all to be on to exceed the allowed Amp Capacity of the circuit, and to be sure there is absolutely no fire hazard, the 80% rule should be followed. The reality however, is that exceeding the rating of the breaker will generally trip it. the fire hazard will come from using extension cords that are not rated for the load attached to them or faulty equipment such as lighting, etc.
A 15 amp circuit can carry only a total of 1440 watts,which is 80% of the 1800 watts found by mulitplying the volts times amps,15 x 120 x 80%= 1440.
A 20 amp circuit can be loaded 1920 watts, 120 x 20 x 80%=1920 watts.
A 15 amp circuit uses #14 wire and a 20 amp uses #12. You can not upgrade a 15 amp breaker to a 20 unless you replace the existing #14 wire from the main panel/breaker to the outlets. Your outlets will also have to be rated for the load. There are standard 15 amp and 20 amp outlets.
I could suggest using a Killawatt meter to monitor the total consumption of your equipment. That you have a basement is a good thing, as you could easily add a 20 amp circuit or two for your aquariums. (Make sure they are Ground fault protected at the panel or outlet.) If you have an older electrical entrance which uses fuses, it's best to leave any modification to a professional.
You are probably safe on the total consumption of your gear for the time being. I would just make sure that you are using high quality extention cords and power strips. If it's a long cord, make sure it's #12 wire, even if it's on a 15 amp circuit.
Also, you may be safe depending on how old your house is. Newer houses are built all kinds of crazy. While you may think that two outlets near each other are on the same circuit, you'd be surprised how often they are not. For example, my house shares a circuit on the wall between my office and the living room. and part of the living room shares a breaker with the garage. Days of old they ran a circuit per room, now they run electrical more (cost installation) efficiently, making sure they have the max number of outlets allowed per circuit. You may find outlets on two separate circuits in the basement.
Good luck.
A 15 amp circuit can carry only a total of 1440 watts,which is 80% of the 1800 watts found by mulitplying the volts times amps,15 x 120 x 80%= 1440.
A 20 amp circuit can be loaded 1920 watts, 120 x 20 x 80%=1920 watts.
A 15 amp circuit uses #14 wire and a 20 amp uses #12. You can not upgrade a 15 amp breaker to a 20 unless you replace the existing #14 wire from the main panel/breaker to the outlets. Your outlets will also have to be rated for the load. There are standard 15 amp and 20 amp outlets.
I could suggest using a Killawatt meter to monitor the total consumption of your equipment. That you have a basement is a good thing, as you could easily add a 20 amp circuit or two for your aquariums. (Make sure they are Ground fault protected at the panel or outlet.) If you have an older electrical entrance which uses fuses, it's best to leave any modification to a professional.
You are probably safe on the total consumption of your gear for the time being. I would just make sure that you are using high quality extention cords and power strips. If it's a long cord, make sure it's #12 wire, even if it's on a 15 amp circuit.
Also, you may be safe depending on how old your house is. Newer houses are built all kinds of crazy. While you may think that two outlets near each other are on the same circuit, you'd be surprised how often they are not. For example, my house shares a circuit on the wall between my office and the living room. and part of the living room shares a breaker with the garage. Days of old they ran a circuit per room, now they run electrical more (cost installation) efficiently, making sure they have the max number of outlets allowed per circuit. You may find outlets on two separate circuits in the basement.
Good luck.
Great information... but unfortunately doesn't address the issue here.
Extension cords are NOT permanent and should never be treated as such.
Also, if you are worried about fires... surge protection wont protect you from a fire. GFI plugs won't do much either (especially when using 2 prong, polarized plugs)
You need arc-fault protection. Arc faulting is the major source of electrical fires. You should also note that new electrical code calls for an arc-fault breaker on all bedroom receptacles in new construction.
Point taken on the extension cords. GFI however is the default when dealing with water, or I should say areas that are where water can come in contact with appliances. GFI should be the preferred circuit given the intended use.
Arc-fault in part was designed to protect against fire in the case of cable degradation or spearing.
The posters original request was on fire hazard mainly in regard to overloaded circuits.