How many electric outlets?

[Canaryman]

I'm building a stand for a 48 x24x24 With 40g breeder sump/fug . (
39 inches high -stand)

I know a power strip or two will be needed for pumps skimmer light etc but to keep things tidy I really want to wire in a few outlets for said power strips. How many should I use? Where should they be placed? I take it plastic boxes preferred to metal??

 

[trivan]

Tough question to answer as it really is going to depend on how much equipment your planning to use and what your set up will look like. There are tanks with the bare minimum to full automation. Where is your sump going? How many pumps will you be running (1 main and 1 for manifold?)? Will you be using a doser or doing it manually or using a CaRx? A doser could be 1 plug, a CaRX as many as 5 plugs. etc...

I have the same size tank with a basement sump and currently have 2 dedicated circuits (15amp and 20amp). I think I have 6 outlets across the system manage by a Apex with 4 EB8's, 1 EB4 along with a couple of power strips for the non-controlled items.

 

[LeakyZ]

I have 2 circuits 8 outlets and a power strip, primitive automation. 2 powerheads 3 heaters 2 pumps 3 lights skimmer and ato

 

[smedlin]

I'm building a stand for a 48 x24x24 With 40g breeder sump/fug . (
39 inches high -stand)

I know a power strip or two will be needed for pumps skimmer light etc but to keep things tidy I really want to wire in a few outlets for said power strips. How many should I use? Where should they be placed? I take it plastic boxes preferred to metal??

Are you wanting to put outlets in the wall? Or into the stand??

 

[BlackTip]

Calculate your maximum wattage at peak, and divide by 110 to get your maximum amperage. Do you have a dedicated or shared circuit? If it is shared, calculate the amprage of all connected lights/devices to the shared circuit. Add the numbers to know whether you are overloading the circuit or not.

If you are installing a brand new dedicated circuit, do the same thing. Decide whether you go for 15amp, 20amp, or even 30amp.

The outlet should be at least a foot from the floor just in case you have a major leak.

For my tank, I installed 2 20amp dedicated circuits.

 

[Hitch08]

I keep seeing people post that they have installed 2 20amp dedicated circuits. I had 1 installed - hope it's enough.

 

[BlackTip]

I keep seeing people post that they have installed 2 20amp dedicated circuits. I had 1 installed - hope it's enough.

It depends on your power consumption.

 

[Sk8r]

You need: plugin(s) for lights, lifting pump (ATO), intermittent need for pump for a gfo reactor, plugin for heater, maybe second heater, plugin for ATO/float switch, possibly plugin for cooling fan array, plugin for skimmer pump, plugin for return pump, plugin for refugium light. If you have a dehumidifier, best with a wall plug. And I'd add a couple more sockets because you never know what else you're going to need on a temporary basis.

 

[jedimasterben]

I keep seeing people post that they have installed 2 20amp dedicated circuits. I had 1 installed - hope it's enough.

That's almost 2kW of capacity (at 100% load it would be more, but I fudge down to around 80% of rated capacity), so it would take some doing to get there. My tank is 80g, and with lighting, skimmer, return pump, large UV, and two Maxspect Gyres, I'm using less than 400w at the peak of the tank's 'day'.


I do not use heaters or have unnecessary pumps running for reactors, etc (run from the main return pump instead), and I use LEDs (though lots of them), so my power draw would be considered low. If I were to use metal halide lighting, two dedicated reactor pumps, and lived in a cold climate and needed a, say, 250w heater, then power usage would peak at around a kilowatt - still half of your 20A circuit's sustained load capacity.

 

[SGT_York]

A single 20 amp circuit is adequate for a 120G tank unless you are outside normal room temperatures, have a chiller, or some other non-standard equipment. Two circuits is always better as only half you tank will be tripped in case of an short or other item to trip the breaker/gfci. Also helps to reduce the chance of an overload. But most people in the 120 G size are not running electrical outlets. Another option is to use different circuits by running an extension cord to another circuit, must be close and not present a trip hazard, you'll need a cord rated for continual use as most extension cords are only rated for full amperage for 3 hours, after that they may heat up.

1 15 amp circuit is adequate to run most items on your tank, make sure no other high loads are placed on the circuit particularly if it is near your kitchen, a vacuum is another significant draw. LED low energy pumps all help.

 

[Redman88]

I know i need to add circuits. I have two tanks running, and three wall lights on a single 20amp circuit. yes i plan on adding 3-4 more 20 amp circuits for my wall of tanks. the two tanks are a 55 sw with a four lamp t5 ho light and a couple of power heads and ATO the other tank is a 125 with two 3 foot LED lights, a power head, a canister filter and a small air pump. oh and heaters in each.

 

[billdogg]

For my 120DT/40b Sump I have 2 x 20A circuits at the wall, both GFCI protected. Inside the stand, I have 2 waterproof boxes at each end, all with 4 outlets each, for a total of 16 outlets under the stand. Although there are a couple empty spots, I consider that to be the minimum.

JUST SAY NO! to powerstrips!!!!!

 

[Rustyprop]

I have 19 plugs for my 300 gallon system with controller

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

depending on what my controller was controlling i would have a singe dedicated 15A outlet for it, i would likely have a dedicated outlet for my lights, a dedicated outlet for my main pump, and a dedicated outlet for my heater, if running multiple heaters i would put them on other circuits already mentioned above…so i would say you could easily get away with 2 sets of 15A split receptacles ( 4 dedicated circuits in a double gang box.) you are allowed 1650W total on a 15A line though you are only allowed to use 80% of that which is about 1300W. most people would not get close to those numbers with exceptions of lights and pumps, and typically 2 20A circuits are often enough to satisfy even the most power hungary systems. either way you can run up to 11 outlets per circuit, but you lose the redundancy and chance tripping majority of your tank's life support should something go wrong.

just be careful with wire selection if you are doing it yourself…although 14/2 is the norm in residential housing applications for a 15A circuit, doesn't mean it is right/ the best…if your outlets are going to be say any more then 50' or so from the main panel then i would use 12AWG wire, if you are going even further like 100' i would consider using 10awg wire, i know expensive and slight overkill, but it is better then a fire from wires overheating, or breakers constantly tripping from funky draws and line resistance. best bet is to have a qualified electrician do the work…but if it is a long line and a he suggests 14/2, i would get another electrician.

 

[Canaryman]

I was planning to get a dedicated 20W circuit with GFCI.

The 40g sump goes in the stand, and I was planning to wire sockets inside the stand too - I'm building that myself, so can run wire before putting on the panelling.

I'll need enough for lights (LED')
Return pump(s)
Two Heaters (for redundancy?)
Skimmer
Auto Top Off

I'll be getting an electrician to check my plans and wire back to the panel

 

[billdogg]

Make sure you use weather resistant boxes and outlets inside the stand. Normal outlets will corrode from the humidity. They cost a bit more, but well worth it IMO. I silicone the switchplate covers and around each outlet as well to make sure everything is as water tight as possible.

I didn't even consider it to be a problem until I tore apart an old stand wired with regular boxes and outlets and everything inside was corroded.