In-Wall 180 Project

[Forestal]

looking great. the fan venting into the attic is a great idea, you could probably even use dryer venting bent snugly around a small pfo fan

are you wiring the junction box into the original two outlets? i like that...my setup has a million extension cords and plugs all mashed together....

i dont think i could do the wiring, so i will get an electrician

 

[jarhed]

looking great. the fan venting into the attic is a great idea, you could probably even use dryer venting bent snugly around a small pfo fan

are you wiring the junction box into the original two outlets? i like that...my setup has a million extension cords and plugs all mashed together....

i dont think i could do the wiring, so i will get an electrician

Yep, the junction box will be wired to the original two circuits. The top 8 outlets will be on one circuit, the bottom 8 on another. The bottom four outlets are switched for the closed loop pumps, the return pump and the skimmer pump. The others will be an "always on" situation.

You can do the wiring. Just steal the ideas from me or anyone else on RC. Thats where I got it from. I've never done electricity in my life and didnt think I could do it, but I managed to figure it out. Matter of fact, I've never done carpentry and drywall either, but it's a half decent job, wouldnt you say?

 

[Ehydo]

I'm trying to find a vent hose that will fit around my square 4" light fan so I can duct the hot air to the attic.

Be back soon with more pics!

Look at gutter drain adapters(square to round). You should be able to find one that will fit over the fan and then put dryer vent tubing on the round side.

 

[bheron]

"Thats where I got it from. I've never done electricity in my life and didnt think I could do it, but I managed to figure it out. Matter of fact, I've never done carpentry and drywall either, but it's a half decent job, wouldnt you say?[\b]

- Thats thebest part of this thread. Youre an inspiration man. The electricity is something I'm starting to understand but dont want to do myself. But youre making me think maybe I can!!

Thanks

 

[Ehydo]

- Thats thebest part of this thread. Youre an inspiration man. The electricity is something I'm starting to understand but dont want to do myself. But youre making me think maybe I can!!

Thanks

Everyone can. Go to www.lowes.com and watch the tutorials. They are very informative.

 

[jarhed]

Good idea Ehydo!!

Never thought of that! Like I said before, WE built my reef, not just me. I did the grunt work (sawing, nailing, wiring), but the plans all came from RC.

 

[captbunzo]

Yes, most people can do basic electrical work --- JUST PLEASE read up first, follow the lowes link, find good information on the web.

Get a tester to tell you if the wire is live. Turn off the circuit. Follow the basic rules. And, when in doubt, stop and ask us some questions here.

Fire = BAD
Electrocution = BAD

Now that I have been scary, let me say again. Anyone with basic common sense can do basic electrical work.

Paul

 

[conda]

Good advice.

After finishing my basement myself and doing all of the electrical work. I could not for the life of me figure out why my lights would dim and/or flicker. Well, my nephew came over, he is an electrition, and checked my wiring. After hearing him laugh for about 15 minutes I knew I did something wrong.

Don't do what I did and twist all your wires with just the wire nuts. Twist the wires with a needlenose first, then twist on the wire nut. He even adds electrical tape over that for a better connection.

Yes, most people can do basic electrical work --- JUST PLEASE read up first, follow the lowes link, find good information on the web.

Get a tester to tell you if the wire is live. Turn off the circuit. Follow the basic rules. And, when in doubt, stop and ask us some questions here.

Fire = BAD
Electrocution = BAD

Now that I have been scary, let me say again. Anyone with basic common sense can do basic electrical work.

Paul

 

[jarhed]

Good stuff Conda! Thanks, I'll use that tip!

 

[Bax]

jarhed

Excellent progress my man, excellect!

Just be careful about venting moisture into the attic, if the attic is not adequately ventilated you can develope mold, trust me, you don't want that. jarhed I know you're in SoCal where your attic is probably a bazillion degrees, but others be careful!

 

[jarhed]

Good point Bax! One question though, isnt moisture heavy and settle to the bottom like cool air? If thats the case, I think most folks can leave a gap at the bottom of the fishroom door to let it escape, but you'll still have to let the heat out of the room somehow. Am I way off on this?

 

[Morgandy]

good laughs!!

good laughs!!

I'm just sitting hear laughing about the knee cartiledge thing!! Hope she's okay now. Also, hasn't your wife told you to always keep 3-4 spare batteries charged so you can't 'rest' when doing 'jobs' around the house? (I trained my husband well!!) :thumbsup:

And, can I borrow your cutie son to help me out sometime?

This is looking good, I always learn so much from the start-to-finish jobs, (and wish I'd known about RC before we put ours up 3mths ago).

 

[jarhed]

Re: good laughs!!

Re: good laughs!!

I'm just sitting hear laughing about the knee cartiledge thing!! Hope she's okay now. Also, hasn't your wife told you to always keep 3-4 spare batteries charged so you can't 'rest' when doing 'jobs' around the house? (I trained my husband well!!) :thumbsup:

And, can I borrow your cutie son to help me out sometime?

This is looking good, I always learn so much from the start-to-finish jobs, (and wish I'd known about RC before we put ours up 3mths ago).

HAHA!! Yeah, she's alright. She doesnt know anything about batteries, screwdrivers, tools, or ..... well, anything at all about project management. Knows a whole lot about MTV though!!! HAHAHA:lol: Honestly, if I dont slow down and get some sleep some day, I'm gonna keel over! :eek2: I have about three projects going on at one time. The tank, the garden and landscaping, and finishing a beautiful cherry (my stain job) Mission Area Table.

I'm absolutely SURE my son would LOVE to come to your house and help you "fix it" as he puts it, especially if it means hammering on things or breaking things! He even has his own little yellow nylon tool belt and plastic tools!!

:lol:

 

[Morgandy]

Jarhead, another thing (I read first few pages, last few pages, now in the middle pages (I'm loving this thread and laughing so hard at your humor).. You said:

"Ok folks, I had an epiphany last night. Obviously, never having built a stand before, I tend to want to overbuild the one for my 180. So, I fell asleep for about 15 minutes, then as usual, I woke up (chronic insomniac). I had this picture in my mind of what would make me not worry about that stand. "

Well, next time your resting while your drill battery is charging, go to these 2 links if you haven't seen them, about what we obsess and worry about with our tanks..they're hysterical!

I'll have more commentary/questions as I finish the thread. I want to see how you resolve hanging the lights because I want to add something like that somewhere in front/behind the 2 MH pendants we have.

Also, as many tanks as I've watched now, this is the one I'm going to refer to most for upgrades/fixes as we do them. thx!!

Obsessed: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=608644&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

Worried: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=607976

 

[jarhed]

Thanks avan!

Yeah, I do have a very odd sense of humor (Marine Corps did it to me!).

Yeah, I've seen a few threads in the 13 months I've been cruising this site that have made me question the sanity of the writer (like THIS one for example!!). This hobby is quite an obsession! You almost have to be in order to justify spending as much money as we do to build walls, do drywall, buy tanks, expensive equipment, etc, just to put water in, mix with expensive salt and expensive rocks and expensive life.

Oh man........... I just realized how much money I've spent. :eek2: I have to do something to forget about it, or blame it on my wife! :lol:

Well, thanks for the kind words. I hope I have uncovered a few mysteries that makes it easier for folks to DIY. If I can do it, trust me, ANYone can. Remember folks, I went into this with NO construction experience, other than as a laborer and the few poor drywall jobs I've tried on someone elses house.

 

[jarhed]

Two appointments set to install my AC duct, two appointments blown off completely by the installer. Nice. :mad2:

Good thing is that my HD credit account was to pay for the majority of the AC install. I froze the credit account. They'll be calling soon cause I'm sure they want their damn money. Either way, Home Depot Service Escalation and I will be talking to them on a three way call tomorrow morning. I'm not happy (that is a huge understatement) and I'm going to see to it that Home Depot drops them as an installer.

 

[conda]

I had Home Depot installers install a rug in my basement. Well, one of the installers stole my drill, back pills, harrased my dad while he was watching my baby, and other BS. I drilled HD and they gave me the rug, installation, tools, and even threw in all the baseboard for free!

Keep on them, they seem to really stand by their customers.

 

[jarhed]

They better. It's not even HD's fault. Granted, they are worthless in the store. Almost impossible to get help and guidance like they advertise, but this was an installer that they contracted to do their AC installs. Absolutely horrible.

 

[got2lb]

It seems like HD holds this reputation all around the US. It's great going there and being in the store for 3 hours for a few small things because everyone that works there are a bunch of morons!

Lowes has awesome customer service. I bought a water heater from them, I picked it up at the store and brought it home. When I got it out of the box it had a big dent in the bottom of it. It probably wouldn't have affected it in anyway but I didn't want to take the chance. So I gave them a call and they told me I could bring it back. Of course they act like I live right next door. I live 35 miles away and I would have to borrow a truck (again). So I told them that I think they should just bring me a new one up to my house. I talked to the manager about it and without hesitating he said no problem. I just about started yelling at him until it clicked that he said they would actually do it.

Lowes is awesome but you pay more for that service. At least 10% more than HD up here anyway.

Matt

 

[jarhed]

35 miles!!!!!!!! :eek2:

Thats funny! You fully expected to have to fight!! haha!!:lol:

Yeah, Lowes is a little more expensive but now that you mentioned it, they are much more helpful and have more knowledgeable folks on staff. A couple electricians in the electrical isle helped me out at HD. Completely embarrassed the little snot employee that was trying his best to give me bad advice. hehe