Power Supply

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Rx79394

New member
How does everyone run the power to their tanks?

How much load is too much load on a standard wall plugin?

On various builds I have seen power that has been ran to a box, that has switches similar to a power strip, what is that piece called?

Coincidentally I am asking this, because I also would like to run power to my entertainment system, versus having all of my pieces of equipment go to a wall. :)
 
Well many that have fish rooms run a line to a separate breaker so its is on its own circuit. From there many like me have apex EB8's that all of our equipment is then plugged into.

Not sure exactly what your trying to figure out let me know if you want more info.
 
I ran a seperate 20amp service to my tank. Everything runs off of GFIC if anything should happen.
Best bet is to add up all the watts from your equipment and divide by 120 and see where you are as far as amps. You dont want to overload the circuit which I have seen people do.
You may want to add a couple hundred watts to be on the safe side.
 
I run two circuits. I once had a gfci trip while away for a few days and came home to a near total loss. It could have been an electrical storm or the airconditioner which was also on that circuit. I wire a dead man receptacle before the gfci that runs the pump. I cover it black instead of almond or white. Instructions are to disconnect that first if something is going on wrong with electricity and the tank.
 
I've seen some guys use a DJ power bar. It has a bunch of switches on the front. Do a quick image search on Google
 
Rather an open question with no single answer.

Most household circuits are either 15 or 20 amps. Whether that is enough power depends on your setup and what else is being run off the same circuit.

As mentioned above, many people run dedicated circuits for their tanks both because of power needs and to prevent something else from tripping the circuit and cutting power to the tank. Some also run 2 circuits, separating equipment (like heaters) between them so if one cuts out it doesn't cut power to everything.

GFCIs are a universal recommendation for all circuits going to your tank. Drip loops on all cords are a good idea as well.

As jaclyn said, many use DJ power bars to make it easy to switch individual items on and off.

Many others use a controller like Apex or Reef Angel with a controlled power bar.

Bottom line is you have to look at your individual needs and tailor the system to them.
 
On a 15 amp circuit, you should run no more than about 1300 watts of equipment to prevent a breaker from tripping. On a 20 amp circuit, run no more than 1750 watts.

How do you know how much power you have available? Find the breaker that provides power to the location you want. Inspect the entire house to make sure nothing else is on that same circuit. Anything else on that same circuit reduces the amount of power available to the tank.

How did I come up with the numbers? 110 volts x 15 amps x 80% utilization = 1320 watts. 110 volts x 20 amps x 80% = 1760 watts. Keeping your load below 80% will ensure that continued usage won't ever trip the breaker except in an emergency, and if someone else plugs something small in, like a small laptop, then there is enough headroom left to hopefully prevent the breaker from tripping as well.
 
Thanks, I think I have a lot of information to go off of.

I was looking to prevent any sort of electrical overloading. Furthermore, as I figured, it doesn't matter how the devices are connected, as long as the overall loads do not go over the limits of the entire circuits.

Meaning, that if I had a powerstrip that had 20 outlets on one wall plug-in, it wouldn't matter as long as the overall usage of the entire circuit going to the breaker box, wasn't overloaded.

Thanks all for the help!
 
Also, remember to de-rate circuits to about 80%. You do not want to be continuously above this.

It really helps to have an inline ammeter handy. The P3 Kill-A-Watt is an easy to use device.

A lot of devices (pumps, ballasts) have a terrible power factor, and while their true power will be low, their current demands will be higher than expected.
 
Rx79394 said:
Furthermore, as I figured, it doesn't matter how the devices are connected, as long as the overall loads do not go over the limits of the entire circuits.

Meaning, that if I had a powerstrip that had 20 outlets on one wall plug-in, it wouldn't matter as long as the overall usage of the entire circuit going to the breaker box, wasn't overloaded.
Click to expand...

Just don't pull a National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with the Christmas tree.
 
Filled up my 210 for a level and leak test. Fired up half the equipment and found out half the basement is on the same circuit. That test lasted all of 5 minutes. Running two 20amp circuits to the tank now and splitting up heaters, ect like stated above just in case.

Moral, plan way ahead of where you think you will be just OK!
 
I really like using the DJ strip, it really comes in handy to shut things off when needed. Similar to what other people said, your typical residential outlet is 15 or 20 amps and should go back to a 20 amp breaker. All residential breakers are rated for 80% of the name plate rating. So a 15 amp breaker will trip at 12 amps, a 20 amp at 16 amps. Add up everything on the circuit and make sure you stay below that.
 
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