Setting Up IceCap El Box

[parliament28]

I ordered one of your IceCap El Boxes and have a question about setting it up.

My question is on the wire labeled "D" on the left side in the picture (I'm assuming this is the grounded wire from the wall socket?). It looks like you're indicating that this wire should be somehow secured to the El Box, how would I go about doing this? Screws?

Second, I probably should have researched this beforehand, but this is being plugged into a wall socket with a portable GFCI. Is 250 watts taxing on the capacity of one of these wall sockets? (The other outlet is connected to a powerstrip with 3 powerheads, heater, and powerfilter)

Third, in your experience, does a 250 watt ballast create enough heat in one of the El boxes on a carpeted floor to create a fire hazard?

In an earlier post, someone mentioned securing the ballast in the El Box with screws or silicone, is this necessary, or can I leave it loose? (It will sit in the box horizontally on the floor).

Sorry for all the questions, I just don't want to burn down my house.

Thanks!

 

[coryc]

Hi,

I would secure the ballast to the box by running a screw up through the bottom of a hole in the enclosure, and the ballast should have a hole in the center of one of the mounting tabs. From here you could attach your ground wires and keep them tight with a nut and washer.

To determine if your outlet can handle the ballast you would need to know the size of the breaker and the current draw of all of the devices on this circuit. Unless this outlet is dedicated you may have other items on this circuit such as lamps, TVs, etc. I would guess you won't have problems, but I can't say with certainty.

The ballast would not be a fire hazard, but I would place it in an area with some ventilation.

Cory