Wiring questions

[Oklahomareefer]

Rick posted this in DIY section but hasn't gotten any replies.

working on the little things to finish up a 100 gallon reef build and im at the point of lighting my sump area.i found some compacts i had for f/w tanks and thought hey i can mount those inbetween the 2x4s of the stand.i was wondering if i would burn down the house by putting these both on the same cord to save a plug?they have the boxes i quess are transformers and an on off switch and i opened them up and it looks like i could just pigtail the 2 cords together and use 1 plug.they are aga and says 120 volt 20 watt 60 hz on it.im in no way an electrician and i get get goose bumps even around something unplugged so i thought it best to ask first.and can anyone direct me to a good post of mounting and wiring cpu fans in a canopy?

 

[cody6766]

It can be done and would probably never have a single issue. If something does happend and it burns the house down I'm not sure what the insurance company will do about finding a modified electrical source as the cause of the fire. I can't say I wouldn't do it and have probably done plenty that is more questionable than that, but I don't know if I would recommend that anyone should do it w/o knowing the ins and outs of the homeonwer's insurance part of the equation.

 

[papagimp]

I havn't the foggiest on home electricity stuff either, but my limited knowledge makes me wonder what a higher amperage load might do? simply trip a breaker or worse. I'm sure you could look up the ballast you have and see how many bulbs one of those particular unit can operate, may have a simpler solution going that route. just my unkowledgable 2 cents

 

[cody6766]

The current draw from two tubes would be no more than if they were both plugged into a powerstrip. I would not try to run two off of one ballast, but two off of one power cord would be no big deal...unless something caused a short. That would be unrelated to the draw through the cord though.

 

[chaderic26]

My only suggestion would be to make sure the power cord is rated for that power draw. The cable could get warm if its too thin. Imho.

 

[zxanth]

Just for a peace of mind I would just purchase a power strip to plug them both in rather that piggy back them. Also would allow more outlets to be used just don't over load it though.

 

[MBryant]

Your fine. The cords and outlets are rated for much more then your asking for. As far as the CPU fan. You take a old wall wart "transformer" the takes ac in and the out is dc. Computer fans are 12volt so find one that is around that. Don't go over 12v or you will burn up the fan. You can find those transformers all around the house. Just cut off the plug and wire it to the CPU fan. The diagram on the transformer will tell you which is positive or negative. Normally the inside of the plug is the positive but with the CPU fan it really doesn't matter bc if you reverse the polarity the fan will just spin the opposite direction.

 

[MBryant]

Your fine. The cords and outlets are rated for much more then your asking for. As far as the CPU fan. You take a old wall wart "transformer" the takes ac in and the out is dc. Computer fans are 12volt so find one that is around that. Don't go over 12v or you will burn up the fan. You can find those transformers all around the house. Just cut off the plug and wire it to the CPU fan. The diagram on the transformer will tell you which is positive or negative. Normally the inside of the plug is the positive but with the CPU fan it really doesn't matter bc if you reverse the polarity the fan will just spin the opposite direction.

 

[Oklahomareefer]

hey she just told me she reposted here and i thought duh why didnt i put it here.the lights would be on their own ballast i would just tie into where the cord tied in but i think ill just go with 2 power strips because after checking it out ill end up wanting a strip on both ends of the stand.the fan thing ill see if i can find an adjustable 12v adapter i know i had a few years ago and try it out.i was just reading about putting a dimmer on it to quiet it down if the dbs get to high,but im only useing t5s for now so i wouldnt think it would be to much of an issue.has any one had a issue with heat from t5s?