Your Electrician Here

[Young Frankenstein]

pammy
1) find out which circuit breaker is the one feeding your fish tank.
2) touch with your hand the breaker and see if is hot.
3) have somebody pull out the breaker and look in the back part of the breaker for burn marks.
4) If is getting hot or theres a burn mark replace it
5) Also if someone can measure the voltage of the outlet while everything is running, it would also help to determine the problem.

Let me know what you find out.

 

[pammy]

Thanks. I'll try those things. I also thought of just moving the light fixture to a different room where no power is being drawn, on a different breaker and seeing if it does the same thing.

Thanks!
Pam

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10101849#post10101849 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 0 Agios
pammy
1) find out which circuit breaker is the one feeding your fish tank.
2) touch with your hand the breaker and see if is hot.
3) have somebody pull out the breaker and look in the back part of the breaker for burn marks.
4) If is getting hot or theres a burn mark replace it
5) Also if someone can measure the voltage of the outlet while everything is running, it would also help to determine the problem.

Let me know what you find out.

 

[jdellman]

O Agios-

I have an easy one for you, and I apologize if it has already been asked-

I am switching to a 2 x 250 Watt MH witih 2 x 54 T5 system, and I thought I read somewhere that I need to make sure that the timer is rated for the lights. What specifically do I need to look for? Is it just the total watts?

Thanks,

Jim

 

[pammy]

Hi O Agios.

Just an update.....I took the light down, and leaned it up against a wall vertically, same room, but a different outlet (opposite end of the same wall). It ran fine for 7 hours until I turned it off, so I know it's not an issue with the circuit / breaker or bulb. I re-hung the light, and plugged it into a 3rd outlet, and bingo...the MH shut off in 52 minutes, then came on for 30 minutes, then shut off after about 45 minutes. So now I know it's not an issue with the original outlet. Definitely seems to be an issue with it overheating and shutting down as a precaution. Why would it run fine standing on end, for 7 hours though? My only guess is....the fan in this position, was at the top of the fixture, and when it's hung, the fan is under the fixture. One other note...is Elos ran this fixture for 2 days before shipping it to me, and it didn't shut off at all for them. Strange!!

Thanks, Pam

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10101849#post10101849 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 0 Agios
pammy
1) find out which circuit breaker is the one feeding your fish tank.
2) touch with your hand the breaker and see if is hot.
3) have somebody pull out the breaker and look in the back part of the breaker for burn marks.
4) If is getting hot or theres a burn mark replace it
5) Also if someone can measure the voltage of the outlet while everything is running, it would also help to determine the problem.

Let me know what you find out.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10133188#post10133188 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pammy
Hi O Agios.

Just an update.....I took the light down, and leaned it up against a wall vertically, same room, but a different outlet (opposite end of the same wall). It ran fine for 7 hours until I turned it off, so I know it's not an issue with the circuit / breaker or bulb. I re-hung the light, and plugged it into a 3rd outlet, and bingo...the MH shut off in 52 minutes, then came on for 30 minutes, then shut off after about 45 minutes. So now I know it's not an issue with the original outlet. Definitely seems to be an issue with it overheating and shutting down as a precaution. Why would it run fine standing on end, for 7 hours though? My only guess is....the fan in this position, was at the top of the fixture, and when it's hung, the fan is under the fixture. One other note...is Elos ran this fixture for 2 days before shipping it to me, and it didn't shut off at all for them. Strange!!Hi pammy. When you pluged the light and it worket fine, was that adiffrent outlet, or the same outlet. Reason I say this some times wires in receptacles get loose and they arc, therefore not giving the proper voltalge to the light. That can make it heat up more than its sopesed to.

Thanks, Pam

 

[Steve 926]

GND Probe.

GND Probe.

Hello

I have 3 dedicated 15 amp circuts, each with it's own GFI wall receptacle.
I would like to use a Gnd probe. Do I need a probe for each single circuit, or will one suffice for all 3


Thanks for a reply

Steve 926

:smokin:

 

[Steve 926]

Forgot to mention they are all out of the same panel


Steve 926

:smokin:

 

[surfjeepzx]

Hello O Agios,

Nice thread you have going here and thanks for taking the time.

I have a basic question regarding the house fuse panel. I live in Central Florida 2 blocks from the beach and my house was built in 1960. It has partially upgraded service. The previous owner had central A/C installed, an electric water heater installed from the original gas, and 220 routed to the kitchen for the electric stove/oven from the original gas. All the gas stuff was removed. The new panel and conduit is mounted on the exterior of the house and it was done by professionals and is working well.

All the house wiring is the original older type with the black cloth-like sheilding. None of the oulets are grounded and are the 2-prong style. I installed the 3 prong grounded style oulets. The j-box for each outlet/switch is in the wall and is metal and has metal conduit to the ceiling where the wire is run to the fuse box without metal conduit. There's no attic as the ceilings are vaulted with the only space being that between the trusses. When I bought the house 6 years ago I replaced every oulet and switch in the house and re-terminated the wire ends to each. They were all corroded and in need of changing. The only thing I didn't do was open up the fuse panel and check the c/b's.

The other night when I got home from work the house was very quiet and I always take a quick peek below the tank before I go to bed. I noticed a slight change in the sound of the return pump like it was speeding up and slowing down just slightly. I doublechecked the security of all the plugs. I know there's nothing wrong with the pump or anything else regarding the tank. I used di-electric grease on every plug, wire splice etc and they always look new when inspected.

I mentioned this pump issue to my aquarium buddy who owns a fish store and installs tanks. He mentioned, as you did in an earlier reply, to check the fuse panel for warm, hot breakers, and to check the connections of each breaker. I opened the door on the front of the panel and felt the breakers and all seemed normal temperature wise. My next step is to remove the face panel of the fuse panel and physically check the breakers.

Knowing that they look original and probably are, I was thinking to just replace them all with new breakers of similar of better quality. I'm very handy, understand electricity, and have no doubt I can do the work but I would like any advice you can offer.

The original c/b's are GE's ranging from 15-20 amps. Some are double ganged with jumper bars. When I attempt to remove the 4 screws that hold the panel cover in place what should I expect or watch out for. Does that panel faceplate remove leaving the can and c/b's behind it in place or will the guts inside the panel come out with the faceplate. What would be the best replacement options regarding the c/b's, brand/type.

Thanks for your time, I'll owe you a fishing trip with a cooler full of beer if you ever get up this way. I know I've included a lot of info in this post but I wanted to paint you a good picture. I make my living troubleshooting and fixing aircraft so I know the value of having all relavent info before you start.

 

[surfjeepzx]

bump

 

[FTBL12]

Are ballasts for compact flour. special?

Are ballasts for compact flour. special?

Hey Sparky,

I've been trying to look up info on compact flour lighting ballasts and there doesnt seem to be alot of spec info out there.

My question is can you use a standard spec. balasts that matches to output and size of the bulb, in a coral life or orbitz light.

Or is it special in some way due to the fact that the bulbs are 10k, or acintic etc.

If your not sure thats fine I know it's a goofy question, but I have a CURRENT fixture that has two pll96w lamps, and they each have their own ballast. niether work, and I have 110volts on the primary but on the secondary side I'm not reading any volts. It's a APF120-1/96pll elec. ballast and I have been trying to find specs on how to test. All the ballast says is "open circuit voltage : 560v" I'm assuming that means I should of seen that voltage when it was powered up, but I didnt.
Thanks for Any info
STEVE

 

[Young Frankenstein]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10090877#post10090877 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by george1098
Hey guys and gals

In the next few years, I will be moving into a new house, and my 90 gal sps tank will be coming with me. I was thinking I will take the opportunity to do a few upgrades, and one of the things I wanted to do was install at least two, possibly three dedicated circuits for the tank in the houses electric system. I will likely hire an electrician to do this for me, but I would still like to know as much about wiring as I can so I know what is possible and what isn’t. below I will list my goals for the dedicated tank circuits:

-I would like these circuits to have built in serge protection incase of lighting strikes / power surges or what have you. These have been a problem for me in the past. How can I do this? what kind of hardware do I need?

-I would like these circuits to be equipped with GFI sockets. Honestly I’m not sure what GFI means or what the sockets do, I just know they are used in bathrooms incase someone drops the hair dryer in the bathtub. Could anyone elaborate on these for me? Are they worth it?

-Finally, I would like at least one of the circuits to be connected to a gas generator. Is it possible to rig up a system that automatically fires up the generator incase the power goes out while I am at work or away on vacation? A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) is what I am going for here. What kind of hardware do I need to look into?

That is all I can think of at the moment. I would sincerely appreciate anything anyone could tell me about how I can achieve my goals for soon to be new tank’s electrical system. And if anyone has any suggestions for me on how to make the electrical system better (what didn’t I think of) that would be great too. Thanks everyone!

Hi Sorry about the delay in answering your post but I had some PC problems.I would run 2 separate circuits with a dedicated neutral and ground for each one, pretty much the same as I would run for a computer receptacle. You can get a GFI breaker for each circuit and install surge suppression receptacles. Or install regular breakers and feed 2 separate GFIs each one for lighting and one for pumps. GFI is there to protect you and your pets from getting electrocuted. As far as generator power you will need an ATS (Automatic Transfer Switch) to have emergency power turned on automatically. Be prepared for $ 10.000.00 or more. the other way around would be getting a small UPS ( Uninterpretable Power Supply) just like powering your computer. If you are handy you can do even better than that and have a charger with some car battery's connected to a converter. that would work even better. Hope this helps.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

I am back bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Steve 926]

Gnd. Probe

Gnd. Probe

Hi 0 Agios

I have 3 dedicated 15 amp. circuits from the same panel, 2 are on the same phase, the other one on a different phase. All to GFI wall receptacles. Can I use 1 Gnd probe for all, or do I need a separate one for each circuit

Thanks for a reply

Steve 926

:smokin:

 

[WaterKeeper]

Apparently Agios forgot a surge suppressor on his central service and nuked his PC.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

Re: Gnd. Probe

Re: Gnd. Probe

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10228377#post10228377 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Steve 926
Hi 0 Agios

I have 3 dedicated 15 amp. circuits from the same panel, 2 are on the same phase, the other one on a different phase. All to GFI wall receptacles. Can I use 1 Gnd probe for all, or do I need a separate one for each circuit

Thanks for a reply

Steve 926

:smokin:

You only need one grounding probe per fish tank.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10228551#post10228551 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WaterKeeper
Apparently Agios forgot a surge suppressor on his central service and nuked his PC.

Some how the electric eel touched the fiber optic underwater cable I have connected to my PC for monitoring PH,Nitrate etc. and destroyed the mainframe calculator.

 

[Young Frankenstein]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10133162#post10133162 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdellman
O Agios-

I have an easy one for you, and I apologize if it has already been asked-

I am switching to a 2 x 250 Watt MH witih 2 x 54 T5 system, and I thought I read somewhere that I need to make sure that the timer is rated for the lights. What specifically do I need to look for? Is it just the total watts?

Thanks,

Jim

Wattage is the main concern, but 99% of the timers work with ballasts and regular light bulbs, theres a minimum wattage on cheap timers because they use a triac and not a relay to do switching, those timers will not work turning of and on relays, but in your case any timer basically thats made to be used with 750 watts will do.

 

[FTBL12]

Are ballasts for compact flour. special?

Are ballasts for compact flour. special?

Hey Sparky,

I've been trying to look up info on compact flour lighting ballasts and there doesnt seem to be alot of spec info out there.

My question is can you use a standard spec. balasts that matches to output and size of the bulb, in a coral life or orbitz light.

Or is it special in some way due to the fact that the bulbs are 10k, or acintic etc.

If your not sure thats fine I know it's a goofy question, but I have a CURRENT fixture that has two pll96w lamps, and they each have their own ballast. niether work, and I have 110volts on the primary but on the secondary side I'm not reading any volts. It's a APF120-1/96pll elec. ballast and I have been trying to find specs on how to test. All the ballast says is "open circuit voltage : 560v" I'm assuming that means I should of seen that voltage when it was powered up, but I didnt.
Thanks for Any info
STEVE

 

[Steve 926]

Re: Re: Gnd. Probe

Re: Re: Gnd. Probe

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10230768#post10230768 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 0 Agios
You only need one grounding probe per fish tank.

Thanks for the reply.
will I need one for the sump also.

Steve 926

:smokin:

 

[Young Frankenstein]

Re: Re: Re: Gnd. Probe

Re: Re: Re: Gnd. Probe

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10231939#post10231939 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Steve 926
Thanks for the reply.
will I need one for the sump also.

Steve 926

:smokin:

The sump and main display tank are only connected by a hose that gives very large resistance to electricity. So there's no real connection between the sump and the main display tank. Yes I would definitely recommend an additional grounding probe in the sump.