Power in the Stand

Oh man I'd be embarrassed to post photos of my electrical setup.  

Adam, mine is not much better.  Just really cramped.

Many of us use the cheap, 2 for $5 powerstrips just like Richard. All electrical is safe when set up properly as explained briefly below.

Turning things off and on is needed so infrequently that unplugging is simple, especially if you have secured the powerstrip to the stand. To secure it, simply remove two corner screws and drill out the two screw holes, one on each end of the powerstrip. Use a long grabber screw through each new hole to secure it to the wood frame. Place the powerstrip as high as possible even underneath facing down from the stand ceiling if you can.

The most common cause for failure that I have seen is powerstrips that sit on the floor of the stand where leaking water drips right into the plug.

Oh and be sure there is enough cord to reach from the powerstrip out and around to the wall outlet. I use butt end connectors wrapped with electrical tape to splice in more cord length to the cheap powerstrips.

If you do the electrical cleanly and neatly, you will never need to worry about a thing. I have never used a GFCI because they turn things off when they shouldn't be turned off. You should also know that they don't work unless also installed is a grounding probe in the water. Don't be overly worried about this. Like I said, if you put it together cleanly and neatly, you'll never have a problem. For whatever reason (probably lack of knowledge), people don't treat electricity with enough care and respect. Then they think that some kind of safety feature will save their messy a$$ setup.

+  keep it clean, neat and away from places where water could reach a connection
+  tie up loose cords
+  pay attention to a loose connection and fix it immediately
+  if you hear a crackling or popping sound when the plug is jiggled use another outlet
+  Fix it immediately or don't use it.

I tie up extra lengths of power cord and often install screws or hooks in the ceiling of the stand to secure power cords up and out of the way. I avoid wrapping cords around piping below the bulkheads that if a leak occurred could send a trickle of water down along the power cord right into an external pump.

Feel free to come see my setups and take some time to talk about all aspects of reefkeeping. I love to help hobbyists avoid the mistakes I've made and seen in my 18 years of intense activity in this hobby.

Adam Blundell wrote: Oh man I'd be embarrassed to post photos of my electrical setup.

I look forward to meeting you.

Just a thought - Sometimes I think of putting electrical things in back, out of the way, when they really need to be in front where I can easily reach them, especially in an emergency.

Over the years on this MB, there have been instances of fires and almost fires caused by electrical equipment. If I were concerned about this enough to use a GFCI and Grounding probe setup, this is what I would do:
1.  Place the lights, the heater and some of the powerheads on the GFCI protected circuit on one of two house circuits.
2.  Place at least one in-tank powerhead on the other household circuit
3.  I'd periodically switch powerheads back and forth between the GFCI and regular circuits. If a powerhead cracks and it's electrical comes in contact with the system water, I would want to know it and have it shut down ASAP without causing all flow to stop.
4.  I would put the external return pump on the non-GFCI circuit. Since it is not near enough to water in normal use, if it shorted, which is rare, it would trip the normal circuit breaker at the Breaker Box.

That's how I'd do it if I were concerned about it.


Edited by Mark Peterson - April 30 2011 at 9:07am

OK Mark, you have me looking into grounding probes.