Fishroom Electrical Questions?

[Murphy]

Hi everyone!, I just wanted to find out how many of you have wired your fishrooms.

Do you use GFCI recepticles or GFCI breakers due to the amount of moisture in the fishroom?

Where do you mount your recepticles in relation to your heaters.

Thanks!.....Peter

[Murphy]

What about wire?

Do you use regular NM wire?

Do you use NMD90 for damp locations ?

Do you use NMWU for wet areas?

[Ardan]

Hi ,
I used 12 gauge nmb wire, 20 amp circuits.
it is wise to use ground fault outlets, but I didn't as sometimes they trip, then ,,,, no power.
Its best to turn off a power strip when working on an aquarium imo.

It is best imo to use a dehumidifier to keep the moisture down, to protect electrical items, to protect wood, furniture and home. (mold)
I have my dehumidifier set to keep humidity below 50%.

hth

[Denny]

12-2 wire is the right choice for wiring your fish room. As far as amperage per circuit, you need to determine the load you will require and then divide it by the number of circuits and that will give you the needed amperage.

the others are right about moisture, you need to control it and eliminate the need for resistant wire. All wire should be run according to local codes,which vary by location. As far as GFI circuits, I see no situation where it would be worse to have them then not to have them. You only need to put a GFI on the first outlet in the circuit and it will protect all others in the circuit. You can also get GFI circuit breakers, but they are alot more expensive.I like doing double boxes si that I have 4 outlets per location so that power strips can be eliminated.

[ronrca]

Definitly use one or more GFI plugs! Better safe than sorry! Wire them as Denny mentioned and you will be fine! I would not build a fishroom without a GFI! GFI breakers are kind of expensive btw so GFI plugs are the way to go! ;)

Also calculate your load like how many heaters, tanks, lights, air pumps! I can help you figure out how many circuits you may need if you are not sure! ON a 15amp circuit, only load up to 12 Amps max! ;)

[Murphy]

Hi everyone, yesterday I picked up a 250ft roll of NMD90-14 guage wire (Canada Code Requirement). I plan to run the hydro to a GFCI recepticle then to more recepticles, through a switch and then eventually to the tank lights. This will be done from the load side so the whole circuit will be protected. This will be done for both sides of the stands. I 'm also putting the pumps on another circuit with GFCI protection with an exhaust fan in the basement window for the humidity. It may sound like overkill but I took the advice of a friend who is a hydro linesman.

I will post pictures when I am finished for those of you who may be considering building a fishroom..........Stay tuned!.........Peter

[Ardan]

8)
Check on local code, but with 14 gauge wire its usually put on a 15 amp breaker.

hth

[Murphy]

Hi Ardan, thats right. I am installing three new 15 amp circuits to my electrical box. I will have four empty spaces left for future expansion.

[Ardan]

8) You should be all set with the electrical for a long time! ;)

[Haywire]

Murphy, a 250' roll?

Wow! I'm using a 25' extension cord w/ 15A breaker built in from the recepticle at the water heater. I also tied the ground floor central vac plug to this location too.

I run 4 heaters (250x2, 150x2), a via water pump, 2 air pumps, 2 Fl. fixture, 2 penguin 125's.

hmm, ok, maybe I better ask now how to calculate loads based on that number, I bet when I add the equipment I've ordered on to the system I'll blow a breaker.

Oh one thing, I find that power bars are the cheapest way to go. by the time you buy boxes, recepticles, switches cover plates you are farther ahead with the power bar. I bought some nice day-glo coloured power bars from Rona in Brampton dirt cheap ($5)

[ronrca]

To calculate the load from all your equipment:

Heaters:
Take the wattage of the heater and divided by 120V = current that the heater will draw

Pumps/filters:
Check the nameplate on the pump. It will tell you the current it draws.

Lighting:
Usually will tell you on the ballast what the ballast draws. If not, take the wattage of the tube divide by 120V and multiply by .20 (I add 20% for ballast lost).

Then add all the currents together. You may find that you are over 12Amps but remember that the heaters may not turn all on at the same time thus the breaker has not tripped. This does not mean that it can not. It is still strongly recommended that you do not exceed 12 Amps per breaker to prevent nuiscance tripping (especially when you are not home). ;)

[Murphy]

Hi Haywire! Here is a short paragraph out of the basic wiring for Canada book.

Watts=Volts x Amps....Thus a 15 amp circuit with 120 volts carries (15 x 120=) 1800 Watts. A 20 amp circuit carries 2,400 watts. Therefore the total wattage capacity of any given circuit should not exceed 80%. (1440 watts)

Add up the amount of your heaters,pumps lights etc. and as long as you are at or below 1440watts you will be okay! ;D

[ronrca]

:thumbsup:

Or add up the wattage! ;) LOL! (probably easier but Im use to dealing with current instead!)

The only thing with the lighting, if your using fluorescents, is you have to add 20% to the wattage of the tubes because of ballast losses!