WarDog's Tank Thread : Episodic Trial And Error

[WarDog]

Oh, more news on an electrical note. After reading recent threads about electrical issues I did some investigating in my house. There is one outlet where the tank is planned, problem is this is the main living room/hallway circuit.
We've got 12 plugs on this circuit (which I believe is max code... or is it 15?), anyways, 1 halogen lamp, tv, dvr, PS3, Wii, laptop charger all run constant. Seasonal appliances added to this circuit include 2 fans in the summer
and a Xmas tree in the winter bright enough to land Airbus A380's. Not to mention the vacuum gets plugged in once in a while as well. Needless to say I was quite worried about adding a reef tank!! Then on further inspection I noticed a
breaker on the panel labeled 'Nook'. I turned it off and went back upstairs with my trusty AC sensor. Turns out there is only one plug (8 feet from where the tank will sit) on this dining room circuit. Unfortunately I will have to run an extension cord.
The wifey forbade me to open up the wall to hard wire it. Needless to say I was very relieved to find one dedicated plug on its own circuit somewhat close to the tank.

[Baldy]

just for credentials, im currently in my last year of school for electrician atm. First off if your using a tick tester to test for power, throw it out please. buy a 5$ plug tester and save yourself the potential shock. if 2 wires are ran parallel to each other for any length, one can induce enough voltage in the other to set off a tick tester even if the breaker supplying it is turned off. it wont shock you, but those testers sometimes go off as low as 25v.

12 plugs is max for a 15a curcuit. the dvr, wii, ps3, and laptop wont draw much unless theyre all running high stress at the same time. not often will you be playing games on the wii, ps3 and laptop at the same time. fans are very low for amp draw and the tree is probably low as well. vacuums arent too bad either. your biggest worry would be the halogen light (terrible efficiency, and dray a ton of power) and possibly the tv. newer led backlit tvs dont draw much but older ones might. best thing to do is try it, if it starts tripping the breaker, run the extension cord while you cut another plug into the wall. if its an interior wall on the main floor its extremely easy to do.

[WarDog]

Good info, thanks. I will try your recommendation and see if I need an extension in the future.

[The Guy]

Can't wait to see this new stand, sounds interesting

[WarDog]

Picked up the stand today... a day of highs and lows. Firstly the stand looks great. Happy with the powder coating even though I wanted white, but he didn't have.
Stupid me, I didn't measure it until I got it home. 1 inch short in width. 18 1/2 instead of the requested 19 1/2. Tank is only 18 3/8 but I am worried about the bulkheads
clearing the inside of the frame. Going to do a mock up when the wife comes home and can help move the tank. Fingers crossed!
Also, the threads on the bottom for the adjustable feet need to be re-tapped.
48" x 18 1/2 x 35" tall. Lots of inside height.

[Madreefer]

Good choice in stand height. It's sure nice not having to bend over to look at your tank. Top of my tank stands over 6' tall. Only negative thing is having to stand on a chair or ladder to work inside of tank.

[The Guy]

Nice stand, you could always add a finished piece of plywood to give you the extra 1" you need, it would look just fine if you trim the plywood edge. The height is great, mines 37" high, nice for viewing, but as Bill said you need a small ladder to do the work in the tank but it's no big deal. keep the pictures coming.