Quick Q Regarding Electrics

[CezzaXV]

Hi everyone,

Quick question:

I recieved today my brand new fish tank. It's a very tall one. The problem is that the power cable on the heater isn't long enough to reach the sockets which I keep in the cabinet. Is it safe enough to plug an extension cable into a splitter?

Or do I need to find a heater with a longer cable?

 

[Ps3Steveo]

What do you mean by splitter?

 

[Chad]

It is safe to use a properly rated extension cord if your surge protector is too far away for the heater to reach. Especially with heaters it's important they be hooked up to proper cords, surge protectors, splitters etc. ones that are rated for the right voltage. Otherwise it's courting disaster as it can cause fires or literally cook the fish.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Can someone tell me what you mean by splitter? Is it a US term?

 

[slimeneo]

Can someone tell me what you mean by splitter? Is it a US term?

Not sure if it's strictly a US term.. but it's this:

 

[Chad]

Can someone tell me what you mean by splitter? Is it a US term?

Not sure if it's strictly a US term.. but it's this:

Yup, that's it or something similar. I use them regularly for computers and tanks.

 

[CezzaXV]

Yeah, it's one of those things you plug into a socket, then you have 8 (or 4 or 6 or 12 or whatever) sockets.

I've always been wary of plugging extensions into splitter extensions.

tcamos, can you go into more detail on what you mean by properly rated? I really have little idea about any of this.

 

[Ps3Steveo]

We have these, extension plugs.


Extension by ps3steveo, on Flickr

 

[Chad]

Yeah, it's one of those things you plug into a socket, then you have 8 (or 4 or 6 or 12 or whatever) sockets.

I've always been wary of plugging extensions into splitter extensions.

tcamos, can you go into more detail on what you mean by properly rated? I really have little idea about any of this.

It just means the plug needs to be able to handle the amount of electricity used by the heater. Unless you have a large heater chances are it will be. I recommend a surge protector rather than just a splitter/expander though because if something goes wrong it automatically shuts off the current.

This Wikipedia article actually does a good job explaining http/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_protector

 

[CezzaXV]

I think my extension/splitter (I normally just call them extensions but I wanted to make it clear what I meant the difference between one with one plug which purely extends, and one which splits into multiple plugs) has surge protection but it was a cheap one and I never was sure.

You've actually reminded me to look into what I meant to do ages ago but forgot - getting a new, not so crappy one

Looking to plug a 200W heater into an extension into the splitter, along with my other fishy bits.

EDIT: On that note, and I may get more answers on starting a new thread on this I'm sure, are cheap heaters alright or should I be paying out for a good brand? And if so, what brands should I go for? I've never had to buy a heater before, they've always been included with the tanks I buy.

 

[Chad]

I think my extension/splitter (I normally just call them extensions but I wanted to make it clear what I meant the difference between one with one plug which purely extends, and one which splits into multiple plugs) has surge protection but it was a cheap one and I never was sure.

You've actually reminded me to look into what I meant to do ages ago but forgot - getting a new, not so crappy one

Looking to plug a 200W heater into an extension into the splitter, along with my other fishy bits.

EDIT: On that note, and I may get more answers on starting a new thread on this I'm sure, are cheap heaters alright or should I be paying out for a good brand? And if so, what brands should I go for? I've never had to buy a heater before, they've always been included with the tanks I buy.

I like Marineland and Fluval heaters for larger ones and Tetra for smaller.
We recently had a local woman lose her entire tank while on vacation because she overloaded the curcuit and burned out all her pumps etc. Even though the expense can be annoying I personally feel it's worth it.

 

[DrRob]

Properly rated generally refers to the maximum amp draw that the cable and connections (and fuse) can handle.

Basically don't try to run a 6 foot reef off lighting circuit rated wiring.

I believe that it translates across the pond, but we don't tend to talk about it all that much.

 

[slimeneo]

I wouldn't risk getting a cheap one- the kinds with no brand or something. Wouldn't want to risk the fish getting burned or something I have a tetra one that doesn't need any adjusting, it works fine Just don't forget to turn it off when doing water changes (if the water level will go below the heater)

 

[CezzaXV]

Update: I've ordered a 200w fluval e series heater. Looks fancy.

 

[Tizer]

bah, i was going to get you to order one of these

http/www.iquaticsonline.co.uk/aquarad-digital-aquarium-heater/200w-aquarad-led-aquarium-heater.html

Then you could review it for me xD