How do you manage your wires?

[naterealbig]

While all of these wire management ideas are no doubt quite aesthetically pleasing, how difficult do you guys find unplugging stuff for routine maintenance and cleaning? I’d imagine unplugging and item for maintenance or replacement would be quite a chore.

Hey @Water Dog, that's a good question. Some forethought must be used when setting cable management systems up. For instance, you must leave enough "play" in your probe, powerhead, and skimmer wiring. For purposes of cleaning, I don't unplug or completely remove the item, just bring the cleaning solutions and tools, and a bucket to the tank. Remove the wire duct cover and go to work.

If care is taken during the setup, the cables will be organized within the wire duct itself, and unplugging and removing a piece of equipment is as easy as removing the duct cover and unplugging.

Zip ties need to be used underneath the panduit to remove the extra slack, and keep things organized. If you don't, you just end up hiding the jumbled mess. Or as they say, putting "lipstick on your pig".

 

[Bmasculine]

Hey @Water Dog, that's a good question. Some forethought must be used when setting cable management systems up. For instance, you must leave enough "play" in your probe, powerhead, and skimmer wiring. For purposes of cleaning, I don't unplug or completely remove the item, just bring the cleaning solutions and tools, and a bucket to the tank. Remove the wire duct cover and go to work.

If care is taken during the setup, the cables will be organized within the wire duct itself, and unplugging and removing a piece of equipment is as easy as removing the duct cover and unplugging.

Zip ties need to be used underneath the panduit to remove the extra slack, and keep things organized. If you don't, you just end up hiding the jumbled mess. Or as they say, putting "lipstick on your pig".

This is the same thing I do to an extent but yes pre planning is needed. My gyre pumps disassemble easily for cleaning no need to remove cables. Same with skimmer, body comes apart easily to be cleaned and there’s enough slack on pump I can pick it up outta sump and drop in a bowl of vinegar.

 

[vetteguy53081]

just started this and in fact re-doing it new years day

 

[Ocelaris]

After running wires most of my late teen to adult life, I've come to a happy medium of organization and usability. I detested having to work on a system installed with cable ties so neatly bound that they could never be worked on. These are living breathing systems that have to be cleaned and maintained. Think through what has to be disassembled and reassembled. Velcro strips trump cable ties unless it's permanent. Physical strain relief is often overlooked. Screw attachment for velcro and stick on holder's are very useful for attaching power bricks. Lots and lots of labels, nothing worse than trying to trace a cable by pulling through the rats nest.

Here's my work from last week. Three eb8s and two power strips spread across two 20 Amp circuits. It's a functional mess, but it's what I have come to know will work in 5 years down the line.

 

[chicago]

I gave up on zip ties ect. I wish it looked nice but removing cleaning testing resetting up compelled me to have lose cords on the walls. I am lucky as it is all hidden in a mechanical room. In the past I have spent hours using clips Velcro’s but end up months later having to take apart tonget on e wire out for a repair or Clean. I do like the large channels. Though.

 

[K7BMG]

Yes I agree here that zip ties are for the most part a pain, the cut off ends can scratch or cut you.
Clipping them off and discovering that yea the tie is free but now you also nicked or cut a cable or wire and ruined a probe.
One lost or dropped into the sump and finding its way into the impeller of the return pump.

As an electrician I deal with wire management a lot. (Capitan obvious.)

Most people goof things up when using zip ties. The zip tie solution is simple.

The wrong way:
Most people will grab a bundle of wire or cables and zip them up.
Looks great but when you need to do something your cutting and re-zipping. PITA for sure.

The right way:
Zip tie the slack of the wire or cable only to itself, separate from the others.
Do not bundle all cords wires cables to each other. This just creates work each time you need to re-move one cable out of 20.

Most will do multiple wraps around there hand making fat coils that are difficult to place.
This method creates problems, one by having larger heavy coils that are hard to place, and puts twists in the cable that creates the device attached into a spinning nightmare banging on stuff and harder to handle.

Simply take the individual cable make a S and then zip tie it ONLY to itself.
This adds a sturdiness to the individual cable helping to keep it straight or by pulling one a bit more taught over the other two you can create a curve.
The cable is a bit heaver and will lay in place much better.
Stagger them to keep the over all run thinner.
Then use a few Velcro straps to make the individual cables into a bundle or use a sleeve, Panduit, cable rings, etc.

Then if you need to service one item, bam easy, undo a Velcro strap or two and remove the one item from the bundle.

I have found that taking PVC and making conduit chases works the best, FOR ME.
Panduit works great but is expensive and the lids, well, lets face it are installed once then wind up leaning in the corner of the room.
and those cables and wires are hanging out everywhere.

Example:
I take PVC pipe or conduit cut it the length of the tank.
Then cut openings at the required locations and they all can exit where they are needed to go.
I have no issue pushing or pulling the individual cables through with cord ends or other barrel connectors on them.
Obviously the sleeve has to be large enough to get that last cord end through when all other cables are in place.

So in the end I only every zip tie everything once, never have to cut off ties and for the life of the device in its desired location.

Hopes this helps you all.
I will try to take some pics and post them.

 

[NS Mike D]

I built a side cabinet for all the electrical. The plugs on the inside with all the wires coiled and secured with zip ties and anchored to the outside back. All wires are labeled. This was I have quick access to the plugs (an apex EB8 and a basic power strip) and the wires secured (with drip loops) out of site.

a good deal of trial and error. certainly apex makes wire management easier as a single controller cuts down a lot of electrical hardware, and the fact I can turn off a single plug from my laptop and not having to mess with wires

Before:

after

 

[dantimdad]

I give the wires a stern look and say "You get back in your place, now!" I then walk away and expect them to do what I say.

However, they seem to need this routine every day and I am getting tired of it.

 

[Saveafish]

I use the bunch and wad approach.

 

[FFFishy]

I use a combination of Panduit and Velcro. This is under a Red Sea RS450 -- 'dry' (right) side of the cabinet.

 

[chicago]

nice..

 

[naterealbig]

Yes I agree here that zip ties are for the most part a pain, the cut off ends can scratch or cut you.
Clipping them off and discovering that yea the tie is free but now you also nicked or cut a cable or wire and ruined a probe.
One lost or dropped into the sump and finding its way into the impeller of the return pump.

As an electrician I deal with wire management a lot. (Capitan obvious.)

Most people goof things up when using zip ties. The zip tie solution is simple.

The wrong way:
Most people will grab a bundle of wire or cables and zip them up.
Looks great but when you need to do something your cutting and re-zipping. PITA for sure.

The right way:
Zip tie the slack of the wire or cable only to itself, separate from the others.
Do not bundle all cords wires cables to each other. This just creates work each time you need to re-move one cable out of 20.

Most will do multiple wraps around there hand making fat coils that are difficult to place.
This method creates problems, one by having larger heavy coils that are hard to place, and puts twists in the cable that creates the device attached into a spinning nightmare banging on stuff and harder to handle.

Simply take the individual cable make a S and then zip tie it ONLY to itself.
This adds a sturdiness to the individual cable helping to keep it straight or by pulling one a bit more taught over the other two you can create a curve.
The cable is a bit heaver and will lay in place much better.
Stagger them to keep the over all run thinner.
Then use a few Velcro straps to make the individual cables into a bundle or use a sleeve, Panduit, cable rings, etc.

Then if you need to service one item, bam easy, undo a Velcro strap or two and remove the one item from the bundle.

I have found that taking PVC and making conduit chases works the best, FOR ME.
Panduit works great but is expensive and the lids, well, lets face it are installed once then wind up leaning in the corner of the room.
and those cables and wires are hanging out everywhere.

Example:
I take PVC pipe or conduit cut it the length of the tank.
Then cut openings at the required locations and they all can exit where they are needed to go.
I have no issue pushing or pulling the individual cables through with cord ends or other barrel connectors on them.
Obviously the sleeve has to be large enough to get that last cord end through when all other cables are in place.

So in the end I only every zip tie everything once, never have to cut off ties and for the life of the device in its desired location.

Hopes this helps you all.
I will try to take some pics and post them.

@K7BMG - man, you really hit the nail on the head here.... Beautifully said! You are absolutely right - it is imperative to use the zip ties to bundle the slack in individual wires, not use them to bundle all the different wires together.

I would have posted this earlier, but it just seemed like common sense (completely forgetting the years that I used zip ties to just bundle my mess of wires together so they looked "tidy")..... [emoji20]

 

[chicago]

just thought i would add this.. might be obvious.. but then again.. Having been in the fire restoration and litigation of fire claims for years I keep this in mind..
1. please do not ever put wires under carpet or cover them up in a similar manner
2. Please do not over load the power surge protectors and check them often for salt creep.
3. When doing zip ties. it is best. NOT to bunch and roll tightly the power cords.. We all do it at times.... but that creates .. I forget the best term.. but Resistance. I have bee told by fire investigators it is best for these power cords to NOT be bundled and zip tied.. but a straight line or lose larger loops if have to are best, not tight little neat ones. .

Just my two cents..

 

[dantimdad]

Bundled wires can cause issues. Learned this in the audiophile world I was part of for years. Increases capacitance. Especially if you have a spiral to the bundle or get one wrapped around the others. With AC not much of an issue. With signal wires and DC it can be.