Power Strip Choices?

[Brandon Rush]

I used a piece of 3/4" plywood and cut the center out to fit the power strip through it kind of like a radio in a car dashboard. Mount the plywood piece in the stand, then mount the strip to the plywood. There should be a mounting bracket with two holes on either side of the power strip to fasten it to the plywood. I painted the plywood to match my stand.

Mind taking a pic if you can?

 

[reefwiser]

When I first bought these I had one bad right out of the package. But they are really easy to set up and use. Which to me is a big plus.

 

[Jr'sReef]

I also like the ADJ power bar. It allows for a clean installation and hides all the wires on the backside. Also allows to turn off pumps, skimmers etc with a switch instead of pulling plugs. Handy when doing maintenance.

I also have two of the WiFi power outlets by Jinvoo purchased off amazon. I use these for things in the sump. Sump lights on a timer, fuge lights on timer, heater, reactors, skimmer etc. Allows to easily turn things off. No more bulky individual timers taking up multiple outlets on a power bar. It also keeps wiring out of sight since it’s WiFi, I have it attached to the top underside of the stand. Flawless so far.

This works for me,

 

[Legal Reefer]

Mind taking a pic if you can?

 

[rkpetersen]

I have everything on Apex energy bars connected to UPS battery backup. But if an Apex were to become inoperable for any reason, which could definitely happen, I would switch everything over to manual operation as an emergency measure, using one or two of these power strips.

 

[TheEngineer]

I use a controller for many things as well, but there are plenty of devices that don't need their power switched by a controller and I can save the ports.

For example, my cabinet light and my tank light which has its own controller built in.

 

[Falcon53]

For the people mounting power strips inside your sump area...this is a fire waiting to happen. I would immediately change this.

 

[Velcro]

For the people mounting power strips inside your sump area...this is a fire waiting to happen. I would immediately change this.

Probably not an issue if you have ARC breakers and gfci outlets. Even less of an issue if you use a fan to circulate air in the cabinet.

 

[Retro Reefer]

My current build will be all DC so I needed lots of room between outlets.. picked up this 10 outlet strip at Lowe’s for around $30

 

[Falcon53]

Probably not an issue if you have ARC breakers and gfci outlets. Even less of an issue if you use a fan to circulate air in the cabinet.

Some of the salt mists under the tank regardless of what you do and will inevitably get into those outlets where the salt becomes a fantastic conductor of electricity. GFCIs and ARC aren't perfect, and I am not even sure they would work under those circumstances. Even if they do, a much smarter idea is to have a safer installation.

Furthermore, what if the GFCI trips...many people don't have redundancy or well planned systems...they will lose power and potentially lose their tank. All of this is easily avoided by not having a poor installation.

 

[Susan Edwards]

What we did was to put in a wood divider to separate the sump from the electrical side. there is a bit of a gap at the top to allow cords to pass over.

First pic is the added wood. Sump on other side. We also added a wood to the back to mount electrical.

 

[7237689918]

Some of the salt mists under the tank regardless of what you do and will inevitably get into those outlets where the salt becomes a fantastic conductor of electricity. GFCIs and ARC aren't perfect, and I am not even sure they would work under those circumstances. Even if they do, a much smarter idea is to have a safer installation.

Furthermore, what if the GFCI trips...many people don't have redundancy or well planned systems...they will lose power and potentially lose their tank. All of this is easily avoided by not having a poor installation.

I'm no electrician, but generally cautious. If not in the sump cabinet, where would be a good place to mount the strip? The back of the cabinet, besides being a bit of a pain to access, seems like you run the risk of water splashing out the back. I've been thinking through this and haven't figured out the best option yet. Appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Falcon53]

I'm no electrician, but generally cautious. If not in the sump cabinet, where would be a good place to mount the strip? The back of the cabinet, besides being a bit of a pain to access, seems like you run the risk of water splashing out the back. I've been thinking through this and haven't figured out the best option yet. Appreciate your thoughts.

I just mount the power strips outside of the sump and away from the tank.

 

[7237689918]

So if the cords from the pump, skimmer, lights, etc. are long enough should I just add an extension to them to reach the strip? Sorry, for the very basic questions, but want to get the electrical where I feel good (safe) about it.

 

[Falcon53]

So if the cords from the pump, skimmer, lights, etc. are long enough should I just add an extension to them to reach the strip? Sorry, for the very basic questions, but want to get the electrical where I feel good (safe) about it.

You don't have to have the power strip that far away, just a couple feet. I don't have any equipment that requires an extension cord.

You can use an extension cord if you need to, just make sure not to overload it. The only equipment that is likely to overload an extension cord would be non-LED lights or heaters. Just don't put too much stuff on one cord.

 

[7237689918]

Cool. Thank you! So the outlet is already GFI, so I'll plug a power strip into it, mount on the wall about 18 inches or so (that's the scope I have) from the tank and run the power to it. I don't need to worry too much about looping as the strip will be on the wall and the individual cords coming from the floor up to it. But I'll make sure that is good.

 

[Captain Quint]

Lots of great ideas.

This is what I started with the last tank I set up.

I keep mine in a rack close to the stand and like how if need be it's easy to add more 'banks'.

 

[TexasTodd]

I've seen some nice industrial looking more rectangular style in other build threads. I think some had covers somehow. Anyone know what they are?
Great thread! I'd rather spend some extra for a really good unit that doesn't look too bad and wall mount it far enough away from the tank.

 

[Sandbox]

Lots of great ideas.

This is what I started with the last tank I set up.

I keep mine in a rack close to the stand and like how if need be it's easy to add more 'banks'.

How do you like this power strip? Have you had any problems with it? Amazon has a cheaper knock off that has low ratings. Are the Pyle's a durable brand? Thank you.

 

[Captain Quint]

How do you like this power strip? Have you had any problems with it? Amazon has a cheaper knock off that has low ratings. Are the Pyle's a durable brand? Thank you.

I've been running them with absolutely no issues at all for 2 years now.

I'm going to order another to add to the rack for some gear I'm getting ready to buy.