Really Puzzled By Red Sea Power Bar UK !

[Jim.Gilbert234]

Hi Again.
So I now have all the bits required for my E260 with sump. Pretty much upgraded everything and bolted on lots of extra and I am ready to build. So the question for UK reefers is. How do I make use of the power bar. Only things that will plug in now are the 2 cycle pumps as everything else is on UK 3 pin standard. I have seen people suggest converters but that is ugly and means the cover won’t fit. Surely the answer is to buy some European rewireable plugs and just swap them. The puzzle is, why can I not find anyone who has chosen this route, on the internet. Am I missing something, apart from the Earth ! Why does this feel like a stupid obvious question !

 

[Jim.Gilbert234]

so far so good !

 

[ReefRondo]

I'm a bit confused with this. Did you buy this tank in the UK from new?

 

[FishyFishFish]

I've had a look and found other people in the UK with a Euro power bar as well.

Does Red Sea not supply UK tanks with a UK power bar? If not, then that is pretty awful. I'm pretty sure that there is a legal requirement that anything supplied in the UK must have an 'approved' convertor if they are supplied with a 2-pin plug. Did the plug that goes into the wall have a converter (or 3 pin plug).

My concerns with this would be on several fronts:

1) You say that the pumps can plug in. Does that mean that you don't have UK spec pumps? What about the lights?

2) Plugs are often moulded-on these days, for safety. If you cut the plug off then re-wire it, then you are losing this protection. It would also likely void the warranty of anything that you cut the plug off.

3) If you buy converters, then that will be added cost. If that is the route that Red Sea wants to go down, then they should include the converters in the package.

4) Plugging the 2 pin pumps directly into the Euro power bar presumably means that they aren't fused?

5) It's just a bit unprofessional.


I would go back to Red Sea and confirm that you definitely have the correct part. If they say that is all they provide for the UK, then I would complain. You could also ask around to find out if what they have provided is actually legal in the UK, to back up your argument.

At the very least, I would be looking for them to provide approved converters for all of the slots, if they don't have a UK version of the power centre. I might be tempted to ask for a big discount and just remove the power centre completely and replace it with a UK power strip, but that would negate one of the reasons for buying that tank in the first place.

 

[ReefRondo]

I've had a look and found other people in the UK with a Euro power bar as well.

Does Red Sea not supply UK tanks with a UK power bar? If not, then that is pretty awful. I'm pretty sure that there is a legal requirement that anything supplied in the UK must have an 'approved' convertor if they are supplied with a 2-pin plug. Did the plug that goes into the wall have a converter (or 3 pin plug).

My concerns with this would be on several fronts:

1) You say that the pumps can plug in. Does that mean that you don't have UK spec pumps? What about the lights?

2) Plugs are often moulded-on these days, for safety. If you cut the plug off then re-wire it, then you are losing this protection. It would also likely void the warranty of anything that you cut the plug off.

3) If you buy converters, then that will be added cost. If that is the route that Red Sea wants to go down, then they should include the converters in the package.

4) Plugging the 2 pin pumps directly into the Euro power bar presumably means that they aren't fused?

5) It's just a bit unprofessional.


I would go back to Red Sea and confirm that you definitely have the correct part. If they say that is all they provide for the UK, then I would complain. You could also ask around to find out if what they have provided is actually legal in the UK, to back up your argument.

At the very least, I would be looking for them to provide approved converters for all of the slots, if they don't have a UK version of the power centre. I might be tempted to ask for a big discount and just remove the power centre completely and replace it with a UK power strip, but that would negate one of the reasons for buying that tank in the first place.

Agree fully with all of the above! Well said!

 

[NeeetReef]

Hi Again.
So I now have all the bits required for my E260 with sump. Pretty much upgraded everything and bolted on lots of extra and I am ready to build. So the question for UK reefers is. How do I make use of the power bar. Only things that will plug in now are the 2 cycle pumps as everything else is on UK 3 pin standard. I have seen people suggest converters but that is ugly and means the cover won’t fit. Surely the answer is to buy some European rewireable plugs and just swap them. The puzzle is, why can I not find anyone who has chosen this route, on the internet. Am I missing something, apart from the Earth ! Why does this feel like a stupid obvious question !

Hi did you find a solution to this as I’m about to embark on a similar project? Thanks