is there an electrition in the house?

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

well heres my cheap light for my 30 long. a six lamp vanity light, some ridged dryer vent, pine and 4 27watt 6500k phillips daylight bulb / 2 noma blue twists.

 

the light has far exceeded my expectations, however i'd like to wire 2 of the 6 lamps on a seperate cord/timer. (for the blue noma bulbs)

 

i was hoping for a little instruction so i dont burn down the house im quite handy and follow instructions well.

 

heres the set up. if you need close up shots, just let me know

the tank shot really doesnt do the lights justice. (near a window, the rooms not dark)

 

you can see in the close up, the sand is so bright, the camera has a hard time picking up detail. nice color too. very white (other than the 2700 k bulb on the far right

[proraptor]

Im not sure about the wiring but lets see a pic of the lighting on a tank...

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

here the noma on its own. perfect moonlighting

[neanderthalman]

Not an electrician, but I've got your solution.

 

You've got the first diagram, and you want the second diagram. I've assumed that you're rewiring light 2 and light 5.

 

I noticed there's no ground wire in there....that's the first thing to fix if you're worried about burning down the house or getting killed by your light fixture.

 

Get a different power cord, one with three prongs, and connect the third wire (green or bare) to any and all exposed metal, like the reflector, or just connect it to the bare copper wire dangling from the middle of the fixture. It's there for a reason......

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

Not an electrician, but I've got your solution.

 

You've got the first diagram, and you want the second diagram. I've assumed that you're rewiring light 2 and light 5.

 

I noticed there's no ground wire in there....that's the first thing to fix if you're worried about burning down the house or getting killed by your light fixture.

 

Get a different power cord, one with three prongs, and connect the third wire (green or bare) to any and all exposed metal, like the reflector, or just connect it to the bare copper wire dangling from the middle of the fixture. It's there for a reason......

 

actually the ground wire was the first thing connected. hard to see but its there, right beside the first socket. (green wire attached to steel base) that i did know i believe the metal wire is a safty/easy mounting cable to hold the light while mounting it.

 

thank you very much for the diagrams. i'll keep ya posted on the progress.

[neanderthalman]

Oh there it is....my eyes must be failing me in my old age......

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

thanks neanderthalman, it worked out perfect.

 

the 4 27 watters

 

and the noma and coral life (soon to be replaced with another noma)

 

on the tank

4 lights

 

2 lights

 

and all 6

 

thanks again for taking the time to do the diagrams. i thought that was the correct way to do it, but didnt want to take any chances.

thanks

[Greenlight2001]

*WARNING* I am NOT a licensed electrician, my advice is only for educational purposes and everything should be checked by a licensed electrician *WARNING*

 

That out of the way, I do have some personal non licensed experience in electrical work and from what I see in your pictures, it looks as though you have the light sockets daisy chained together like so:

 

 

 

 

 

Dasiy chaining is not good wiring practice for this application [edited for accuracy, will not effect current or voltage ] Neanderthalman's diagram is correct on paper but its not how it'll look when its done in person. Well, it could be done exactly as diagramed by Neanderthalman but it would have like a dozen connection points instead of the 4 it should. This is how'd I'd do it if I were doing it for myself: (i hope this diagram is understandable, i did these kind of quick)

 

 

So a seperate lead comes from each light fixture and all those leads (same color) connect to the wire coming out of the cord (blanks to blacks, whites to whites). They'd be secured with a wire nut. The grounds would be attached to the metal reflector. Each light bascially gets its own 'run' of wire to the cord's wire.

 

You might have done it this way and I just didn't look closely enough at your original pictures. Either way, if I was to do it, i'd do this way.

[neanderthalman]

While in theory, you're absolutely and 100% correct, in practice, he won't have any problems. The current draw by each light is 225mA, and for the longest daisy chain of four lights, we're looking at just under 1A of current. Brownouts and fires from issues of current draw and conductivity of the wires is minimal in this application. Most of the outlets in your walls are likely daisy chained together, and it's not a problem.

 

If you were dealing with anything with a high current draw, or a high inrush current like a large motor, yes, daisy chaining could become a problem. In this hobby, with the currents drawn by things we wire ourselves, I can't see it ever being an issue.

 

If I'm not mistaken that light fixture came wired as a daisy chain - and in order to be sold, must have passed NEC standards.

 

Edit - Also not a licenced electrician

[Greenlight2001]

While in theory, you're absolutely and 100% correct, in practice, he won't have any problems. The current draw by each light is 225mA, and for the longest daisy chain of four lights, we're looking at just under 1A of current. Brownouts and fires from issues of current draw and conductivity of the wires is minimal in this application. Most of the outlets in your walls are likely daisy chained together, and it's not a problem.

 

If you were dealing with anything with a high current draw, or a high inrush current like a large motor, yes, daisy chaining could become a problem. In this hobby, with the currents drawn by things we wire ourselves, I can't see it ever being an issue.

 

If I'm not mistaken that light fixture came wired as a daisy chain - and in order to be sold, must have passed NEC standards.

 

Edit - Also not a licenced electrician

 

You are correct. Like I said, daisy chaining would have NEVER caused him problems with these lights. In fact, technically this all all a moot point. The lights daisy chained the way they were, and the wiring way you and I posted are really all the same. I posted only because there are times when daisy chaining is bad news, and its best to stick with a method of wiring that will ensure you always wired it right than thinking that daisy chaining is always okay.

[Greenlight2001]

BTW, this is what I mean by good wiring practice. NEC tells you that under normal circumstance, when wiring outlets and light sockets, there should not be more than one wire wrapped under a terminal screw. Wire to wire connection should be made in a junction box, or with a wire nut (or other joining method) unless, as in the case with a recepticle (or other devices sometimes), there is a seperate pair of terminal screws that is provided to 'extend' the wire to another device. Again, everything on this thread would work fine for this particular wiring project.

 

Didn't mean to step on toes

 

[EDIT]

 

In all honesty, I probably shouldn't of used the words 'dasiy chained' through this thread because it actually refers to something else (wiring negative to positive, negative to positive with lights). I'm sure someone will spot me on that. I should of said, 'this way of wiring'.

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

the fixture came "daisy chained" from the factory (this is stock wiring)

power enters the middle socket and linked to the others. i just made 2 daisey seperate chains.

 

so whats the verdict? should i change it?

[Greenlight2001]

its fine. Go with it because it looked like it works for you.

 

I made this harder than it should have been Your fine.

[neanderthalman]

On a receptacle there are two screws for each terminal, and one wire goes under each screw. It's within NEC standards, and it's still daisy chained, under what I'd consider "daisy chained".

 

You're saying a series connection is what's really the definition of "daisy chained"?

 

No toes stepped on here man....I like these discussions.

[formerly icyuodd/icyoud2]

thanks for all the help guys.

 

got the light on timmers now, and its working like a charm.

 

although you put the girl friend on full alert.

 

"CAN BURN DOWN THE HOUSE, WHAT WHAT WHAT?"

[Greenlight2001]

On a receptacle there are two screws for each terminal, and one wire goes under each screw. It's within NEC standards, and it's still daisy chained, under what I'd consider "daisy chained".

 

You're saying a series connection is what's really the definition of "daisy chained"?

 

No toes stepped on here man....I like these discussions.

 

 

I guess its all vernacular Its what I'd call 'daisy chained' but that definately doesn't make it so I also call a sandwich made on a long bread roll an 'italian' sandwich and will defend its name if someone tries to call it a hoogie or submarine sandwich...

[neanderthalman]

^^me.....I'd call it a sandwich. Can't go wrong.

 

icyuodd, you're making me glad my girlfriend trusts my electrical work