Ask Me Help Desk - Help with wiring

Hi Folks,

I am building a vivarium and need some help re wiring plan.

I am going to have a piece of board with 8 standard single wall plug sockets and switchs on it which will be attcahed to the back of the vivarium. Now I want to wire them so they can be used as normal but the only source of electrical supply for it will be a standard living room wall plug (double socket).
In other words its like a homemade extension lead with eight plugs.

I would really appreciate someone's help on wiring this if possible. I have not bought any of the plugs or parts yet so if someone has a better idea how to do this then it can done.

I am grateful for any input.

Thanks

Charllie

Quote:

Originally Posted by chazsgang

Hi Folks,

I am building a vivarium and need some help re wiring plan.

I am going to have a piece of board with 8 standard single wall plug sockets and switchs on it which will be attcahed to the back of the vivarium. Now i want to wire them so they can be used as normal but the only source of electrical supply for it will be a standard living room wall plug (double socket).
In other words its like a homemade extension lead with eight plugs.

I would really appreciate someones help on wiring this if possible. I have not bought any of the plugs or parts yet so if someone has a better idea how to do this then it can done.

I am grateful for any input.

Thanks

Charllie

... your approach to the wiring scheme will meet building codes and is prone to being unsafe but the first step is to make sure you are feeding your cord with a GFCI outlet. How do you intend to wire the switch/outlets together? What material is being used for wire?

All electrical connections must be in a UL approved box. I have build up surge protectors with multiple outlets using 2 square surface mount boxes joined together with a nipple and nuts. I installed a cord using a cord protector meant for it. If you need a long narrow strip, you could gang 4 of the 2 outlet boxes. Make sure the wire you use is heavy enough to carry the load. I used 12-2, and I think a 2 amp circuit breaker. Computers abound with devices requiring very little power. Vivarium heaters may take more power.

Hi Guys,

Thank you both very much for your replies, I appreciate it.

I will be honest and say that what you have described sounds ideal but I don't really have a clue what you mean. I know that may sound silly but I have always kept away from electricity apart from plugs etc.

Is there anywhere I could find idiot instructions for building what you mention and what to buy. I can do this but I need step by step instructions.

Thanks

Charllie

The first thing you need to do is add up the wattages of everything you intend to plug in. If the total is much over 1500 or 2000 watts, ordinary household circuits will not be enough. For devices listing amps rather than watts, figure 120 watts to the amp.

I think you can buy ready made strips where you can plug things in anywhere along the strip. Might be a good choice for you. Also a couple of regular power strips might be a good idea unless you are using a bunch of space hogging transformers.

There are 2 grades of boxes meant to be mounted where they can be seen. The nice painted ones are much more expensive than the plain plated steel ones. The steel or plastic ones with sharp corners are meant to go inside walls. The cheap ones have knock outs, holes not quite finished you can push out leaving a round hole. You can buy pieces of pipe looking things called conduit nipples in various lengths. You can butt 2 boxes directly together with the shortest ones with a nut inside each box. If you want more space between them select longer nipples and put a nut inside and outside each box. For 8 outlets, buy 4 of the double outlets. Likely a couple of foot of 14-2 wire will do to connect things depending how long you have made things. Throw the outer jacket away, or buy single lengths of wire in black and white. For a cord, buy a short, heavy duty extension cord, and cut the end off. Make sure it is rated for more than the total power you will be using. Run it in a hole in the first box. They have doodads with thread on one end and a wire clamp on the other. Clamp it in place. Pick up a pair of wire strippers. Strip the end of the wires in the cord. Connect the black wire to the brass colored terminal on the first outlet, the white to the silver plated one, and the green or bare to both the green screw on the outlet and to the box itself. Connect short lengths of wire from one outlet to the next, carefully following the same color code. Many outlets have time saving holes you just poke the stripped wires in. If you are going to have any water near it, make the first outlet a GFI one. Even without water, may be safer for you and water is going to live in it. Finally buy cover plates to cover the outlets. For the square boxes with 4 outlets, you fasten the outlets to the cover plate, maybe even buy them like that.

Post back for the details I forgot. I know what I meant, but may not have been clear. All this will make more sense once you have studied the stuff at the hardware store. Look around good. The above parts won't run that much, but if something ready made is less or only a few dollars more, go for it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chazsgang

Hi Guys,

Thankyou both very much for your replies, i appreciate it.

I will be honest and say that what you have described sounds ideal but i dont really have a clue what you mean. I know that may sound silly but i have always kept away from electricity apart from plugs etc.

Is there anywhere i could find idiot instructions for building what you mention and what to buy. I can do this but i need step by step instructions.

Thanks

Charllie

... electrical department. They have pictures of everything Labman has mentioned and you can even zoom in on them. This will give you a chance to become familiar with the items and terminology before you go to it. They also have workshop articles on this site. Also try Ace Hardware's site among others.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=home

Hi Guys,

Thank you very much for the replies and help.

I shall take a look at this information over the weekend and try to things sorted. If I have any queries then I will let you know if that's OK.

Thanks Again

Charllie