Sparky help please!

[Snakelove]

Hey there!

I just wanted to make sure if this setup was okay to use. So I've only got 1 powerpoint on the wall in my room where I keep my snakes. Would it be okay if I was to plug in an extension cord (to be closer to the enclosure) then a power board then another powerboard then my thermostat? or would that be too much? Coz I think I read somewhere that a thermostat can't go trough too many 'points' so to speak?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Snakeluvver2]

I do it.
No deaths or anything sinister in the last year or so, so I guess its ok.

 

[TigerCoastal]

i've been doing it for more than 6 months without a problem, i think it comes down to the amount of power the other appliences that are plugged in use as most house hold power points are 10 amp and if you connect to many things in you can go over that and blow fuses, trip circuit breakers or worse burn the house down

 

[Snakelove]

I do it.
No deaths or anything sinister in the last year or so, so I guess its ok.

lol oh good my thread actually made sense. haha alright yeah, I wasn't sure if that was okay or not. lol good to know!

 

[Snakelove]

i've been doing it for more than 6 months without a problem, i think it comes down to the amount of power the other appliences that are plugged in use as most house hold power points are 10 amp and if you connect to many things in you can go over that and blow fuses, trip circuit breakers or worse burn the house down

So say in the second powerboard i have a 25 watt heat cord and in the third powerboard i have 2x 100 watt ceramic heat emitter. That would be okay right?

 

[TigerCoastal]

I'm no electrician, But i would say that would be fine, i have 3x 150w ceramics, 3 day and 3 night lights (only needs one plug) and my drill charger plugged into a power board without a problem

 

[Snakelove]

I'm no electrician, But i would say that would be fine, i have 3x 150w ceramics, 3 day and 3 night lights (only needs one plug) and my drill charger plugged into a power board without a problem

Ah alright. Thanks a lot! haha hopefully youre not wrong. lol

 

[Wally]

I'd suggest you actually employ the services of a qualified electrician to provide you with a qualified answer. If it didn't look just a bit dodgy you wouldn't have started a thread about it. I know of someone who lost an extensive reptile collection due to overuse of temporary power distribution.

 

[Snakelove]

I'd suggest you actually employ the services of a qualified electrician to provide you with a qualified answer. If it didn't look just a bit dodgy you wouldn't have started a thread about it. I know of someone who lost an extensive reptile collection due to overuse of temporary power distribution.

Oh I've actually started this thread hoping that a qualified electrician would give their opinion coz I know that there is some on this site. I haven't actually gone through with this, that's why I wanted to check first before I kill my animals or even worse burn the house down. lol

 

[kizzap]

Just a little bit of information for you all about power boards, etc. The only real important factor that you really have to worry about is that you do not overload the powerboard or cable.

Most powerpoints are only rated to 10A (which is generally quite a lot). some do go to 15A, but they are few and far between, and if you are using one, you probably have already talked to a sparky anyways...but back to the issue at hand:

Most equipment that you will plug into a powerboard will draw a significant amount less then 10A, for example: a 60 watt lightbulb draws 60 watts. 60 watts is basically equal to 240 volt (mains) x amperage. Therefore the amperage = 60w / 240V which is roughly 0.3A. So significantly less then 10A. I don't have any specs on a thermostat on me, but I cannot see that it would be drawing any more then 2A which would also power the heating device plugged into it.

So assuming a light, the thermostat, and the heating element combined, I dont see how it would be possible to draw more then 2.5A for a regular enclosure. The bigger issue you would need to be concerned with with power is the heat factor, as long as all the electrical components have proper ventilation, there should be no issue.

Edit: Just as a side thought, I am not too sure on how much power a heating element would draw, as It would be rated on the wattage of HEAT output, not the power drawn in. Either way, I seriously would not recommend trying to run 4 thermostats with heaters off one powerboard...that might start causing issues. I'd only recommend two thermostats and two lights at maximum.

Going back to the Socket rating, the 10A limit is basically the reason why you are not supposed to chain powerboard onto powerboards. Same as why you are not supposed to power things such as kettles, or PCs off a powerboard - so they dont overload the socket.

Just a sidenote for those with any electrical knowledge. I do realise there is a difference between apparant, active and reactive power, but for the scope here, i dont think there is too much of an issue.

Edit: I just feel I should say, I'm not an electrician, however I have studied electrical technology classes at uni, and I hope I have remembered everything correctly.

 

[Wally]

And I hope a sparky replies. Don't mean to put the wind up you just providing an alternate response based on my own experiences.

Cheers

 

[Snakelove]

Just a little bit of information for you all about power boards, etc. The only real important factor that you really have to worry about is that you do not overload the powerboard or cable.

Most powerpoints are only rated to 10A (which is generally quite a lot). some do go to 15A, but they are few and far between, and if you are using one, you probably have already talked to a sparky anyways...but back to the issue at hand:

Most equipment that you will plug into a powerboard will draw a significant amount less then 10A, for example: a 60 watt lightbulb draws 60 watts. 60 watts is basically equal to 240 volt (mains) x amperage. Therefore the amperage = 60w / 240V which is roughly 0.3A. So significantly less then 10A. I don't have any specs on a thermostat on me, but I cannot see that it would be drawing any more then 2A which would also power the heating device plugged into it.

So assuming a light, the thermostat, and the heating element combined, I dont see how it would be possible to draw more then 2.5A for a regular enclosure. The bigger issue you would need to be concerned with with power is the heat factor, as long as all the electrical components have proper ventilation, there should be no issue.

Going back to the Socket rating, the 10A limit is basically the reason why you are not supposed to chain powerboard onto powerboards. Same as why you are not supposed to power things such as kettles, or PCs off a powerboard - so they dont overload the socket.

Just a sidenote for those with any electrical knowledge. I do realise there is a difference between apparant, active and reactive power, but for the scope here, i dont think there is too much of an issue.

Yeah I understand what you're saying. So you're basically saying that it's okay to do it BUT it's not recommended? because you said you're not meant to chain powerboard onto powerboards but then at the end you said it's not much of an issue? Sorry if I didn't get what you said it's late! haha. could you maybe clear that up a bit for me please? thanks mate.

 

[Snakelove]

And I hope a sparky replies. Don't mean to put the wind up you just providing an alternate response based on my own experiences.

Cheers

lol no worries mate. Just wanted to check first of all before I do anything else.

 

[kizzap]

I would say it is ok to power possibly two thermostats off one board plugged into one wall socket, but for the sake of safety, not more then that.

(that is, the other two points could be used for something low power drawing, such as a light fitting, or a charger)

 

[Wally]

The piggy backing of powerboards is what concerned me in your case.

 

[Toastie]

Personal opinion its complete stupidity to run more than one powerboard off another. hmm from knowledge from school and abit from my dad hes a chippy but has electrical experience. hmm formula i remember is watts = Volts x amps. Normal house runs 10 amp breakers usually at 240 volts which mean 10 x 240 = 2400 watts per curcuit breaker (fuse)! BUT! there could possibly be more than one powerpoint running from any one curcuit breaker. Cheap overloaded powerboards have an extreme chance of overheating and easily catching fire, if any of your cables from your heat cords or powerboards or thermostats or what ever else you have plugged in there has a warming feel to it is most likely overloading and will sooner or later trip your curcuit. My two cents it can get more technical but this is the little that i know. But personaly your a fool to plug continuous powerboards into each other even running extention cords dims the amount of power that actually reaches the powerboard.

 

[Snowman]

I'm a sparky....
The risk I see isn't overloading. That's what your circuit breakers or fuse is for.
A lot if fires start because of bad connections. Plugs not in properly or loose. I'd never connect a power board to another power board. I would connect a power board to an extension lead no worries though. Really you just need to bite the bullet and get another outlet installed. It's the safest thing to do. Power boards often sit flat and get dusty. Dust can be conductive at times and result in fires also.
Thermostat will work with lots of connections. Not sure what that was about lol.

 

[Chris1]

ahh, so the extension cord them power board is fine,....thanks for that Snowman!

sorry to butt in on ur thread Snakelove,...but its sort of on the same topic,..

do safety switches (the ones on the box thingy that turn the whole house off) guarantee that there wont be a fire regardless of what u plug into where?

if so, theyre not that pricey (well, in comparison to a fire) and it might be an idea to get somethign like that installed,...

 

[Snakelove]

I'm a sparky....
The risk I see isn't overloading. That's what your circuit breakers or fuse is for.
A lot if fires start because of bad connections. Plugs not in properly or loose. I'd never connect a power board to another power board. I would connect a power board to an extension lead no worries though. Really you just need to bite the bullet and get another outlet installed. It's the safest thing to do. Power boards often sit flat and get dusty. Dust can be conductive at times and result in fires also.
Thermostat will work with lots of connections. Not sure what that was about lol.

Ah okay! yeah that might work too. I'll definitely won't stick a powerboard onto another powerboard. the reason why I'm doing that is because of my heat cord. Coz I don't wanna put my heat cord through the thermostat. I just want the 2x 100 watt ceramic emitters connected with the thermostat. If that made sense.

ahh, so the extension cord them power board is fine,....thanks for that Snowman!

sorry to butt in on ur thread Snakelove,...but its sort of on the same topic,..

do safety switches (the ones on the box thingy that turn the whole house off) guarantee that there wont be a fire regardless of what u plug into where?

if so, theyre not that pricey (well, in comparison to a fire) and it might be an idea to get somethign like that installed,...

Oh no worries Chris, I'm interested to know as well!

 

[Snowman]

Just to cover myself Chris.. I said I that Iwould connect a power board into an extension cord, and I do. It's not an illegal practice, but there are risks with that set up still as with all plug in appliances. It's up to you what you do though
Safety switches DO NOT stop fires. They wont even stop you from getting electrocuted between active and neutral. All they do is trip with 30mA of leackage to earth. So in theory if you and active touches the a metal earthed frame of a flouro light fitting it will trip the breaker.
It's been my experience that fires result from bad connections, faulty equipment and incorrect wirring practices. Having 10 things plugged into a power board is going to create a bad connection eventually in my opinion. A cord will be moved or dust will get in or a faulty applience will create a hot spot etc...
I briefly read some crap about overloading the circuit.... I think common sense needs to prevail with what you are plugging in. Mathmatically you could run 2400w off a 10A outlet...who would though? that's just stupid. You also need to keep in mind that your breaker is probably 16A and that there are other outlets running off that same circuit.
Check your boards regularly and make sure everything is plugged in tight and secure and dust free. Keep your boards away from any moisture etc too. I saw a mates fishtank become live through his powerboard once. I could stick an active in the tank and a neutral in the socket and light up a 100W globe.... The way he had ist set up was very disturbing to say the least.... He found out it was live when he touched the light fitting and the water at the same time... :8