Reptile rack advise

[dragondragon]

Hi I was thinking of making a reptile rack with around 9 bays I haven't started yet as I need to get rid of my marine set up to make space my question is would I be able to put a power point for each bay could I do that and connect the power points to go into a cord which I would plug into power point in wall I hope I have said it right help would be appreciated thank you

 

[Mike11]

I am not an electrician, but from what I know...
Most standard power points are rated at 10amps or 2400W. If you have an individual socket for each bay you must not plug in an appliance drawing more than 260W each otherwise you will overload the PowerPoint and cable and probably burn something.

Again this is just from my limited knowledge so check with an actual electrician before you go ahead with anything.
Post some pics of the progress as you do it?

 

[dragondragon]

I need to finish my other projects first but I'm hoping to do it soon I think the heat mats I was looking at is like 7w so that's like 63w might be able to install a couple power points on top hmmm just on the drawing board for this one

 

[saximus]

Punctuation is your friend .
Any particular reason you want an individual power point for every bay? It sounds like you would end up with a spaghetti configuration of wiring and require an unsafe number of power boards to make it work. I would suggest speaking to an electrician so you can explain in person what you want and see if they think it is viable. Apart from being illegal, it would be dangerous to try to attempt something this complicated on your own.

 

[andynic07]

Is there a reason you are going to use multiple heat mats instead of a single or a couple of heat cords? What sort of snakes is the rack for and will it be for hatchlings or adult snakes? Saximus has also given you some really good advice.

 

[dragondragon]

Maybe cause I didn't use punctuation it seems hard. It doesn't seem that hard I've changed a power point before. I would make sure it's all plugged in while I'm doing it.

 

[dragondragon]

I was thinking more like geckos for this one and once I fill it up get the snakes.

 

[andynic07]

Maybe cause I didn't use punctuation it seems hard. It doesn't seem that hard I've changed a power point before. I would make sure it's all plugged in while I'm doing it.

It is illegal unless you are licensed and although the wiring itself may seem simple to you there are rules that need to be followed that you may not be aware of that do have an effect on long term safety.

 

[dragondragon]

I understand the rules I just didn't think it would hurt anyone if I did it myself if I was to do it safe.

 

[wokka]

I use power boards on the back of the rack.
For 9 shelves say 3 of 4 outlet boards spaced 3 shelves apart.
This gives flexability in how you cofigure the thermstats and heat scources. Some can be turned off when not in use or you can run all through the same thermostator timer or have them all seperate. At about $1 an outlet they are affordable and you dont need an electrician. Most also have overload protection.

 

[dragondragon]

It's only $1 for a four outlet power board?

 

[Snowman]

It is illegal unless you are licensed and although the wiring itself may seem simple to you there are rules that need to be followed that you may not be aware of that do have an effect on long term safety.

How many DIY's do we see with bad connections. With things like broken strands, untwisted and perhaps not folded over. While replacing a power point is simple, it's the little things that result in a bad connection creating a hotspot and burning down the house... If the outlet was installed correctly in the first place the terminal screws would have bit into the wire and you'd need to re-strip it to fit a newoutlet too...
Funny how people believe in getting a license to keep reptiles. But not in getting a licenes to do electrical work :shock:

 

[andynic07]

I understand the rules I just didn't think it would hurt anyone if I did it myself if I was to do it safe.

It is also against site rules to advise someone to break the law. I asked about what you are keeping in there because it may make a difference in the way to set it up. Maybe have a look through the rack building threads for some more ideas as well, I think there are quite a few on here.

 

[dragondragon]

Alright no worries ok so in theory if I got an electrician to do this for me it would be fine then. My brothers father In law might still have his ticket.

 

[andynic07]

I am not sure of the legalities of wiring in that manor and would have to check up in as3000 as I do not usually do house wiring but from a technical stand point it would work mate. Please heed the advice about not doing the wiring yourself.

 

[wokka]

It's only $1 for a four outlet power board?

My calculations are $1 per outlet x 4 outlets = $4 per board, but then again I went to school 50 years ago.

 

[champagne]

I understand the rules I just didn't think it would hurt anyone if I did it myself if I was to do it safe.

if anything happens and the house burns down insurance will not cover it and you will be liable for the damages ''save a few dollars wiring your own enclosures and spend hundreds of thousands rebuilding the house'' accidents happen don't risk it.

 

[nonamesleft]

if anything happens and the house burns down insurance will not cover it and you will be liable for the damages ''save a few dollars wiring your own enclosures and spend hundreds of thousands rebuilding the house'' accidents happen don't risk it.

The risk is not just financial, your own life and worse the life of others may be at risk.

 

[wokka]

Hi I was thinking of making a reptile rack with around 9 bays I haven't started yet as I need to get rid of my marine set up to make space my question is would I be able to put a power point for each bay could I do that and connect the power points to go into a cord which I would plug into power point in wall I hope I have said it right help would be appreciated thank you

This configuration sounds like an off the shelf power board. Perfectly legal and works fine. If you need you can plug power board into power board to increase the number of outlets but dont exceed the power rating of the boar or power circuit. I have a power board plugging into a powerboard ,plugging into a power board ......... all around the ceiling perimeter of my snake rooms. That gives three outlets every 1.2 meters so there is always a convenient power outlet. I only run 13 watt matts so even 100 matts isn't going to overload the circuit.

 

[Snowman]

This configuration sounds like an off the shelf power board. Perfectly legal and works fine. If you need you can plug power board into power board to increase the number of outlets but dont exceed the power rating of the boar or power circuit. I have a power board plugging into a powerboard ,plugging into a power board ......... all around the ceiling perimeter of my snake rooms. That gives three outlets every 1.2 meters so there is always a convenient power outlet. I only run 13 watt matts so even 100 matts isn't going to overload the circuit.

technically this is correct. However most work places around Australia have banned plugging power boards into power boards. And for good reason. The problem in this instance isn't overloading the circuit. But rather the combined effect of having so manny poor joints in the same circuit. The fire risk becomes far greater because of this. I strongly advise to NEVER plug a power board into another power board.
Do the other electricians agree with this?