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[silent bob]

I'm pretty sure the
CL 1251/AWM 3173
is the correct wire for the ballast wiring. Confirmation would be appreciated..

My final and most important question is this: when I search up 5kv wire, the smallest size that I'm seeing is 4 AWG. The 5kv rated mogul socket where the bulb will screw into, has 14 AWG leads coming off of it. How am I supposed to use a 4 AWG 5kv wire between the ignitor and the lamp, if the 5kv rated lamp socket only takes up to 14 AWG?? Is there something I'm missing here?

 

[Paul B]

#4 wire is a little less than the thickness of a pencil. Way oversized for what you need.
I guess you mean #14

Typical 12AWG wire is 600V rated. Don't use it if the manufacturer recommends 5KV double insulated. 12AWG insulation will break down just like they say

Correct, if the thing calls for 5 kv wire and you use something for normal wiring you will have sparks jumping all over the place. Almost all wiring that you will find in Home Depot or even an electrical supplier will be listed by first the wire thickness like #12. It will be called AWG 12 as that just means American Wire Gauge, but that doesn't specify what type of insulation the wire is. After the AWG it will say something like THW, THN, THWN or THHN. There are numerous types of insulation and they are for either sunlight exposure, abrasion resistance, moisture resistance etc. Those are all only for no higher than 600 volts and will say that. What you need is k kili volt insulation which is somewhat like the insulation on the spark plug wires on your car (but they are rated well over 40,000 volts. ) You just need 5,000 volt insulation and you can get it online.
The wire size is determined by the current and the manufacturer of whatever you are trying to run will tell you that. Stranded, fine stranded and solid wires are the same as far as current carrying capacity. I would use stranded in some cases on the job as it is easier to pull through conduit but harder to connect to a terminal. Fine stranded is used in extension cords because you can keep bending it and it won't break. If you used solid wire in an application that moved or was subject to vibration like a large motor, it could eventually break so we always use stranded wire for that. Fine stranded wire costs more and there is no reason to use it unless you need it to bend a lot. Tinned wire is not needed as we normally use that in damp locations like a boat. (Or a fish tank) It resists corrosion better as copper turns green. For the 3' you need it doesn't matter what it costs.
For your application I would go with solid as you won't be moving it.

 

[silent bob]

#4 wire is a little less than the thickness of a pencil. Way oversized for what you need.
I guess you mean #14

Thanks for your reply. I understand completely what you're saying, but #4 wasn't a typo. I've been searching all over and I can't find such a thing as a 14 gauge wire rated for 5kv.

For example, I searched southwire.com for 5kv (or 5,000v). I looked through all of the results and none are smaller than 4 gauge. I'm seeing the same thing at the platt website. I searched all over google and alls I'm finding is 6 AWG, 4 AWG, 2 AWG, 1 AWG, 0 AWG, and larger.

Edit: I did just find some 18 and 22 AWG cable rated for 5kv at Mouser, but I'm reading that 18AWG is only good for up to 2.3 amps if used for power transmission. Thus I don't think 18AWG would work for this application (this ballast draws over 4).

Can somebody post up a link to a 5000v rated wire, preferably solid copper (single-conductor), that is 14 gauge? Does this wire even exist?! Thanks again for your help.

 

[silent bob]

Holy **** I think I found something.

It's not quite 5kv, but pretty darn close. Solid conductor. 14 AWG.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...=sGAEpiMZZMtW9UaYX5J1tI6wojgoAABgxWM3hBqqKp8=

Can someone confirm this is what I should use? Thank you thank you

 

[Paul B]

I think that would work. Those kv ratings are way over the rating they are specified for for safety.

 

[michaelrc51]

Go on McMaster Carr they have all kinds of guages in high voltage

 

[silent bob]

thanks michael. that site definitely has what i'm looking for. 14 gauge hook-up wire rated for 15kv. only $30 for 10 feet.

much appreciated.

 

[michaelrc51]

Anytime!

I love that place and they have so much stuff that is hard to find. Fasteners in any material, size, length, head....

 

[silent bob]

i'm now trying to get the proper mogul [e39/e40] socket for this application (1000w, 240v, Radium 20k metal halide). do you guys recommend porcelain or high temperature thermoplastic? help me pick from the link below (pages 2 through 4). thanks

http://unvlt.com/pdf/literature/flyers/Vossloh-LampHolders_Small Version.pdf

 

[silent bob]

Nevermind, I've got a porcelain one laying around that's good for 6kv/2000w. Thanks for your help everyone. Sorry to have blown up this thread with so many questions. Wish me luck

 

[Saltine]

Just discovered I have over 50v of stray voltage in my tank. Is a grounding probe a bandaid? Or is that the solution? Skimmer appears to be leaching 30v, I'm assuming the other 20 is my return pump and or heater.

Thanks!
Salt

 

[glb]

I'm setting up a 40g build and looked at my breaker box for the outlets the tank will be using. The breaker says 15. There's very little else that runs on it. We have a tv that's not used often and a nano tank in the same room. Other than that, there's only lights and a paddle fan. I'll be running a skimmer, reactor, ato and return pump for now. Soon I'll be adding t5 lights and an apex. Can my breaker handle this?

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

Hard saying that all the outlets and lights are on that same breakers. The easy way is to shut one off then test lights/outlets, then go to the next one, etc.

Really though the only way to know if to add up all your loads.

 

[glb]

Hard saying that all the outlets and lights are on that same breakers. The easy way is to shut one off then test lights/outlets, then go to the next one, etc.

Really though the only way to know if to add up all your loads.

Ok. It's possible that there are different breakers for the room. I'll take a closer look. An electrician can tell me if i need/can get a bigger breaker, right? This breaker has never tripped so I'm cautiously optimistic. But I'm also not talking any chances!

 

[Paul B]

The 15 amp breaker should be fine. My 100 gallon reef has been running on one 20 amp breaker for 40 years along with my finished basement, workshop, bedrooms and back yard.
A 40 gallon tank uses maybe 3 amps if the heater is on. Less if you keep electric eels.

 

[glb]

The 15 amp breaker should be fine. My 100 gallon reef has been running on one 20 amp breaker for 40 years along with my finished basement, workshop, bedrooms and back yard.
A 40 gallon tank uses maybe 3 amps if the heater is on. Less if you keep electric eels.

No eels, but good news otherwise!

 

[CFC_Surge]

How do you fellow electricians feel about ground probes in saltwater tanks/sumps?

 

[Paul B]

I always have a ground probe in my tank. Any sane electrician would. Although I may be an insane electrician

 

[tjnorthdakota]

so I have a ballast wiring question, I have a odyssea 24 watt t5ho light with two bad ballasts. I want to retrofit it with some better quality ones instead of wasting my money on two more odyssea that will last 6 months. these ballast have effectively burnt out 6 bulbs in that time also. it has a built in timer and the ballasts have the normal neutral, ground, hot on one side but have seven wires on the other instead of the normal six. can I rewire to use a six wire ballast? thanks

 

[Turbo's Aquatics]

What's the wiring diagram on the 6 wire ballast look like?