Electrical help - Outlets - Heater

[Alexander1312]

Lots of things have been happening recently which make my 3-week departure to Europe next weekend not really easier. The silver lining is that at least these happened while I am still at home.

While some of the issues in the past few days alone were easier to fix, the one related to my electrical outlet is more worrying.

My main tank is next to a dual outlet, which a fellow reefer installed for me and for which I am eternally grateful, since the tank would have otherwise had no outlets at its desired location.

In the past couple of days, both outlets have randomly turned off power entirely in the evening/at night, without tripping the fuse.

Unplugging and plugging the devices back into the outlets leads to at least a day without any issues until it happens again.

I have now temporarily moved both multi-plugs (Hydros XP8s) to two different outlets in the house, but this has led to some massive cables across different rooms.

My own assessment is that the heater I am running is pushing the power requirement over the edge. It is a Helio heater with 2 x 350-watt heater elements. They both turn on together, and one stops heating after it gets closer to the target temperature.

The Hydros power consumption shows 1,000 watts when both elements are on, surprisingly.

Any thoughts or recommendation on what I should be doing, who I should be reaching out to, or what I should not be doing.

My immediate fix idea is to remove one 350 watts heating element and run the tank with only one, as I learned that many run theirs with only this amount of wattage for similar sizes.

However, I wonder if I should be concerned about the outlet itself and not use it anymore (which would be problematic).

P.S.: Please note that the heaters have been running in this setup for months without issues with the outlet.

 

[CaseyP]

How many total watts are you pushing? Is 1,000w just for the heaters? That plus lights and other equipment might not be safe. If I recall, it was a 15amp breaker so I used 14ga wire. For continuous use, 1,400w is the safe limit.

In any case, the outlet itself could be a problem from internal wear or if a wire somehow got loose over time and would definitely consider changing it out. If you're over the power draw limit, then it might be time to consider adding another line from the breaker or reducing the heater wattage.

 

[Alexander1312]

Thank you. Yes, this is just the heater.

The strange thing though is that it does not happen during the day when the lights are on, but only at night when they are off.

But based on my math, heater 1000 watts (based on controller data), 190 running consumption (based on controller data), and 70% of 2 x140 watts ATLAS light, and the two Helix light bars, the 1400w could be exceeded with lights on.

 

[PizzaOven]

Unplugging and plugging the devices back into the outlets leads to at least a day without any issues until it happens again.

I'm confused on this part, how does unplugging and plugging back in fix it? Is there a GFCI or reset on the outlet? If GFCI is tripping, the problem is a ground fault, not over-current.

Is your configuration like this:
Breaker -> Outlet (GFCI?) -> Hydros XP8

 

[Thọ Key]

Could be HYDRO XP8 defectives

 

[Alexander1312]

Could be HYDRO XP8 defectives

Clearly, I am no electrician, but someone said that the voltage is below 120V which will drive up the watts shown on the controller.

 

[Alexander1312]

I'm confused on this part, how does unplugging and plugging back in fix it? Is there a GFCI or reset on the outlet? If GFCI is tripping, the problem is a ground fault, not over-current.

Is your configuration like this:
Breaker -> Outlet (GFCI?) -> Hydros XP8

I have no idea, sadly. But the outlet stopped working now entirely....

So, if anyone can recommend an electrician, please let me know.

 

[FinalPhaze987]

Thread 'Electric work' https://bareefers.org/forum/threads/electric-work.37631/

I would recommend letting him know how much wattage you intend to load it with. You may need a 20A, as thats alot of watts pulled with just your heater alone.

 

[Alexander1312]

Thread 'Electric work' https://bareefers.org/forum/threads/electric-work.37631/

I would recommend letting him know how much wattage you intend to load it with. You may need a 20A, as thats alot of watts pulled with just your heater alone.

Thank you! I just sent me him a message.

 

[FinalPhaze987]

Tell him Patrick from Hayward sent you. I told him all about us and he throws in a discount for any work we get done.

Hope it gets fixed soon man. LMK if you need anything. I got a crap load of extension cords to tie you over if you need.

 

[Alexander1312]

Tell him Patrick from Hayward sent you. I told him all about us and he throws in a discount for any work we get done.

Hope it gets fixed soon man. LMK if you need anything. I got a crap load of extension cords to tie you over if you need.

I did, Patrick, thanks so much!

 

[KWOO008]

In the past couple of days, both outlets have randomly turned off power entirely in the evening/at night, without tripping the fuse.

Unplugging and plugging the devices back into the outlets leads to at least a day without any issues until it happens again.

I will preface by saying I am not an electrician and please take my assessment with a grain of salt. If your non-GFCI outlets are losing power but not tripping the circuit breaker (fuse), I would suspect a loose wiring connection. Unplugging and plugging devices back in might be enough for the loose wires to reestablish contact allowing power to your devices.

 

[PizzaOven]

I will preface by saying I am not an electrician and please take my assessment with a grain of salt. If your non-GFCI outlets are losing power but not tripping the circuit breaker (fuse), I would suspect a loose wiring connection. Unplugging and plugging back devices back in might be enough for the loose wires to reestablish contact allowing power to your devices.

That would make sense…

@Alexander1312 - if you’re comfortable with it, I would try turning off the breaker to the outlet, open up the outlet box, and look for a loose connection.

When breakers trip or fuses blow, they don’t come back on which makes me think it’s not overloaded.

 

[Alexander1312]

Unfortunately, the electrician picked up the phone once last week, referred to this week for a follow up, and is not responsive since.

Unfortunate, as we are leaving on Saturday, but proofs the point that these trades are in high demand.

 

[KWOO008]

Unfortunately, the electrician picked up the phone once last week, referred to this week for a follow up, and is not responsive since.

Unfortunate, as we are leaving on Saturday, but proofs the point that these trades are in high demand.

Going to trade school instead of a 4-year university (or in addition to) may make more sense in the near future. I'm sure AI will be able to diagnose electrical problems but I'm not sure if I'm ready for a robot to come over and fix faulty wiring in my 75 year old house or tune a carburetor in a vintage muscle car. I'm all for tech advancements though!

 

[Alexander1312]

Going to trade school instead of a 4-year university (or in addition to) may make more sense in the near future. I'm sure AI will be able to diagnose electrical problems but I'm not sure if I'm ready for a robot to come over and fix faulty wiring in my 75 year old house or tune a carburetor in a vintage muscle car. I'm all for tech advancements though!

I fully agree. I did recommend this to my son, who wants to study mechanical engineering next year.

 

[PjFish]

Had two regular outlets doing the same thing which one got toasted from an arc flash flame and died. The plastic outlet had black flame marks which loose wires were the culprit plus nothing was plugged into the outlet at the time.. . Not saying thats your issue but definitely turn off the breaker to that outlet to eliminate any fire danger even if nothings plugged into it. Leave off till you get an electrician or someone to resolve the issue. Maybe look into the duel GFCI/ AFCI outlets that also detect arc flashes.
Plenty of 24hr electrical contractors around here if you needed this done asap!
Have a great time on your vacation!!

 

[PizzaOven]

I fully agree. I did recommend this to my son, who wants to study mechanical engineering next year.

I think mechanical engineers are in high demand now because of money flowing into robotics ("physical AI"). I think it's a solid choice and not easily replaced with AI (currently). The irony is, working on physical AI aims to replace these people

Meanwhile, we have a ton of new CS grads (who specialize in AI) sold on the promise of opportunity 4 years ago. It's tough for these new grads, because they are competing with a large pool of peers AND highly experienced engineers recently laid off by the tech giants. Combine this with AI reducing the need for junior developers, and you have a perfect storm. Definitely an "employers" market for these kinds of roles. As an AI engineer, I have firsthand experience in this phenomenon.

Not to say there is anything wrong the trades, I think there is a ton of opportunity and money there as well. In the end, finding a career that motivates you is most important. What were we talking about before this? electrical outlets? lol.