Power Cables into the wall?

[kinetic]

I will be running two Maxspect Gyres on the back wall of my peninsula tank. All glass walls are clear (no vinyl), so I want to make my power cords as clean as possible. I was thinking of doing something similar to how wall-mounted TV's work by having wires go into the wall, and back out towards the bottom.

Has anyone done this and have some suggestions?

Here are my thoughts (without experience)

1. Have the wall channel start right at the lip of the tank so power cables can go straight to the wall (no dipping)
2. I'll put two channels, one right behind where the pumps go (yeah, it's easy to change pump locations, so if I ever do that, it's gonna mess things up with the wall)
3. I need some super clean "plate" for the cables to go in. Any suggestions on that?
4. The channels are kind of hard to maintain. If I never need to take the cables out, I'll need to fish it back through everytime. I can't pull regular power extension cables through, since the maxspect gyres need to connect to the controller (unless I get that type of extension cord?).

I could also get those stick-on cable management things and paint it. In my experience they work fine, but lose adhesion (maybe I can just add screws), but still not as clean as being behind the wall.

The other thing is, I just need to get very good at fishing things through the channel?

Overall, this might be too much undertaking, but worth thinking about especially if someone has done this successfully.

 

[rygh]

Is there insulation in the wall? Makes it much more complex.
Put a big tube in the wall when you do it the first time. Plus leave a string in there all the time.
Makes fishing cables easy in the future.

 

[kinetic]

Is there insulation in the wall? Makes it much more complex.
Put a big tube in the wall when you do it the first time. Plus leave a string in there all the time.
Makes fishing cables easy in the future.

This will be a brand new build and a brand new wall, so I can make it anything. Maybe that's a big plus for this to work out. I'll have the builders add two big conduits (3" or more?) down the wall with some kind of string. Though with two nice smooth conduits, I bet it wouldn't be too bad. Also, the wall an interior wall, so I don't think there's insulation in interior walls?

The nice thing here too is that if I decide to switch to something like MP40's, I could probably rig something discreet to catch the pumps from slamming into the ground.

 

[rygh]

The nice thing here too is that if I decide to switch to something like MP40's, I could probably rig something discreet to catch the pumps from slamming into the ground.

A tip is a small hook on the top of the tank, holding the power cord straight up with slight tension.
Not only does it keep pump from dropping, the tension keeps it from moving slowly over time out of alignment.
And running the cord straight up, then straight back along the rim looks pretty clean.

Just don't do like me later ... when I did a built in, I made the tank fit almost exactly. No room for pumps. Oops.

 

[kinetic]

A tip is a small hook on the top of the tank, holding the power cord straight up with slight tension.
Not only does it keep pump from dropping, the tension keeps it from moving slowly over time out of alignment.
And running the cord straight up, then straight back along the rim looks pretty clean.

Just don't do like me later ... when I did a built in, I made the tank fit almost exactly. No room for pumps. Oops.

Interesting with the hook. Do you have any photos of such hook?

Also, yes, I think I'm going to have 5" to 8" gap between the tank and the wall, just so it's easier to access cables on occasion.

 

[rygh]

Interesting with the hook. Do you have any photos of such hook?

Also, yes, I think I'm going to have 5" to 8" gap between the tank and the wall, just so it's easier to access cables on occasion.

No, my old tank is long gone.
I just bent a little piece of stainless steel, then zip tied the cord to that.
For the rest of the wire, I just used those little square stick on zip tie pads. https://smile.amazon.com/Adhesive-M...MuMDEifQ==&sprefix=zip+tie+pad,aps,160&sr=8-4

 

[rygh]

I really miss those MP powerheads. To the point where I have considered making a hole in the wall at the sides of the tank.

 

[popper]

Think about situations if you have to replace the powerhead.

 

[H2OPlayar]

Yes, I have an electronics cabinet on the backside of my tank as well as 8 outlets under my sump. I should have put the outlets higher so they are above the sump, but they are at standard height that match the rest of the house. Lot's of pics in my tank journal.

 

[richiev]

I will be running two Maxspect Gyres on the back wall of my peninsula tank. All glass walls are clear (no vinyl), so I want to make my power cords as clean as possible. I was thinking of doing something similar to how wall-mounted TV's work by having wires go into the wall, and back out towards the bottom.

Has anyone done this and have some suggestions?

Here are my thoughts (without experience)

1. Have the wall channel start right at the lip of the tank so power cables can go straight to the wall (no dipping)
2. I'll put two channels, one right behind where the pumps go (yeah, it's easy to change pump locations, so if I ever do that, it's gonna mess things up with the wall)
3. I need some super clean "plate" for the cables to go in. Any suggestions on that?
4. The channels are kind of hard to maintain. If I never need to take the cables out, I'll need to fish it back through everytime. I can't pull regular power extension cables through, since the maxspect gyres need to connect to the controller (unless I get that type of extension cord?).

I could also get those stick-on cable management things and paint it. In my experience they work fine, but lose adhesion (maybe I can just add screws), but still not as clean as being behind the wall.

The other thing is, I just need to get very good at fishing things through the channel?

Overall, this might be too much undertaking, but worth thinking about especially if someone has done this successfully.

It's my understanding 120V AC cords aren't to code to run inside walls. Low voltage DC is fine though. I am not an electrician, but I looked into this for different reasons awhile back.

One can argue that's overkill, and it's not like you're going to get inspected, but codes are written in the char of burnt down houses, so I generally try and assume the people coming up with them are smarter about it than I.

The TV wall mounts are different in that they're rated cords with an outlet at the TV level.

If I were you I'd just put an on wall cable channel in, or run the cables along the top of the tank and down behind the overflow, or install a black cover on the back of the tank .

 

[kinetic]

It's my understanding 120V AC cords aren't to code to run inside walls. Low voltage DC is fine though. I am not an electrician, but I looked into this for different reasons awhile back.

One can argue that's overkill, and it's not like you're going to get inspected, but codes are written in the char of burnt down houses, so I generally try and assume the people coming up with them are smarter about it than I.

The TV wall mounts are different in that they're rated cords with an outlet at the TV level.

If I were you I'd just put an on wall cable channel in, or run the cables along the top of the tank and down behind the overflow, or install a black cover on the back of the tank .

That’s good info! Thank you. Also, great suggestions for me to think about too.

 

[kinetic]

Think about situations if you have to replace the powerhead.

Yes, that’s exactly what I’m thinking about with this.

 

[CaseyP]

Yes, that’s exactly what I’m thinking about with this.

With gyres you'll be taking them out every couple weeks to clean. I hate disconnecting them at the controller under the stand then pulling out all the wires for my pumps whenever I have to clean mine.

For a future build I was thinking of creating an easily accessible connector plate, something that looks like this. These will always remain connected to the controller and the pumps would connect here. The drawback is I'll possibly have to cut and rewire the fittings. You can get extra fancy by making the wires exactly the length needed from the pump to the connector plate so there's no wire mess.