Hi,
I searched MM and couldn’t find a thread purely based on electrical safety in the hobby so I thought it would be a good idea to start one so we can learn and utilise safe practice of heating our cold blooded friends without the worry of setting our homes on fire!
I’m no electrician but I do understand the basic principles of loads on a plug and socket, the vulnerabilities of extension leads and spltter sockets as well as the usage of RCD in the event of an overload.
I’m currently running 6 x 39W heat matts and 1 x 500W oil heater from 1 socket through a fire insured RCD surge proofed extension lead and 7 habistat classics (200W) giving me a total power output of 734 Watts…
All seems safe on the surface but if I’m not mistaken (and I might be, this is another reason to post this up) If I take into account the Voltage (24v in the UK) running on a standard single phase AC ring with a 32 A Breaker and assuming I have a resistance of 0.78 ohms then my total draw from that socket is 30.5 amps!
If i didn’t have the safety equipment my noodles and I would both be on the crispy side of well done.
If you guys have spotted something with my equation that is wrong or I have missed something please teach me or if you guys can put experiences, tech or any helpful info here then together we can try our best to make sure no warm or cold bloods get hurt whilst enjoying this fantastic hobby.
4 Likes
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think you meant 240v? Not 24v? If so, you would only be pulling 3 amps. In the US we run on 120v and it’s always been my understanding that Europe is on 240v. (For background: I build houses for a living)
2 Likes
I would personally run any oil filled radiators on their own outlet with some sort of additional thermostat/high temp fail safe in place. Just speaking out of experience, because I also lack electrical knowledge where I shouldn’t!
2 Likes
You are right, that is a typo 
Google tells me in 2003 the UK harmonised to 230v 50hz.
2 Likes
Thats what messed up my calculations lol. Thank you so much.
2 Likes
At 230v you’d still only be pulling 3.2 amps on that circuit as long as those are the only things plugged into that breaker. A 1100w microwave in the US only pulls 9.17 amps and is easily run on a 15 amp breaker. The same 1100 ways on a 230v leg would only pull less than 4.8 amps
3 Likes
Makes much more sense. Thanks again. I suppose all my safety equipment is overkill but peace of mind.
4 Likes
It’s always better to be over cautious when it comes to electricity 
4 Likes
I used to sell small power tools to UK customers. They are still a 240V 50Hz country. One thing to remember, circuit breakers are designed to “trip” at 80% of their rated amps. So, your 32 amp circuit breaker will likely be nuisance tripping if you are pulling more than 25 or 26 amps…
2 Likes
Now I have put 240w instead of 24w into the calculation I am no where near what I thought. Thanks dude
I love the mild panic. Just like “OH GOD NO”. 
LOL FFS!!! Sleep deprivation. Ty
Nothing wrong with safety being overkill! Glad to hear that you put alot of time and effort into your setups. Will definitely pay off now and in the future
2 Likes
