DIY Wiring / Lighting Question

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StudentoftheReptile

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Question for the electrician / DIY gurus; aka anyone who has constructed their own caging for large herps...

I am in the process of building a closed top for this tank:
KobeNewSetUp_2.jpg


The goal is to better retain heat and humidity within. So I went out and purchased one of those porcelain lamp sockets, which I intend to fixate somewhere on the lid of this new top ( http://www.garvinindustries.com/Images/PF-50.jpg ).

When I bought it at Home Depot, I found someone and explained to them what I was doing what I needed. I essentially need the necessary wiring for this socket, and it needs to be able to withstand a 250 watt incandescent bulb (even though it is very unlikely I will need to use a bulb that large...just want to have it in case). I know very little about doing electrical work of any kind, having only done a few fix-its on our dryer and replaced a couple light switches. I told the guy that I just want "something simple" that I can easily plug the lighting into a nearby wall outlet in the event I have to relocate the entire enclosure. He told me that for my purposes, I could just take an old extension cord that wasn't in use, strip it, and simply use the wiring for that.

Question: was that sound advice?

I mean, I'm all for being economical, and my reasoning is that the Home Depot employee could have easily persuaded me to purchase the "correct" wiring and spend money at the store, so why would he suggest a cheaper, home fix-it solution? (BTW, this was an older gentleman who generally seemed to know what he was talking about...not some young new guy or anything). My wife was skeptical of the advice, because obviously, she doesn't want the house to blow up. So here I am, asking for second opinions.

Do you think I'm good just using any one of the several unused extension cords I have lying around? Or should I seek out something else?
 

EricIvins

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Hell no that wasn't sound advice!

The real advice here would be to find an Electrician, explain what you want, and go from there........The Internet or Home Depot is not the place to figure this stuff out........As an Electrician in a previous life, I've seen way too many houses burn down over stupid arm chair Electricians........Get it done right, the first time.......Playing a Plumber or HVAC guy is fun and all, but if you scew up all you have is a mess to clean..........Mess with Electricity and you risk losing everything you own..........

I've seen it first hand........
 

Len B

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I use cut extension cords, and I think the older gentleman was trying to save you some money, most cords are rated 600 watts just make sure the one you use will carry at least the 250 watts you may use.
 

slowpoke

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im with len , i use extension cords also for both of mine , i even used a 6.7v cord for a computer fan that im running in the same setup for air circulation lol
 

StudentoftheReptile

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EricIvins said:
Hell no that wasn't sound advice!

The real advice here would be to find an Electrician, explain what you want, and go from there........The Internet or Home Depot is not the place to figure this stuff out........As an Electrician in a previous life, I've seen way too many houses burn down over stupid arm chair Electricians........Get it done right, the first time.......Playing a Plumber or HVAC guy is fun and all, but if you scew up all you have is a mess to clean..........Mess with Electricity and you risk losing everything you own..........

I've seen it first hand........

Thanks for your response, but honestly, I'm not going to call a license electrician every time I need to replace a light switch. Again, I admit my knowledge of these things is limited, but what I'm inquiring about doesn't sound much more complicated. I'm re-wiring anything major in the house itself.

Be that as it may, I did email an electrician friend of mine and am awaiting his advice.
 

slowpoke

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oh let me add also when using those porcelain lamp sockets make sure you use something to gap it from the top of your enclosure it will keep it from getting really hot or burning any thing up :)
 

StudentoftheReptile

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Len said:
I use cut extension cords, and I think the older gentleman was trying to save you some money, most cords are rated 600 watts just make sure the one you use will carry at least the 250 watts you may use.

Yeah, I can only assume that is why he suggested that. [shrugs]

He said that about the wattage on the cord as well, and he went and got a second opinion from another employee there (again, another older guy who seemed knowledgeable).
 

Neal

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Home Depot sells wiring by the foot, it's generally quite inexpensive from what I remember. It's been a few years. Extension cords are always handy, it might cost more money if you end up needing an extension cord after you've cut one up and now have to buy a new one.

I'm all for doing things yourself as well, but it's smart to be overly cautious. At the very least, a second opinion from a professional (no disrespect to Home Depot employees) is what I would recommend. Having just helped a friend clean out their house after an electrical fire, a little bit of extra $ for an opinion or even to have the work done for you can go a long way in the future.
 

StudentoftheReptile

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Yeah, I haven't taken my tools out to start building the actual top itself yet. I was just at HD the other day and had a giftcard to use, so went ahead and got the socket since I knew I would be using it.

I certainly don't want my house burning down either, so that's why I'm asking for all opinions. Its not like I'm about to go home tonight and start ripping up the first extension cord I find.
 

jaizei

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You are planning on using a box for the keyless, right?
 

jaizei

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Good deal. Rather than an extension cord, an appliance cord would be better. $10 and it will probably be more durable than the extension cord.
 

nickercrombie

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I would second the advice of the appliance replacement cord. The beauty in those is that you don't need to crimp on any extra connectors, just unscrew the proper terminal screw and connect it. You already have the plug at one end so you're good there, just be sure bare wires aren't touching anything, to be safe I'd wrap connections in electrical tape as well.
 

Madkins007

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While an old extension cord would work fine, the appliance cord (plug on one end, bare wires on the other, heavy wire and insulation in-between) would indeed work better.
 

lynnedit

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And in our area, ACE hardware sells heavy duty extension cords with one end the male plug, the other stripped and ready to connect.
 

Len B

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Most appliance cords have 3 prongs and 3 wires probably 16 ga, to light a light bulb you only need 2 wires, the extension cords I get at wal mart are 16 ga polarized 2 wire cords rated 1625 watts,I cut off the female end, strip the insulation about 1/2 inch, then hook the neutral wire( which is the wide blade on the plug and is marked with ribs running the length of the cord) to the silver colored screw, and the hot wire(narrow blade-smooth wire) to the brass colored screw, this way when the light is off the socket is not hot.
 

EricIvins

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StudentoftheReptile said:
EricIvins said:
Hell no that wasn't sound advice!

The real advice here would be to find an Electrician, explain what you want, and go from there........The Internet or Home Depot is not the place to figure this stuff out........As an Electrician in a previous life, I've seen way too many houses burn down over stupid arm chair Electricians........Get it done right, the first time.......Playing a Plumber or HVAC guy is fun and all, but if you scew up all you have is a mess to clean..........Mess with Electricity and you risk losing everything you own..........

I've seen it first hand........

Thanks for your response, but honestly, I'm not going to call a license electrician every time I need to replace a light switch. Again, I admit my knowledge of these things is limited, but what I'm inquiring about doesn't sound much more complicated. I'm re-wiring anything major in the house itself.

Be that as it may, I did email an electrician friend of mine and am awaiting his advice.

Okay.......Here's the problem - You admit your knowledge is limited, and yes, this IS complicated for anyone that doesn't know what they're doing..........

There is no such thing as re-wiring anything "major", as anything Electrical is "major"........It doesn't matter whether it's a receptacle, panel change, or 3-Phase at 480 volts........It can all start a fire if not done properly........

I can say for sure all this talk about extension cords is not doing it "properly".........
 

StudentoftheReptile

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EricIvins said:
StudentoftheReptile said:
...I'm re-wiring anything major in the house itself.

Be that as it may, I did email an electrician friend of mine and am awaiting his advice.

Okay.......Here's the problem - You admit your knowledge is limited, and yes, this IS complicated for anyone that doesn't know what they're doing..........

There is no such thing as re-wiring anything "major", as anything Electrical is "major"........It doesn't matter whether it's a receptacle, panel change, or 3-Phase at 480 volts........It can all start a fire if not done properly........

I can say for sure all this talk about extension cords is not doing it "properly".........

I apologize for the typo...my earlier comment meant to say "I'm NOT re-wiring anything major in the house itself."
 

EricIvins

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nickercrombie said:
Just curious, but how would an electrician do this "properly"?

That would be up to the Electrician who's looking at the situation in person, who can discuss what would work and what will not work for the problem at hand..........

I don't know of too many Licensed Electrician keyboard warriors, and if they do give advice over the great interwebs, they better have a incredible liability Insurance carrier........
 
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