Finbert Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 So on Kijiji looking under I forget what, I found a used building material resale store offering 48", 4bulb T8 light fixtures for $30. Which is all very nice, but I don't need a fixture put in my ceiling (plus the landlord would flip!), I need something plugged into the wall that I can set on top of the aquarium. Would it be worth my while to buy one and try to convert it into a plug-in unit, and if so, how would I go about it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parachromis1 Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 those things are dangerous. i actually had one start to melt and smoke... which wudda caught on fire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Depending on the style of fixture you should be able to wire a cord with a male end into the fixture and plug it in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkangel Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I have one of those units in my garage and has worked very well without any problems for years now. All I did was wire it inside the housing and used 3 wire heavy duty outdoor extension cord, runs about $2.00 a foot available at any local hardware store. If you are still leary about it you can pick up a little green book called electrical code simplified, $14.00 to $16.00 depending on where you buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I just did this myself. My old lights blew, and I didn't have the money for new aquarium lights, so off to the hardware store I went. Cost about $40 total. It's not too difficult to wire. Like Darkangel said, pick up some extension cord from the hardware store, and a plug. The wires inside are colour coded. You connect the white wire to the other white wire in the fixture, and do the same for the black. Then, you ground your green wire to the fixture. You connect the plug end the same way, the ground is the bottom prong, and the screw for the black wire is usually painted. You'll need a wire stripping tool, ask around, maybe someone you know can loan you one..... or better yet, show off their electrical knowledge and do it for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbert Posted March 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 I just did this myself. My old lights blew, and I didn't have the money for new aquarium lights, so off to the hardware store I went. Cost about $40 total. It's not too difficult to wire. Like Darkangel said, pick up some extension cord from the hardware store, and a plug. The wires inside are colour coded. You connect the white wire to the other white wire in the fixture, and do the same for the black. Then, you ground your green wire to the fixture. You connect the plug end the same way, the ground is the bottom prong, and the screw for the black wire is usually painted. You'll need a wire stripping tool, ask around, maybe someone you know can loan you one..... or better yet, show off their electrical knowledge and do it for you! I was hoping it would be about that easy! But I'm going to think about Quinn's warning too before I go ahead and try it. Especially since these are second-hand and who knows what has happened to them in their life, and other than looking for things that are obviously broken I wouldn't be able to tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Those fixtures from teh Architecture Clearing House are good fixtures. I used them for my fishroom. I've wired over 10 of those types of fixtures by doing exactly what Darkangel said. It's super easy. It will smoke if you wire it improperly, or it might if you get it wet, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbert Posted March 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Those fixtures from teh Architecture Clearing House are good fixtures. I used them for my fishroom. I've wired over 10 of those types of fixtures by doing exactly what Darkangel said. It's super easy. It will smoke if you wire it improperly, or it might if you get it wet, too. Will it smoke for long enough that you get a chance to notice, before it bursts into flames? (here I go being Miss Worst Case Scenario again) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BooUrns! Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 (edited) Wiring in things as simple as a lighting fixture are relatively easy IF you find DIY work relatively easy. There are right and wrong ways to do renovation projects and electrical work has it's own set of dangers if done improperly. I'm sure no one on this site is advising you to perform renovations on your home which may be unsafe. It would be adviseable to consult the electric codes & standards (green book available at Rona, HomeDepot, library, etc) to learn the right way of doing things if you have no previous experience. The internet may be a good resource aswell but I've found of late that there is a lot of pay for information type sites in the way of these good sources. Apart from colour coding, making sure wiring connections are done properly (braided together and capped with a marette screw cap) should ensure you do not see any arcing between wires and resultant smoke. Edited March 6, 2008 by BooUrns! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbert Posted March 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 Wiring in things as simple as a lighting fixture are relatively easy IF you find DIY work relatively easy. There are right and wrong ways to do renovation projects and electrical work has it's own set of dangers if done improperly. I'm sure no one on this site is advising you to perform renovations on your home which may be unsafe. My experience is mostly in the form of helping my dad with renovations when I was a kid, plus a couple months in shop in junior high (and I'm not telling how long ago that was, lol!). I think I'm going to let this idea rattle around in my head for a while, because shortly after posting this topic I got a PM offering to sell me an actual aquarium light fixture for cheap, and I only have the one planted tank right now. And don't worry, I wouldn't try anything I didn't think I could do safely, and at no time did I think people here were suggesting that. (I'm thinking my brand of humour didn't come across correctly in my last post) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Chicklets Posted March 6, 2008 Report Share Posted March 6, 2008 The extension cord wiring is very simple black to black, white to white, and green to ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
werner Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Will it smoke for long enough that you get a chance to notice, before it bursts into flames? It doesn't really matter if it catches on fire. It will eventually fall into the tank and the water will put it out. :smokey: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parachromis1 Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Will it smoke for long enough that you get a chance to notice, before it bursts into flames? It doesn't really matter if it catches on fire. It will eventually fall into the tank and the water will put it out. :smokey: haha, that sucks since water can sometimes worsen an electric fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkangel Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Will it smoke for long enough that you get a chance to notice, before it bursts into flames? It doesn't really matter if it catches on fire. It will eventually fall into the tank and the water will put it out. :smokey: haha, that sucks since water can sometimes worsen an electric fire. This is true that water can worsen an electrical fire. But if you have a GFCI plug it will throw the breaker before that happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doo Posted March 24, 2008 Report Share Posted March 24, 2008 HI Finbert It is way easier than you think - I am not an electrician, but once you see it - it is easy to do. On your ballast it should show your Positive (+), Negative (-) & Ground. Once you have identified those 3, you match them up with your wire/ plug & you are good to go. I don't live in Edmonton, but I do visit my fam there all the time - the next time I am there I would be happy to show you what I know... The other thing you can do is take your fixture down to a hardware store and ask for the guy that they got there that understands electricity and 9 times out of 10, they will show you how to do it right Good luck! Will it smoke for long enough that you get a chance to notice, before it bursts into flames? It doesn't really matter if it catches on fire. It will eventually fall into the tank and the water will put it out. :smokey: haha, that sucks since water can sometimes worsen an electric fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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