Well, this is rediculous.....

[sevenley]

I know, in this hobby, we've been told time and time again to be patient and to go slow but at this rate, I'll never even gonna see water in the tank!!
I need to have an electric outlet installed where I want to put my 42 gal tank. I've called at least 10 electricians. One gave me an estimate of $300. NOT! When I asked number 2 how much he thought it would cost, he said, "Whatever it takes." Now what kind of an answer is that?! I simply hung up on him.
So here we are heading for the end of February; I've had this tank since Christmas and I can't even begin setting it up.

O.k. I've vented.....now I'll go back to the board and look at everyone else's tanks and dream. Sigh.
Lee

 

[denny80688]

When you say you need an outlet installed do you mean there is no outlet where you want the tank or that you want a GFI outlet put in? The reason they quote so high is no electrician wants to run out to hook up one outlet.. they want bigger jobs. Also they will have to cut your drywall apart and drill etc so its gonne be messy and wall repairs suck. If its just to swap your regular outlet for a GFI you may want to do it yourself. Just remember to cut the power to that outlet first :scared:

 

[jacknjill]

what about a really long extension cord lol

 

[sevenley]

I don't have any outlet there. And there is absolutely no other place for me to put the aquarium and stand.
I've done DIY projects myself....I've replaced light fixtures and stuff buy I draw the line when it comes to this.
I even understand that electricians don't want to come out for such a small job.

Maybe I should try to come up with more things for him to do. Amazing.

 

[denny80688]

ehh adding an outlet is no big deal. buy some 3 conductor wire and tap into the next closest outlet.. just matching wire colors.
Id sooner risk burning my house to the ground then pay someone $300 to hookup one outlet

 

[dicemanj]

Try to look in the local paper for a handyman. They can do it and should only cost about $50 bucks.
You do not need to cut the wall. If there is a outlet say 10 ft away. You can conect through that outlet, up the wall, through the actic, or the basement and then down the wall and there is your new outlet.
Good luck.

 

[nw2sltfsh]

Originally posted by Sevenley
I don't have any outlet there. And there is absolutely no other place for me to put the aquarium and stand.
I've done DIY projects myself....I've replaced light fixtures and stuff buy I draw the line when it comes to this.
I even understand that electricians don't want to come out for such a small job.

Maybe I should try to come up with more things for him to do. Amazing.
I recently had my hubby put in 4 new outlets to care for different placement of things in the house - it took all of an hour tops to do
Where in Pittsburgh do you live - I'll let you borrow him ....

 

[sevenley]

Thanks NW2SLTFSH for the offer but I actually live in Indiana which is about an hour away from Pgh.
I've begun asking some women at work and girlfriends if their husbands or boyfriends are good at this kind of stuff.
I heard of a person who lives in Indiana who keeps reef tanks and be builds kitchen cabinets. His partner is an electrician.....maybe he could put the outlet in for me. Gosh, it's not like I'm asking for a freebie. I just want to find someone to do the job.
Lee

 

[sevenley]

Yippee!! An electrician was out today and said that he will put in TWO outlets for less than $175.

It should only take a few hours AND he might be able to come out next week!
I can almost see those fishy swimming now!
:happyfish :happyfish :happyfish :happyfish :happyfish :happyfish

 

[clarkiiboi]

That's great! If that doesn't work out, ask here for any electricians nearby in the hobby, it might only cost you a few frags down the road.

 

[motohead]

Hahaha.ummmm,wait...................i am an Electrician.This may sound dumb,but this post kinda irks me.first off,no decent sparky is going to give you a price over the phone without jackin it way up to cover his butt in case of the particular job requires more work than the "All Knowing Homeowner"thinks they know about it.they will want to look at the job first,then give you a estimate.secondly,as diceman j so delicately put it,connect thru a outlet somewhere along that wall and run thru the attic or basement???????usually someone is adding a plug on a perimeter wall which 99% of the time negates any drilling to the attic because the pitch of the roof meeting the rafters will not allow a drill to fit there.so hence the wallcutting begins.and lets get the lingo right denny.not 3 conductor wire,it is actually two conductor wire with a ground.3 wire,but only two conductors.also homeowners,lets try to remember that there are national electrical codes,and city codes which are usually more stringent that must be adhered to.usually when a house is wired originally,your circuits are used to their fullest code allowed potential.which is by the way,80% of the rating for a breaker rating.example,a 20 amp breaker is actually only to have 16 amps on it.so when you go adding your lil homegrown outlets,remember that you are probably going over that limit which is why any decent electrician might want to run a entire new circuit for that outlet.so,homeowners,lets try to remeber that there are rules sparkys must live by.which sometimes translates into more money out of your wallet.oh and sevenley,175 sounds about right for that particular job.cant say for sure without seein it in person,but it is in the ballpark.certainly did not mean to offend anyone,i just hate to see people pickin on me and the boys when really some folks have absolutely no idea about codes and such."just add this one here,scab some power off that plug there,it'll be easy."lmao,just hope that your microwave or fridge of if you have a 120 volt ac window unit isnt on that circuit,cuz then you got problems with"just connecting thru that plug right there."man,i am a ranter aint i?lol.

 

[sevenley]

Look, I didn't expect to get a signed contract over the phone. I'm not stupid. I know that in order to get a real estimate that the "sparky" would have to come out and take a look at it.
All I wanted was someone to put in one outlet box, run a SEPARATE circuit directly to the breaker box. Yes, there is room in the breaker box. All he has to do is put the hole in the wall.....put a hole in the floor. Heck, I can see where it needs to go in the basement myself and run it to the box. The attic, and the perimeter of the house are not involved and sarcasm is not needed.
I know some things about remodeling....I even installed a fiberglass shower stall and even soldered the pipes, did the drywall and connected the drain myself.
If "sparky" doesn't want the job because it's not large enough, he should just say so. Don't jack up the price or treat me like I don't know what I'm talking about because I'm a woman or reply to my questions with "whatever it takes."
Out of about 10 telephone calls to electricians, I received 3 call backs, only two came out to look atthe job only one person was honest and fair. I don't think that I'm pick'n on "the boys."
Lee

 

[motohead]

umm sevenley,i was not reffering to you or really anyone in particular.just homeowners in general.it is just that they seem to think everything is so easy when it comes to electrical work.your post that began this thread was sensible and i understood your point.just some of the replies that you got,"connect thru thiat outlet there,up trhu the basement".lol.it aint as aesy as all that i guess is my point.also the codes,gotta follow the codes.lol.anyway,dint mean to jump ya or offend you.................

 

[nflnutswif]

I wasnt going to repond I was interested in the answers you got Sevenley. But after reading I thought I would defend you by responding to Motohead! I also have an electrical job I've been trying to get installed for awhile and after contacting several "sparkies" I was "shocked" at no ones offer to even bid the job! You guys must make a ton off us "All Knowing homeowners!" But I guess in reality, we're all TAKEN in one form or another! Price we pay for being ignorant! Yellow pages here I come again!

Good luck Sevenley!

 

[sevenley]

Thanks for your reply NFLNUTSWIF.
Now to hijack my own thread: I see that you have a hex. I'm trying to set up a 42 gal. hex. What kind of livestock do you have in it and what did you do for lights??? Do you have a sump?
Thanks!
Lee

 

[nflnutswif]

Hi Lee, I love this Hex. It's beautiful. I know it's not a favorite for many fish because of the height, but I havent lost a fish yet! and it maintains great conditions. We have the standard 24" coralife 50/50 4 x 96 I think. We also have a 24" 2x18K actinic/moonlight. that one is on a timer. We have crushed coral substrate. Prizm skimmer and fluval 4. ..04?? cant remember! No sump.
We have a purple tang, 2 ocelaris, 1 yellow belly blue damsel, green brittle star and a psy mandarine. w/ about 80lbs of live rock. a curlie Q anemone, pink tip, several mushrooms, frog spawn, red star polyps(sp) lighting is not intense enough for corals really, have had some didnt last too long. set up the rock in a tall horseshoe arrangement with lots of knooks and crannies, fish can swim all the way around and from top to bottom. We lost out on a larger tank we had working! Oh well, I have a 30 gal too with just a porky puffer and a diamond goby in it, I just bought a spotted mandarine with the provision he goes back if he doesnt eat frozen and live brine. . .so far so good! this tank only has about 50 lbs of live rock 6-7 months old/ live figi sand! Good luck, let me know what you do! :happy:

 

[motohead]

yup guess we must make decent money iffun we dont respond to bid offers................

 

[sevenley]

I guess it all comes down to how I like to treat other people and be treated myself.
Guess what? I own a business too -- I rent out wedding supplies -- centerpieces, archways....... I can only hope that I will always go out of my way to be helpful and cheerful (and honest) in my business with potential customers, customers and in my business relationships. If I get to be SO "successful" that being mean-spirited is the nomal way of handling people, then I hope that someone would give me a good swift kick in the .....
No wonder "all knowing homeowners" have to do the job themselves.
Lee

 

[crm13]

Unless you're gonna have your electrician run a separate line right to the main box, I don't even think it's worth it to have him come out to the house. If he's just gonna tap off another circuit, you're better off just using an extension cord with a GFCI unit. It's a lot cheaper, and the result is the same. Motohead, the ground wire in a "two conductor with a ground" is a conductor. It's not a nonconductor. That's a three concuctor wire. Electricians may call it "two conductor with a ground" because that's how you use it. If I gave you a solid core, three conductor wire, all the same gauge, all individually insulated, and coded red, orange, and yellow, would it work if you used it to do the same as your "two conductor with a ground?" Which one would you use as the ground? I would think one of the three conductors. Would you have to see a conductor without the individual insulation on it to know which is the ground? I know a few electricians and know that if I asked them for a three conductor wire, I would get a black, white, and green(or bare) without them barking about the lingo. And, I know it's not because if they came to me looking for shielded conductors, I wouldn't give them a hard time about the number of conductors. I'd just size up the application.

 

[nflnutswif]

Oh I get it. . .It's all about the conductor!!!!!
Just kidding!! Big Smiles,
Iv'e been knocked on my butt trying to replace a ceiling fan!
I appreciate you "sparky" guys! :yes:
Just wish I could !get one to do my outdoor sensor light!