Check your wiring people!

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Smittiferous

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I'm just going to leave these here...
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Most are from an enclosure I purchased years ago, already wired and ready to go. The rest are from an already used example of commercially-made and readily available, plug-and-play enclosure wiring kits I decided to have a close look at. House fires and destroyed collections waiting to happen. I would urge everyone to be mindful of what goes into your enclosures.
 
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Cheers for sharing, thats a damn good example of what can and will go wrong if you are complacent.
 
Be on the look out for blue substance. A blue substance is indictive of a presence of copper sulfate and/or copper carbonate - which is a result of the copper wires begining to decompose. It will most likely occur before any charring is visible. Seen it on old batteries before. This warning should probaly go out for all electrical appliances esspecially things like phone chargers, kettles, ovens etc. Last thing we want to hear is someome lost there house and belongings to an electrical fire.
 

Lots of things wrong with that setup.

Fitting screwed directly to timber,put a piece of fibro or similar in between.
Use high temp wire from fitting to the outside of the enclosure and into a junction box then connect up to normal flex.
Use of silicone near the termination is next to useless.High temp sleeves should be used.
 
Yep, Ramsayi has probably made the most important points - insulation between the heating device and the roof of the cage, and the use of high-temperature wiring where high wattage lamps​ or any heating d​evice is used. There's potential disaster waiting to happen whenever keepers go to Bunnings and buy what they think is suitable and doing it at home. As far as I know, high-temp cabling isn't available at normal hardware outlets, you'll have to go to electrical suppliers to get it.

Jamie
 
What I am most concerned about is some of that deteriorating insulation and copper is from something sold commercially as a pre-wired plug and play kit for enclosures. I don't know what kind of punishment it has been through before it came to me but it's still concerning, given that the average consumer would take for granted its safety and suitability for what it's intended for. Needless to say I've binned it.
 
I'm not sure those ceramic sockets are available as a prewired unit - I've used quite a few of them in the long-distant past, and always had to wire them myself. I never liked them though, they are brittle and it can be quite difficult to get a good tight junction between wire & screw. I think they were probably locally wired by a backyarder.

Jamie
 
I think they were probably locally wired by a backyarder.

Jamie

One of the dangers of second-hand enclosure, which i think Smittiferous was getting at. Its always good to check your wiring, even if it isn't a DIY job.
 
better still ,unless you are a trained sparky, don't mess with wiring , get a local licenced sparky to check it over to ensure it's safe / fit to use.

Chances are if you did a DIYS wiring job and a fire resulted , your house and contents insurer is likely to reject your claim.
 
[MENTION=41820]pythoninfinite[/MENTION] they are, actually. Won't name brands but I see them for sale quite often in aquarium shops. They come on a disk thing (which you can see in one of the pictures) and have a flex that terminates in a 3-pin plug similar to a computer power supply, then another flex that goes to your timer/wall outlet etc.
[MENTION=11565]BrownHash[/MENTION] [MENTION=41275]kingofnobbys[/MENTION] I had one sparky come in and wire an enclosure for me in the exact same fashion as the one above. Qualified =/= doing it correctly.
 
Ah OK, I admit I've not used them for 10+ years, and I never spend time (or money!) in the sorts of sales outlets that might sell them. I don't keep lizards so have been solely using heat cords for the last 10-12 years. Do they come from China? If they're a ready-made item for sale in this country, it might be worthwhile notifying Consumer Protection about the matter, especially the failed insulation, and see if they can be withdrawn.

Jamie
 
....@BrownHash @kingofnobbys I had one sparky come in and wire an enclosure for me in the exact same fashion as the one above. Qualified =/= doing it correctly.
It concerns me gravely when someone accuses a professional electrician of purportedly sub-standard work. I have friends and relatives in the trade and what they have all conveyed to me at some time or another is that from day-one of their training, they have had two things drilled into them. The first is that there is no room for errors - as people’s lives are at stake, including their own. The second is that there is no such thing as a “shortcut” when it comes to electrical wiring and fittings.


So your comments raise some serious questions and concerns for me. Did you employ and pay a practising electrician? Are you certain that the wire used by the electrician was exactly same as that in the photos displayed? Did the electrician advise you about limits to the wattages that were safe to use in the outlets provided? Have you since had any problems or perceptible degradation with the work that was done?

Problems can and do arise when people that are not fully qualified do their own wiring. For example, a lack of understanding of things such as ‘current draw’ due to wattages of appliances and the corresponding heating effects related to this can result in overheating of electrical wiring, especially where the external insulating sheath has been removed. Another is the heat production of the various appliances being utilised and whether or not this heat will likely be readily dissipated.

For example, the hard plastic sockets in ceiling lights are acceptable for incandescent globes up to 100W, where there is no enclosure of a light fitting. The airflow around an exposed ceiling fitting provides adequate cooling to eliminate any chance of a fire. Put the same light into an enclosed fitting or use a higher wattage and it is a different story. In such cases a non-flammable ceramic fitting is then required. Along the same lines, down-light fittings don’t have the same air flow around them that exposed sockets do and so have a totally different set of criteria that apply.

Applying this to reptile enclosures, the often reduced airflow around high wattage bulbs utilised requires someone with the appropriate understandings and knowledge to set it up safely. Something the DIY person copying light fittings in the home may not be capable of doing. While experienced keepers likely have the ken required, the majority of newer keepers would be well advised to seek the advice and approval, if not the full services, of a qualified practising electrician in my opinion.
 
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Wait... i have just gotten and wired up a few extra fittings for my future projects.. now reading this i am second guessing that.. reason i did it was beacuse i and sick of being fisted by the petstore chains etc make a huge buck on a market that is still growing.. all for people making money but the inflation is extreme at times.. hence why i have wired up my own.. haven't used them yet but was planning on putting one into service this coming weekend..
 
It concerns me gravely when someone accuses a professional electrician of purportedly sub-standard work. I have friends and relatives in the trade and what they have all conveyed to me at some time or another is that from day-one of their training, they have had two things drilled into them. The first is that there is no room for errors - as people’s lives are at stake, including their own. The second is that there is no such thing as a “shortcut” when it comes to electrical wiring and fittings.

So your comments raise some serious questions and concerns for me. Did you employ and pay a practising electrician? Are you certain that the wire used by the electrician was exactly same as that in the photos displayed? Did the electrician advise you about limits to the wattages that were safe to use in the outlets provided? Have you since had any problems or perceptible degradation with the work that was done?

Problems can and do arise when people that are not fully qualified do their own wiring. For example, a lack of understanding of things such as ‘current draw’ due to wattages of appliances and the corresponding heating effects related to this can result in overheating of electrical wiring, especially where the external insulating sheath has been removed. Another is the heat production of the various appliances being utilised and whether or not this heat will likely be readily dissipated.

For example, the hard plastic sockets in ceiling lights are acceptable for incandescent globes up to 100W, where there is no enclosure of a light fitting. The airflow around an exposed ceiling fitting provides adequate cooling to eliminate any chance of a fire. Put the same light into an enclosed fitting or use a higher wattage and it is a different story. In such cases a non-flammable ceramic fitting is then required. Along the same lines, down-light fittings don’t have the same air flow around them that exposed sockets do and so have a totally different set of criteria that apply.

Applying this to reptile enclosures, the often reduced airflow around high wattage bulbs utilised requires someone with the appropriate understandings and knowledge to set it up safely. Something the DIY person copying light fittings in the home may not be capable of doing. While experienced keepers likely have the ken required, the majority of newer keepers would be well advised to seek the advice and approval, if not the full services, of a qualified practising electrician in my opinion.

I couldn't agree more .... it's fool who attempts 230V AC wiring if they are NOT adequately trained.

All the wiring done in enclosures is connected to the mains (230V AC) and potentially lethal.

Also few reptile hobbyists have the knowhow or training to contemplate DIYS wiring of their enclosures , the wiring is best done plug and play mode with fittings etc that are simply plugged into powerboards or the wall or a floor socket.
If it requires connecting up wires - leave it to a licenced sparky or at least an electrical technician DON'T try to do it yourself just to save a few $ , a few $ is not worth your life or that of your family if the dodgey DIYS wiring results in an electrical overload and a fire.
 
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I couldn't agree more .... it's fool who attempts 220V AC wiring if they are NOT adequately trained.

All the wiring done in enclosures is connected to the mains (220V AC) and potentially lethal.

Australian mains voltage is 230V.
 
[MENTION=41842]Bluetongue1[/MENTION] Perhaps I should elaborate on my statement....

The electrician I employed was a qualified and practising A grade electrician. His work itself is very neat and tidy. However only standard 3-core cable was used, rather than heat-resistant stuff, and the ceramic batten holders were also fixed straight to the timber enclosure with no fire-retardant or heat resistant material in between the two.
He also did not advise me regarding any maximum wattages or precautions, even though I made it clear what I intended to be using: ceramic heat emitters and lights ranging up to 100 watts, which would be in use for extended periods. I should also point out that the highest wattage bulbs and ceramic heat emitters used in the photos in my original post were sixty watt, no higher.

Seven months on, there doesn't seem to be any degradation of his work I have seen, but in the enclosure he wired once again the highest wattage bulb is sixty watt, and I haven't even bothered with fitting the heat emitter, ambient temps are fine without it.
[MENTION=41275]kingofnobbys[/MENTION] I don't think anyone is advocating untrained persons doing their own electrical work. The point of my OP was to encourage others to pay attention to the state of the electrical works done in their enclosures where continued heat output over long periods is the norm, and not take for granted that "everything's fine", and that if contracting the services of a licensed electrician to do wiring work in an enclosure, to do some prior research on appropriate materials to use and insist on their use.
[MENTION=41842]Bluetongue1[/MENTION] I also feel I should add that I've been on sites that have been closed due to licensed A grade electricians mucking up wiring so badly that the auditing electrical engineer evacuated the site until it was rectified. Several times. While I respect the level of training that is given especially in terms of safety requirements, I do have a rather jaded view (and I feel deservedly so) on the notion that simply being qualified means that an individual tradesperson conducts their work safely and appropriately. I see a lot of terrible attitudes amongst trades on a regular basis, across the board, in terms of both safety standards and general quality of work.

I realise that some may take that in a fashion that I don't intend. All I'm saying that a course and a piece of paper don't solely make someone safe and competent, individual attitude has a great deal to play in the role.

/rant
 
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@Smittiferous. Your posts are clearly well intentioned and based on concern for others. The message of carefully checking wiring on all newly acquired enclosures, and doing so periodically for those that have been in use for a while, is wise and I applaud it.

There were, however, two points that troubled me. The first is your statement that the electrician you hired to do the wiring job did not do so appropriately i.e. not safe. The second is that the type of wiring job he did can result in the same outcomes as your photos for anyone. Uneasy about this, I have been giving the matter a fair bit of thought (even brushed up on a bit of chemistry along the way).

Let’s deal with the second. Copper oxidises to black copper (I) oxide with heat and exposure to air. This is normal and can be seen on the exposed ends of old copper wire circuits. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter. Somewhat uncommonly, this coating of oxide on the wire still conducts electricity.

However, to form the blue copper salts shown, be they carbonates/chlorides/sulphates or whatever, from metal copper, requires significant moisture and also the addition of acid and salts. This can happen naturally, although rather slowly, with exposure to rain. Dissolves carbon dioxide in air forms carbonic acid and air-borne ocean salts are also present. Or it can happen more quickly with the circuits having been exposed to something like water from a marine aquarium. In addition to the copper salts formed, the steel (iron) at the base of the bulb holder shows graphic rusting. Again, this requires exposed to significant moisture over a period of time to happen.

Clearly, the copper wiring was exposed to salty water at some stage and for some period of time. Obviously not when in use, otherwise it would have shorted out the electrics. Maybe it somehow got slurped on it while in storage? It is my guess that the resulting corrosion this allowed has resulted in the thinning of the copper strands at this point. This has caused an increase in electrical resistance, with a corresponding increase in the amount of heat being produced. This abnormal heating was sufficient to degrade the wire sheaths and to char the wood in those areas where the heat could not escape readily. But as I say, that’s only surmise.

What is beyond doubt is the exposure of the wiring to salt and water for a significant period of time – something that does NOT happen with normal (appropriate) usage.
 
I dont use them globe sockets at all because i don't like exposed wires i use the bigger flat sockets as they allow me to crimp the wire into a fitting which goes under the screw a bit like a washer.
 
[MENTION=41842]Bluetongue1[/MENTION] That was really quite informative. Thanks!

I'll provide a little more background on the enclosure in question. It was purchased by myself in 2011, as a freshly-converted, already wired setup. It had once been an ornate television unit. Since it's conversion and sale, I have been the sole user/owner. I originally had a bearded dragon reside within, then after a period of a few months of being unused, my carpet python moved in. At absolutely no period of time has it ever had any exposure to salinity, and very little in the way of humidity, with nothing other than a basic small water bowl on the enclosure floor. Never once have I noticed any kind of condensation on the glass at the front, which would be a clear indicator of high humidity within. If deterioration of the wiring was caused by salinity, it's beyond me as to how.
 
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