Halides and Extension Cords

Something I have always noticed and I am dealing with today...

How does a halide lamp know when you have an extension cord and will not light up?

My halide has a separate cord for the fan - so I wanted both on the same heavy-duty timer. I went out and bought a heavy duty splitter, something like this:
Ultra 1 to 2 SJT Power Cord Splitter at TigerDirect.com

It is not even 2 feet long.

YET - I can plug the halide directly into the timer or outlet and it will fire - but when I attach the splitter - it will not.

This is something I have noticed with previous halides and other extension cords.

Why is this?
How does it know?


matt

 

any connection causes a slight voltage drop, so in a splitter you have connection at each end and the split. if your house is older then they often only have 110V to begin with so even that slight drop will put the voltage below the threshold of the light. the light probably has a circuit that disables everything below a certain voltage (often 108V)

 

Drat.

Yeah it is a really old house.

Thanks for info! I always wondered about that.

 

Hmm that's interesting. I have my halide cords plugged into a surge protector and then I have that protector on a timer. Never had an issue. I'll be interested to see what others have to say here.

 

I am no electrician but the voltage shouldn't drop should it? Just the amperage draw increases. I have several things on a circuit in my house (fans, lights, receps., ect) and no matter what is on or off, I still measure 115v). Just wondering, because I have never seen a voltage drop due to devices on a circuit. I mean, everything in your aquarium is tech. on one circuit breaker so they are all fed from the same line.

P.S. My house was built and wired in the 60's so the wiring is the old style as well.

 

you are correct that number of devices does not effect voltage, just amperage on a circuit. its not the device that causes the voltage drop its the connection which offers some small resistance, as the amperage of the device on other side of the resistance increases so does the effect of the resistance . the voltage of the circuit will still be the same as it was before the splitter. its just on the other end of the splitter that will change

in any house newer than 1985ish it would never matter anyway since your going to be closer to 120V than 110 to start

your house was just well wired if it built in the 60's and still has 115V.

 

What type ballast are you using electronic or Iron core ? If you have to use an extension cord there are a safe work around

 

For what its worth I'd look into my wiring as in the mid 60's to early 70's aluminum wire was king ! before the codes outlawed it's use

This is the main reason I laugh when I read a thread about PAR's and ballast that are the best and what difference a lamp or ballast will make in PAR values . Take the exact same lamp/ballast combo and read the values at your house at say 10:00 A.M and take them a mile away and test at 2:00 P.M and you will be a different reading. Thats why i would never waste my time reading or worrying about Pars and ballast.

 

Ha ha, I bought the house a few months ago and I have been remodeling. I HAD to go in the attic (which I hate here in florida) to wire up some pendant lights for my bar. So I checked the wiring out then. It is copper wiring but the jacket for the bundle is that cloth crap old and dingy. If it were aluminum I probably wouldn't have even bothered buying the house.

 

Its not KnT I trust ? sounds more like old romex grey cloth or black with wires inside insulated in tar and like a brown paper bag paper spun around the conductors ? About time to rewire LOL