# Other Aquarium Forums > Equipment and Accessories > DIY Projects >  anyone with lighting knowledge? (need to combine 3 wires to 1)

## armani

hi all, my planted tank on top got 3 light sets with 3 different wires... 

anyone know how to combine them to a single wire other than using those extension plugs? 

also anyone know where to get those aircon trunking to DIY my lights together? 

how much is the trunking? 

thanks very much for ur help...  :Grin:

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## ranmasatome

i dont think its a good idea to combine all 3 wires into one...the load may be too high for the socket and may cause fire...moreover, if one light set happens to short out or have a problem..you're gonna have to shut doan all 3 sets just to repair that one..

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## greenaqua

Why don't you use the plastic tubing "cable manager" that is sold by computer shops to manage your cables? You know, the one that looks like washing machine piping but slit on one side that allows you to enclose all your cables into one pipe. 

I agree ranmasotome, you got to really watch the risk of blow-out and fire. I wouldn't even recommend plugging all your ligths into one multiple adaptor to a single socket. You need to watch your wattage.

As for the aircon trunking, I see plenty of it in the neighbourhood hardware stores and they are not too expensive. 

Cheers.

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## armani

can i know how much those aircon trunking costs? i asked one shop at yishun they say 4in by 3in one cost $10 for 2metres.. is the price normal? anywhere cheaper?

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## tawauboy

if you do not know electricity, it's better to get someone who know electricity to do it for you. anyway, it is quite difficult to connect 3 sets of wires into a single pin inside the plug due to lack of space for the wires. also if you swapped the 'live' and 'neutral' wires, your light set will still be 'live' even though you have switched off the light set (light set on/off switch). this will be dangerous when you try to change the tube/bulb.

if you insist, you can take all 3 'live' (usually brown colour) wires from 3 light sets and connect them to the right pin (connected to the fuse) of the plug. then connectall 3 'neutral' (usually blue colour) wires to the left pin. finally, connect the 'earth' wires (usually yellow & green) to the top most pin.

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## tawauboy

> i dont think its a good idea to combine all 3 wires into one...the load may be too high for the socket and may cause fire...





> ... you got to really watch the risk of blow-out and fire. I wouldn't even recommend plugging all your ligths into one multiple adaptor to a single socket....


not an issue as a plug/socket can handle 3000w of electricity. those 3 light sets are easily handled. if they a 150w mh light, the total will only be 450w.

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## ranmasatome

> not an issue as a plug/socket can handle 3000w of electricity. those 3 light sets are easily handled. if they a 150w mh light, the total will only be 450w.


i was refering to the plug actually..not the socket on the wall.. you mean the plug can take 3000watts?? i know mine blew out with and there was smoke everywhere and a nasty smell when i connected 4 appliances to it..mainly a fan, a tv, a heater and a light..

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## juggler

> i was refering to the plug actually..not the socket on the wall.. you mean the plug can take 3000watts?? i know mine blew out with and there was smoke everywhere and a nasty smell when i connected 4 appliances to it..mainly a fan, a tv, a heater and a light..


Using the formula, Watts = Volts x Amperes, it works out to be 2860W (~ 3000W) for our 220V and 13A. Hey, when you do ironing or vacuuming, it is operating at more than 1000W already.

I believe the wires used must be thick to handle the load too.

For info, I have a 4-way extension cord and I plugged in 432W of lights and 25W for the filter.

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## tawauboy

> i was refering to the plug actually..not the socket on the wall.. you mean the plug can take 3000watts?? i know mine blew out with and there was smoke everywhere and a nasty smell when i connected 4 appliances to it..mainly a fan, a tv, a heater and a light..


yes! the plug can take more than 3000 watts actually, else it would not pass the local safety tests.
the plug blew in your case is most probably due to 'arcing'. when the contacts are partially touching, electricity jumps across the small gap. arcing will increase the temperature of the contacts and it gets so hot that it blew (most likely the fuse wire) the plug up.

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## tawauboy

> ...............
> 
> I believe the wires used must be thick to handle the load too.
> .........................


yes. thick wire capable of handling the load is a must. and the wires must be uncoiled as well. if coiled, wires will heat up significantly until they melt and cause a chort circuit.

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