Aquarium safety (electrical requirements)

[SeaCreature]

Hi this will be my first saltwater tank. I have identified the hardware that I plan on purchasing along with the general wattage associated with each item. I'm planning on having an electrician evaluate the current electrical load on the breaker in the room that my aquarium will be placed along with the additional requirements to support my system. I also plan on installing GFCI and AFCI protection. My initial thought was add a couple of GFCI outlets and AFCI protection to the main panel. However I saw some outlets that can provide both functions. However these outlets are self testing.

Question: Will the temporary interruption in power from the test be harmful to the hardware. or the livestock? Any opinions on the route to take. I am assuming it will be less expensive to have the receptacle Installed vs modifying thePanel.


"https://www.leviton.com/en/docs/Dual+Function+AFCI+GFCI+Product+Bulletin.pdf"

 

[miPapareef]

Good work planning and researching.

First don't forget a ground probe. Like this one from Vertex.
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vertex-titanium-grounding-pole.html

The test is really no different than turning off the power with a switch, and won't hurt equipment. Remember along with the added safety protection comes additional points of failure. They have a limit to their life and it's typical for those to fail in a way when they trip they're not resettable. So make sure to have a spare.

Also you may not want to put all your equipment on one GFCI. The reason is if one piece fails then everything gets turned off. Some people use separate GFCI's for different sets of equipment.

 

[SeaCreature]

Thank you for the response. I am planning on using a grounding probe. With regards to your second response I am considering the use of a UPS.The UPS would be plugged into the same outlet. My goal is to limit the # of unsightly wires. Will this work? I live in SOUTHERN CA. Power outages are rare.