GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)

revhtree · Jun 29, 2008

GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter)

1. Who uses a GFCI when pertaining to your aquarium?

2. Have you ever had problems with one triggering and harming your tank?

3. Anybody against using them for your tank? If so why?

revhtree · Jun 29, 2008

Posted some info on GFCI's here: https://www.reef2reef.com/modules.php?name=Sections&op=viewarticle&id=55

Lytehouse · Jun 29, 2008

I had electrician come in and put in GFI plugs about 5 ft off the floor so no water gets to them at all.

cee · Jun 29, 2008

Would you let somebody throw a hairdryer into a salt bath you were in w/o a GFCI installed? That's the type of chance you're taking if you don't use one! Any submergible pump, heater, etc. can fail and shock you fatally if you were to reach in the tank. Mine do occasionally inadvertantly trip, but it is usually due to salt creep or splashing, not a failure of the GFCI.

Dave

Russellaqua · Jun 29, 2008

I personally use them, and on any outlet that isn't GFCI I use a plug-in GFCI called Shock-Buster. The only reason to not use them is if you're going to be away for an extended period of time, say on vacation. The GFCI could trip with a common short in a pump that wouldn't normally cause a problem, but it would shut your tank down and everything would likely die. Any time you're putting your hands in the tank it's a really good idea to have one.

revhtree · Jun 30, 2008

I have never used them...

I am not condoning not using them at al and actually thinking of using them soon. I am scared they will kick off while I am gone and now scared to get shocked!

Ive been shocked many times before though in my tanks.

aquarius77 · Jun 30, 2008

I would not run without one. I have been shocked hard enough to knock me down, never again.

tazzy695 · Jul 2, 2008

personaly dont use one but should and do highly recomend them

however i recomend a seperate gfci circuit for each essential power item and the rest non essential items can go on a single unit by them selves this will make it so if one shuts down you only loose one pump or heater or say your lights or somthing not your entire tanks equipment meaning your tank has that much more likly hood of surviving

cant vote as you dont have the option of dont use but should

scp443 · Jul 2, 2008

i came home one day and my overflow had stopepd working. the tank overflowed and wet my powerstrips underneath. You could smell electrical fire in the room. i had a flourescent, t5 across the top that was contacting the water and electrcuteing everything in the tank. Everything survived but if i didnt get there in time we couldve had a fire. I ent out immediatly and bought a GFCI from home depot.

last week the power went out during the night. i am so used to sleepign with the sounds of the skimmer that the silence woke me up. i called national grid and they told me the power would be back on in 30 to an hour so i went back to bed without putting the battery powered airpump on because thats REALLY loud and annoying. when i woke up in the morningt he power was on but the tank was not. the GFCI was somehow tripped.

so i guess theres pluses and minuses. i think the pluses outweigh the minuses by a ton simply because it can save your house from fire.

tazzy695 · Jul 2, 2008

that is a catch with the plug in gfci setups is that they automaticly trip when unplugged or power goes out

Half a Bubble Off · Jul 4, 2008

tazzy695 said:
that is a catch with the plug in gfci setups is that they automaticly trip when unplugged or power goes out

+1

Exactly my problem with them. So now I use them for the majority of the electrical connections and an APC battery Uninterrupable Power Supply for one vortex internal unit so water will at least circulate during and after an outage.
This doesn't solve all issues but seems to be the best solution for the small blips in power shutting everything down.

aquarius77 · Jul 4, 2008

Mine has not tripped with power outages, ever. When the power comes back on so does my tank. I do not believe that statement to be true, even on jobsites the gfci does not trip if the cord gets unplugged from the power source.

ofblong · Jul 6, 2008

aquarius77 said:
Mine has not tripped with power outages, ever. When the power comes back on so does my tank. I do not believe that statement to be true, even on jobsites the gfci does not trip if the cord gets unplugged from the power source.

exactly I dont know what kind of GFCI you guys have but I have 6 GFCI outlets in my house 2 of which are for my tank and NONE of them trip when the power goes out. The only times they should be tripped are

1. there is an electrical problem.
2. you just installed them
3. you tripped it manually (and yes you should check them when you change the batteries in your smoke detectors. I check mine whenever I think about it which I think its time to go do that).

tazzy695 · Jul 6, 2008

i am talking about the portable gfci outlet the ones you use outside when there isn't a gfci outlet or gfci circuit breaker installed already

like this one
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...3&productId=100140196&N=10000003+90143+500848

ofblong · Jul 6, 2008

tazzy695 said:
i am talking about the portable gfci outlet the ones you use outside when there isn't a gfci outlet or gfci circuit breaker installed already

like this one
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs...3&productId=100140196&N=10000003+90143+500848

link doesnt work but I understand what your saying now. I thought you were talking about the GFCI outlets themselves no the portable one. I have no experience with the portable outlets as I would rather have the in wall outlet but I am an electrical apprentice so thats prob why lol.

tazzy695 · Jul 7, 2008

yea me too but not everyone knows how to wire them so they use the portables and they tipicaly trip when unpluged still provides a good safty cushion if you are working somewhere that dosn't have gfci

but the link works for me