How many of you out there have their aquarium’s plugged into a GFCI outlet. I live in an old house where all I have are 2 prong outlets and I would like to know if I need to worry about it tripping if I install a GFCI outlet?
GFCI outlets?
- Thread starter aquamanonduty86
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OMGitsManBearPig
Active Member
Get it done if you aren’t comfortable doing it yourself.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dont-have-a-gfci-outlet-get-one-almost-died.261880/
Also - don’t forget the grounding probe to go with.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dont-have-a-gfci-outlet-get-one-almost-died.261880/
Also - don’t forget the grounding probe to go with.
OMGitsManBearPig
Active Member
Here are some more resources
This Old House explains the process:
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/replacing-two-prong-receptacles
Here is a sticky from the DIY forum here at R2R:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-wire-a-gfci-outlet.54912/
Please read this stuff and be safe.
This Old House explains the process:
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/replacing-two-prong-receptacles
Here is a sticky from the DIY forum here at R2R:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-wire-a-gfci-outlet.54912/
Please read this stuff and be safe.
aquamanonduty86
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I saw that old house article and since I don’t have a ground in my house and don’t want to use adapters that my only option is to use a GFCI outlet. I was just worried that they may trip and I’ll loose all my livestock.
OMGitsManBearPig
Active Member
It’s possible it could trip.
This is all about your tolerance for risk. You are quite literally taking your life into your own hands for a hobby.
Modern building codes are pretty amenable in the rules for retrofitting older homes with grounding. I can’t imagine running modern electronics in my home without ground wires. This is a basic home imrpovement project that I would strongly consider a high priority if I were in your position.
I also admit that I am generalizing and potentially oversimplifying your situation, here. If you are running some super old cloth and paper wrapped wiring and no metal conduit that is terminated out of the home... then things get a little harder. It’s still a home improvement that I would strongly consider.
This is all about your tolerance for risk. You are quite literally taking your life into your own hands for a hobby.
Modern building codes are pretty amenable in the rules for retrofitting older homes with grounding. I can’t imagine running modern electronics in my home without ground wires. This is a basic home imrpovement project that I would strongly consider a high priority if I were in your position.
I also admit that I am generalizing and potentially oversimplifying your situation, here. If you are running some super old cloth and paper wrapped wiring and no metal conduit that is terminated out of the home... then things get a little harder. It’s still a home improvement that I would strongly consider.
jccaclimber
Active Member
1) I'm comfortable doing wiring safely. If you are not comfortable and safe doing this I recommend locating appropriate help be it hired or anything else. Electricity, like large machinery, just doesn't care about you.
2) Our first house (a lovely 2 story from 1918 with original wood floors) was almost entirely 2 prong*. I didn't like the 2 to 3 prong adapters everywhere and didn't like having ungrounded bathroom outlets. My solution was to put a GFCI outlet at the start of every string of outlets which allowed me to replace all of the 2 prong outlets with 3 prong outlets**. It also meant the entire house was on GFCI. In the couple years we were there I had maybe one nuisance trip in the house, and it was not on an aquarium circuit.
3) In our current house (1994 build) I have backup power for my MP60's anyways, so they run just fine for a while should something go wrong, and I'll notice my lights without power, the quiet room, etc. For a while I also had a computer UPS on the same circuit which let out an obnoxious loud squeal when it is without power.
4) I recently put in two dedicated 20 A circuits for my tank (I should have put in a third for a chiller). Both are GFCI***. Having been shocked putting my hands in tanks before, I decided since I'm often shoulder deep in the tank, and have seen things knocked in, that I would rather have a potential nuisance trip than potentially cook myself in my own fish tank.
*At least the knob and tube had all been taken out of service, and mostly removed.
**All properly labeled "GFCI Protected and "No Equipment Ground"
***If you do this, don't install the GFCI outlet behind the tank. Put it somewhere nearby that you can actually get to the reset buttons, then daisy to the outlets behind the tank. Test GFCI function on all outlets after installation to be sure you did the wiring correctly.
2) Our first house (a lovely 2 story from 1918 with original wood floors) was almost entirely 2 prong*. I didn't like the 2 to 3 prong adapters everywhere and didn't like having ungrounded bathroom outlets. My solution was to put a GFCI outlet at the start of every string of outlets which allowed me to replace all of the 2 prong outlets with 3 prong outlets**. It also meant the entire house was on GFCI. In the couple years we were there I had maybe one nuisance trip in the house, and it was not on an aquarium circuit.
3) In our current house (1994 build) I have backup power for my MP60's anyways, so they run just fine for a while should something go wrong, and I'll notice my lights without power, the quiet room, etc. For a while I also had a computer UPS on the same circuit which let out an obnoxious loud squeal when it is without power.
4) I recently put in two dedicated 20 A circuits for my tank (I should have put in a third for a chiller). Both are GFCI***. Having been shocked putting my hands in tanks before, I decided since I'm often shoulder deep in the tank, and have seen things knocked in, that I would rather have a potential nuisance trip than potentially cook myself in my own fish tank.
*At least the knob and tube had all been taken out of service, and mostly removed.
**All properly labeled "GFCI Protected and "No Equipment Ground"
***If you do this, don't install the GFCI outlet behind the tank. Put it somewhere nearby that you can actually get to the reset buttons, then daisy to the outlets behind the tank. Test GFCI function on all outlets after installation to be sure you did the wiring correctly.
aquamanonduty86
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So it’s safe to plug an aquarium into a GFCI outlet without a ground?
jccaclimber
Active Member
I wouldn't call it any less safe than plugging an aquarium outlet into a 2 prong ungrounded outlet without a GFCI.
A friend who is an electrician (I am not an electrician, nor do I play one on TV, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn last night) tried explaining this to me in more detail. My understanding is that a properly grounded GFCI will trip as soon as the electrical leak occurs because current will go down the ground instead of the neutral. With an ungrounded GFCI the electrical leak will exist, and the GFCI won't pop until it finds a path to ground, such as a ground probe or through you. As a result you will feel a shock when your hand goes in, but the GFCI should trip before you take enough current to be injured. With an ungrounded non-GFCI the device will keep running with current exiting through the ground instead of the neutral until there is enough current flow to trip the 15 or 20 amp breaker back at the panel. Quite frankly that's more current than I want traveling through me.
aquamanonduty86
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I just want to make sure that it’s not like a fire hazard or anything if I plug stuff into a non grounded GFCI. But I guess that what you ended up doing when you had 2 prong outlets.
