GFCI outlets?

[aquamanonduty86]

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 install a GFCI outlet do I need to worry about it tripping?

 

[James M]

Double post on accident?

 

[aquamanonduty86]

Double post on accident?

Yes.

 

[Katrina71]

@Brew12

 

[Brew12]

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 install a GFCI outlet do I need to worry about it tripping?

Older homes are a bit tricky to protect. If anything, a GFCI is more important in one than in a home with a ground wire to each outlet. Ideally, you would only use double insulated equipment (2 prong) but I'm not sure that is even possible with a reef tank. Using a 3 prong device in a home with 2 prong outlets is very dangerous but that danger can be reduced by using GFCI's.
A GFCI is no more or less prone to tripping in a home with 2 prongs than it is in a home with 3 prongs. Newer GFCI are very resistant to false trips.

 

[pecan2phat]

Brew12,
If you have say 4~5 wall outlets on one circuit and the 4~5 includes one or more GFCI outlet, does that mean that the non-GFCI outlets on that circuit is also acting like a GFCI?

 

[Brew12]

Brew12,
If you have say 4~5 wall outlets on one circuit and the 4~5 includes one or more GFCI outlet, does that mean that the non-GFCI outlets on that circuit is also acting like a GFCI?

It depends on how you have them wired. If you wire the downstream outlets on the opposite side of the GFCI than the incoming power to the GFCI it will protect all of them after it in the chain. If it is the last one in the chain or if downstream outlets are jumpered off the same side of the GFCI as power in, the GFCI will only protect it's own outlets.

 

[Paul B]

Is your home wired with BX which is metal or is the wire covering plastic or rubber. Old homes used both. You can see the cables entering your fuse or circuit breaker panel.