Return on apex- gfci or standard outlet? control or no

[Reefinmike]

Hey all, i’m having some trouble determining what equipment to plug into which outlet. I have a dedicated 20amp circut going to a gfci outlet for my tank. The other outlet i have access to runs only my refrigerator. I want to use the GFCI for safety. Although it hasn’t tripped in 6 months of use i feel the uninterrupted reliable use of heaters and the return are most vital. Would it be smarter to run my return on my eb832 that is plugged into the gfci or on the other circuit without gfci or power monotoring and control? My return is a 750gph quiet one pump.

Im moving my apex junior to my 90 for redundancy with a temp probe controling a second heater. Perhaps the smartest option is to have two smaller returns with one on the eb832 that is on the gfci circuit and the second return on the apex junior plugged into the apex jr on a different circuit.

I like the redundancy of two returns and two controled heaters on different apex’s on different circuits however you have to factor in electrical safety as well. Is there any equipment that is inherently “safe enough” to not gfci protected?

What would you do?

 

[HotRocks]

I would venture to guess @Brew12 could help you out with this.

 

[andrewkw]

2 returns is the safest. Personally I run one not on a gfci. I would rather risk shock to me then a trip killing my tank. I run everything else on gfci on it's own breaker. Some will tell you don't take the chance as there is a chance anytime you plug something in that is in water, especially saltwater. I often see people say "this particular item does not need gfci ect". I play it safe for everything except the return because that is a risk I'm willing to take.

100% of return pumps that don't get upgraded or taken down fail. It's just a matter of when.

 

[Brew12]

I would venture to guess @Brew12 could help you out with this.

Thanks for the invite!

What would you do?

I've actually dealt with this specific situation two different ways. I don't want my controller brains on a GFCI so I do not use GFCI outlets at the wall. Instead, I created my own GFCI outlets with a pigtail that plugs into the controllable outlets. With my previous system, I created one for each load that would be submerged in my tank. That wasn't practical for my newer system so instead I have 2 controllable power bars that plug into their own GFCI's. My GHL controller sends me an alert if it loses coms with a power bar so I know if I've had a trip.

This shows how I did it.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-gfci-installation.342874/

This is what it looked like when I used an Apex. The 4 plugs on the EB8 each power one of the duplex outlets.

 

[HotRocks]

Thanks for the invite!


I've actually dealt with this specific situation two different ways. I don't want my controller brains on a GFCI so I do not use GFCI outlets at the wall. Instead, I created my own GFCI outlets with a pigtail that plugs into the controllable outlets. With my previous system, I created one for each load that would be submerged in my tank. That wasn't practical for my newer system so instead I have 2 controllable power bars that plug into their own GFCI's. My GHL controller sends me an alert if it loses coms with a power bar so I know if I've had a trip.

This shows how I did it.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/diy-gfci-installation.342874/

This is what it looked like when I used an Apex. The 4 plugs on the EB8 each power one of the duplex outlets.

I knew you'd have all the answers!

 

[Reefinmike]

Brew- wow now I have some work ahead of me! That's a great way to get the best of both worlds. I change stuff around on my tank way too often, I'll relegate this to a winter project. until then I will probably put my apex junior on an unprotected outlet controlling my lighting and wire up a single gfci outlet like you suggest for my return.