vdubreefer
Active Member
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To each their own /\ that is just my $0.02
Are GFCI's Necessary. A Thought for not having them for your tank
- Thread starter Dragon52
- Start date
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Brew12
Electrical Gru
It's an interesting take, but I would argue the opposite. I have too much invested in my tank to not keep it protected by a GFCI and ground probe. I've seen too many time where a heater or pump has failed and crashed a tank because it wasn't on GFCI. If I have a failed electrical component leaking toxins or copper into my system, I want to know ASAP. A GFCI trip is the fastest indication we have.
I just don't want my system set up where a single GFCI device tripping can put my tank in condition where I lose all flow in my DT.
SuperHaze57
Active Member
Like I said it’s a personal preference some things I would use it on, some I wouldn’t.
SuperHaze57
Active Member
The reason I going with multi circuits.
mta_morrow
Of course I have room for 1 more fish!
A human life vs a tank? Absolutely necessary. As well as a ground probe.
I ran several GFI circuits for my latest build.
I split up what runs off of each so that I won’t lose all flow if 1 trips.
I ran several GFI circuits for my latest build.
I split up what runs off of each so that I won’t lose all flow if 1 trips.
Brew12
Electrical Gru
If they aren't GFCI circuits, how does that protect you from a cracked motor housing?
SuperHaze57
Active Member
Mine are GFCI 4 dedicated circuits
Brew12
Electrical Gru
Ooops! I lost track of who I was responding too.
SuperHaze57
Active Member
Lol no biggieOoops! I lost track of who I was responding too.
Can we stop with the "death" stuff? There is more of a risk every time that one of us gets in a car.
I would rather this thread be put to bed...
Points taken from every angle!!!
Enjoy the 4th everyone...
Points taken from every angle!!!
Enjoy the 4th everyone...
Brew12
Electrical Gru
I would encourage you to avoid taking a stance like this. We know that GFCI's save over 600 lives a year in the US. We also know that with more widespread use we would save more lives. That is many more than other issues that raise political hairs.
I hope you don't mean to imply that we shouldn't push for safety measures on stuff unless at least 35,000 people are killed by it each year.
People can drown in your aquarium. A child can fall headfirst into a bucket with water in it - this happens a lot unfortunately. You could trip, fall into your tank, break the glass and sever a major artery. What about deaths from a kid climbing on the front of a tank and pulling it over on themselves - do people strap their tanks to walls? Kalkwasser and Muratic Acid can kill. Calcium Chloride can burn. Where do you stop? I am all for safety, but the sensationalism does not help and people shut down. Making the point without all of the hyperbole and perhaps outlining some real consequences (instead of going all the way to death on the extreme end) is a better message, IMO... like the one in your signature about possible contamination from a bad piece of equipment. "Multiple GFCIs with layers of redundancy both in the tank and sump" is a better message than "not having a GFCI can kill you."
FWIW - GFCI is so common here in Colorado, I added on a garage with attic above, basement below and every single outlet had to be ground fault at the breaker. New code in my town.
FWIW - GFCI is so common here in Colorado, I added on a garage with attic above, basement below and every single outlet had to be ground fault at the breaker. New code in my town.
OP
OP
Dragon52
2500 Club Member
This has turned out to be a much better discussion then I thought it would when I asked the question. I had just returned from a 7 day vacation & got to thinking about it because we just had a a storm go thru that kept tripping the power. I want to thank everyone for their input & please keep it going.
alton
Valuable Member
Garages, Unfinished Basements, and Bath Rooms have been required to have GFCI protection for years per the NEC. New to the code is Arc Fault protection to Kitchens and Laundry Rooms. And for those worried about tripping, if a washing machine doesn't trip an Arc Fault Breaker and a Dishwasher doesn't trip a Combination Arc/GFCI breaker why would it trip on your tank unless there is a problem. A year ago I wired my nephews home/ business. In his garage every receptacle is a GFCI receptacle. Among his equipment is two new commercial freezers, and two that are older than 20 years. And to this day he has never called me and asked me to change them out because of tripping issues. And any given day he has $20,000 worth of product in his freezers.
rkpetersen
walked the sand with the crustaceans
Excellence Award
Reef Squad Emeritus
Pacific Northwest Reefers
I would agree; I've only had one in the last year and a half, and it was a very unusual situation. The power company came out to change us over to a new meter. It only took a few minutes, but while the line power was out, our home generator kicked on. The breaker, GFCI, and aquarium equipment handled this perfectly. But then, when the line power came back on, the generator handoff back to the line was accompanied by a GFCI trip (only 1 of 2 tripped, the one with the higher load.) I don't know if this was just a glitch possibly related to the new meter, or something I should be more concerned about.
In any case, I have a detailed checklist for aquarium risk mitigation when I leave town, and one of those items is taking all systems off of GFCI temporarily. When I'm home, the small risk of a ghost trip is manageable; when I'm not home, it may not be.
Ctg0209
Community Member
A lot of people give GFIs and AFIs a bad name for nuisance tripping but I think the number one thing I’ve read on here is “if installed properly they’re not an issue.” I couldn’t agree more. Sure everyone once in a while you’ll get a GFI to randomly trip but who’s to say something happened that you couldn’t see to cause that trip. I get maybe 2 or 3 service calls a year that end up being a tripped GFI. As far as AFIs go, when they were first required by the NEC there were a lot of problems but they were due to electricians over stapling the wire or not separating neutrals from other circuits. I install around 15 AFI breakers per house and never have one just randomly trip in the middle of the night.
Bmezz
Active Member
Why would you not have one. Electricians tell you its the right thing for safety. Reefers tell you its the right thing for safety and to protect your equipment. What is the argument to not do it? Be smart. Be Safe
PhreeByrd
Active Member
If that fridge or freezer is in the garage, you have no choice about it. It must be GFCI. Because of the way the NEC is written, the same is required for kitchen fridges and freezers in many jurisdictions.
Likewise, in most jurisdictions, AFCI receptacles are required in most locations in homes and apartments, including bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, family rooms. If that's how your home was wired, you have no choice about it unless you intentionally re-wire to defeat the code requirements.
I'm not advocating for or against these devices. I'd hope everybody can enjoy and practice the hobby safely and without unnecessary hazard. At the same time, false/nuisance tripping of these potentially lifesaving devices does happen. It's not a question of if, but when. Sooner or later, they all trip for no apparent reason.
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