markrobertallman
Community Member
I have an Apex - am thinking I will connect to a BOB box but that is not in stone, have not bought the switches yet
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Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
A breakout box would be the best method for you. As a warning, magnetic window sensor switches are low current switches. They are not designed to handle higher currents and should not be used as the actual switch for a light, even though they may work in this fashion temporarily.
First question is how do the switches work? Does the contact close when the magnet is next to it or does it open? Most of these switches close when the magnet is next to them (i.e. when the door is closed,) so I'll assume that is the case.
Below is a picture of series vs parallel wiring. As you can see, with series wiring, all 3 of the switches must be closed for the circuit to be completed. With parallel wiring, the circuit would be completed if any of them are closed. How do you want the switches to function? Assuming you want the sump light to come on if any of the doors are opened (i.e. all 3 of the doors must be closed for the light to be off,) You'll want them wired in series. That would mean that the circuit would be broken if any of the doors are open. The physical wiring for this would be: BOB Terminal -> Switch A terminal 1, Switch A Terminal 2 -> Switch B Terminal 1, Switch B terminal 2 -> Switch C terminal 1, Switch C terminal 2 -> BOB ground.
The Apex outlet programming would be:
Fallback OFF (makes sure the outlet is off if communication with the controller is lost)
Set OFF (Sets the default condition of the switch as OFF)
If DoorMg OPEN Then ON (DoorMg is the name assigned to the BOB terminal you are using)
I am wiring a new circuit that will have gfi outlet in a 2 gang box with the other receptacle being a regular outlet downstream. Can I just daisy chain the two or is it better to use pigtails in this scenario?
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The GFI has 2 screws on the back that read "load". Connect the other outlet to those screws.
The darker screw is for the hot and the silver screw is the neutral. Don't mix them up.
The darker screw is for the hot and the silver screw is the neutral. Don't mix them up.
Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
Yes - you connect the regular outlet so it gets its power from the load terminals of the GFCI outlet. That way it is also GFCI protected. If you use pigtails only the GFCI outlet is protected.
@Sleepydoc disregard. I realize your point now. You're saying you wouldn't pigtail the two outlets from the main power because you're not connecting the load from the gfi to the regular outlet.
I knew that much...my typing thumbs dont convey whats in my head lol. Thanks again
I think my final conclusion is no matter how many outlets in series, the last one gets the wire directly, no pigtail needed.
All you guys are great. Learning so much here
I knew that much...my typing thumbs dont convey whats in my head lol. Thanks again
I think my final conclusion is no matter how many outlets in series, the last one gets the wire directly, no pigtail needed.
All you guys are great. Learning so much here
I have a question for @YoungFrankenstein.
Yesterday I was dong some frags and never had any form of shocks from 2 of my tanks. I have 2 tanks side by side.
Now accidentally i dipped my finger in one of the tanks while my other hand was dipped in the other tank which zapped me and scared me since I really felt the jolt. The zapped tripped my gfci which I am glad for when I checked the tanks with a volt meter (one probe on each tank) and there was a 120v going through both tanks.
If i touch only one tank I don't feel anything but if I touch both tanks there is a jolt. I found the culprit and it was one of the biopellet pumps on one tank. If that is turned on there is a reading of 120 volts but if it is turned off there is nothing. Is that possible?
Yesterday I was dong some frags and never had any form of shocks from 2 of my tanks. I have 2 tanks side by side.
Now accidentally i dipped my finger in one of the tanks while my other hand was dipped in the other tank which zapped me and scared me since I really felt the jolt. The zapped tripped my gfci which I am glad for when I checked the tanks with a volt meter (one probe on each tank) and there was a 120v going through both tanks.
If i touch only one tank I don't feel anything but if I touch both tanks there is a jolt. I found the culprit and it was one of the biopellet pumps on one tank. If that is turned on there is a reading of 120 volts but if it is turned off there is nothing. Is that possible?
Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
Yes. There was a current leak in one tank. When you had you hand in one tank there was no path to ground so nothing happened. When you put your hand in the other tank you completed the circuit to ground. The GFCI did what it was supposed to do.
So I should be glad that there was a gfci then or I would be toast.
Will taking out the faulty pump fix this? i am now scared of touching my tanks because of this for the jolt was so strong that my wife heard the zapp across the room
Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
Yes - you should remove the faulty pump immediately. It has developed a short and is not safe to use.
Ray Laneville
Active Member
You should get a grounding probe ( I think BRS sells these). Probe goes in the tank, plugs into ground of receptacle. That way your water is always grounded and GFI will trip BEFORE you touch the water.
SoggyNW
Active Member
Every tank should also have a grounding probe installed. This will provide a path to ground for any stray voltage and protect you from being shocked.
Titanium grounding probe
thewalkingdad
Active Member
I don't know why my EB832_2 keeps tripping my GFCI and I could use some help figuring it out.
I have 3 EB832s. Each is on a different circuit. My GFCI for EB832_2 keeps tripping. It was working fine for months until today when I connected a UV sterilizer (UV_1). It is the same model as UV_2 that I have connected to EB832_1, so it only pulls about 40-50 watts. You can see from the picture, I'm not drawing a ton of power from any of the energy bars, so another 50 watts shouldn't matter.
I should note that I do have a 10 gallon QT system on the same circuit as the energy bar that keeps tripping, but I'm estimating that my QT system only adds about 100-200 watts max since it is only a small heater, small light, and an air stone/pump.
Also, for reference:
EB832_1 is on a 20a circuit
EB832_2 is on a 15a circuit
EB832_3_Up is on a 15a circuit
This house is less than a year old and it was the builders who added the GFCI, so it wasn't me doing some kind of DIY hack job.
Any ideas what could be the matter here? Could this be a problem with the energy bar? A problem with the UV sterilizer? A problem with the circuit or outlet?
I have 3 EB832s. Each is on a different circuit. My GFCI for EB832_2 keeps tripping. It was working fine for months until today when I connected a UV sterilizer (UV_1). It is the same model as UV_2 that I have connected to EB832_1, so it only pulls about 40-50 watts. You can see from the picture, I'm not drawing a ton of power from any of the energy bars, so another 50 watts shouldn't matter.
I should note that I do have a 10 gallon QT system on the same circuit as the energy bar that keeps tripping, but I'm estimating that my QT system only adds about 100-200 watts max since it is only a small heater, small light, and an air stone/pump.
Also, for reference:
EB832_1 is on a 20a circuit
EB832_2 is on a 15a circuit
EB832_3_Up is on a 15a circuit
This house is less than a year old and it was the builders who added the GFCI, so it wasn't me doing some kind of DIY hack job.
Any ideas what could be the matter here? Could this be a problem with the energy bar? A problem with the UV sterilizer? A problem with the circuit or outlet?
Sleepydoc
Valuable Member
First, recognize that tripping a circuit breaker is not the same as tripping a GFCI. You started out asking about a GFCI tripping but then switched to total current/power draw. Circuit breakers trip for current overload. GFCIs trip for ground faults.I don't know why my EB832_2 keeps tripping my GFCI and I could use some help figuring it out.
I have 3 EB832s. Each is on a different circuit. My GFCI for EB832_2 keeps tripping. It was working fine for months until today when I connected a UV sterilizer (UV_1). It is the same model as UV_2 that I have connected to EB832_1, so it only pulls about 40-50 watts. You can see from the picture, I'm not drawing a ton of power from any of the energy bars, so another 50 watts shouldn't matter.
I should note that I do have a 10 gallon QT system on the same circuit as the energy bar that keeps tripping, but I'm estimating that my QT system only adds about 100-200 watts max since it is only a small heater, small light, and an air stone/pump.
Also, for reference:
EB832_1 is on a 20a circuit
EB832_2 is on a 15a circuit
EB832_3_Up is on a 15a circuit
This house is less than a year old and it was the builders who added the GFCI, so it wasn't me doing some kind of DIY hack job.
Any ideas what could be the matter here? Could this be a problem with the energy bar? A problem with the UV sterilizer? A problem with the circuit or outlet?
With that out of the way, do you have a GFCI outlet, or is the circuit on a GFCI breaker?, and which is tripping? If it's the GFCI that's tripping you either have something that is leaking current or a faults GFCI. The easiest way to diagnose It is to unplug everything and then plug devices in one at a time to see which one causes it to trip. If you think it's the UV unit, you can simply swap outlets with the other UV unit you have. If you suspect it to be a faulty GFCI, you can try plugging the EB832 into another GFCI circuit.
If your circuit breaker is tripping due to a current overload, you should be able to test it by unplugging a few items. I would start by unplugging your QT system completely. If it doesn't trip with just your EB832 plugged in then you're probably drawing too much current. (you can also get a current meter like a kill-a-watt to measure power draw.)
If you have a combined GFCI breaker, it may not be clear if it's tripping from a ground fault or a current overload but if you disconnect the QT tank and then start plugging items into your EB832 it should become clear quickly.
West1
Valuable Member
Any electrician-
I seen a LFS where they had their return pumps on a timer via wall dial. When turned on, all pumps stop for the desired time (1-15min). I love this concept for my skimmer when feeding corals (I don’t own a controller).
my Deepwater BDLC will pause for 20min and I would like to use a similar concept from the LFS to pause my skimmer for 30min while return pump is off.
Can someone show me what I need to buy?
I do prefer to use a card over hardwire if possible.
basically this but longer time
www.bulkreefsupply.com
I seen a LFS where they had their return pumps on a timer via wall dial. When turned on, all pumps stop for the desired time (1-15min). I love this concept for my skimmer when feeding corals (I don’t own a controller).
my Deepwater BDLC will pause for 20min and I would like to use a similar concept from the LFS to pause my skimmer for 30min while return pump is off.
Can someone show me what I need to buy?
I do prefer to use a card over hardwire if possible.
basically this but longer time
Protein Skimmer Delay Timer
Protein Skimmer Delay Timer Cheap Insurance from Skimmer Overflows Necessity on recirculating external skimmers Recommended for all skimmers of any type Installation Place the Delay timer box in a dry location away from water Plug skimmer Pump(s) plug into the Delay Timer socket Insert the...
www.bulkreefsupply.com
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