best gfci receptacles

[jkienzpac]

Any recommendations as to what is a good gfci receptacle to use for a reef tank.

Any preference in brands eg. cooper or leviton in regards to reliability.

Also is there a big difference in grades of receptacles eg. hospital grade, industrial grade or weather resistant grades in terms of reliability, less apt to false trip etc.

 

[NanoReefWanabe]

all the gfci's i have ever used are leviton, never had a problem or nuisance trip, nor has one ever not worked...i never realized there where different grades, though i suspect they arent readily available to average consumers...

that said keep them out of the reach of the water (spray and splashing) use drip loops and you should be fine with any of them...

 

[jkienzpac]

Yes, lots of brands and grades from the 8$ HD leviton to $150 for top end hospital and industrial grades.

What I'm wondering is --what are the differences with these higher end grades and are they worth the higher price. I'm willing to pay more for better quality but only if they are proven to be more reliable for our applications. There are some weather resistant commercial grades which are about $20-30 online, various brands. any comments?

I hear a lot of people complain about nuisance tripping etc. so I am hoping some electricians could chime in.

Thanks

 

[uncleof6]

Of the two types of GFCI's that can be installed, GFCI breakers, will outlast any GFCI recepticle. One of the common complaints concerning GFCI recepticles, is their short lifespan. This can be affected by how often it trips, whether real or nuisance tripped, location, and the quality of the unit itself. Some last a very long time, others a few years or so, and still others will fail shortly after being installed. Generally, using a higher grade, will give a longer life span. Specification Grade, Commercial Grade, and Hospital Grade. They are most definitively better units. Higher grade units may well be better suited for our purposes, as they may not nuisance trip for instance, due to the capacitor in a single phase motor (your pumps), or other highly inductive loads such as fluorescent lighting ballasts. They say the nuisance tripping has been dealt with, and most GFCI's from the 80's have been replaced at one point or another, but still encounter motors and fluorescents nuisance tripping them--not in every case, but often enough.

 

[kcress]

Any recommendations as to what is a good gfci receptacle to use for a reef tank.

Any preference in brands eg. cooper or leviton in regards to reliability.

Also is there a big difference in grades of receptacles eg. hospital grade, industrial grade or weather resistant grades in terms of reliability, less apt to false trip etc.

Cooper, Leviton, and Hubbel. Any American brand. Stay as far away from the cheap cr@p odd named ones as you can. They're risky. Classical Chinese junk. I put in a "King something" recently and two days later it caught on fire and self destructed while I was standing next to it talking on the phone. NOTHING was even plugged into it. I'm glad I was around to throw the breaker I don't know where that would've ended up.

 

[ek9vboi]

I use Leviton units with the built-in night light. It's a nice feature, helps keep the area around my tank lit at night so drunk people do not stumble around. lol

 

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I use Leviton - just the common version available at hardware stores. Seem to have a good reputation and I've never had an issue with one. I had a cheap imported Home Depot budget special GFCI on a FW system years ago and it nuisance tripped constantly, until I replaced it (with a Leviton).

If you're thinking about wiring for a reef tank, I'd think about using multiple GFCIs wired independently from each other - even if they're on the same circuit, you'll avoid taking out the entire tank if one trips. I planned mine such that equipment is separated by function - I have two heaters and they're on separate GFCIs. I have two pumps (a closed loop and a return pump) and they're on separate GFCIs. And so on. This way, if any one GFCI trips, I still have at least part of each major function on the tank.

 

[TL1000RSquid]

Regular Leviton here as well, haven't had any issues with them.

 

[NirvanaFan]

I've always used the regular Leviton ones from the hardware store too. I've never had a problem with them.

 

[sammy77]

I have never used a GCFI on my Fowlr tanks in the past. I'm in the process of starting another Fowlr(220gal) Do you recommend installing one that much? It will be almost impossible for me to replace it if it ever went bad because not only would it be buried behind my stand, the wall that the tank will sit in front of is covered in stone....

 

[jkienzpac]

I use Leviton - just the common version available at hardware stores. Seem to have a good reputation and I've never had an issue with one. I had a cheap imported Home Depot budget special GFCI on a FW system years ago and it nuisance tripped constantly, until I replaced it (with a Leviton).

If you're thinking about wiring for a reef tank, I'd think about using multiple GFCIs wired independently from each other - even if they're on the same circuit, you'll avoid taking out the entire tank if one trips. I planned mine such that equipment is separated by function - I have two heaters and they're on separate GFCIs. I have two pumps (a closed loop and a return pump) and they're on separate GFCIs. And so on. This way, if any one GFCI trips, I still have at least part of each major function on the tank.

Thanks all,

I am planning on using multiple gfci's but i'am also going to run a controller( possibly apex) so another question I have is given these controllers have 4 or 8 plug power strips this will increase the amount of devices on one gfci ( I believe). I'm still planning on possibly using several power strips to avoid losses but they are expensive and i haven't seen 1 or 2 plug power strips.

 

[ek9vboi]

I have never used a GCFI on my Fowlr tanks in the past. I'm in the process of starting another Fowlr(220gal) Do you recommend installing one that much? It will be almost impossible for me to replace it if it ever went bad because not only would it be buried behind my stand, the wall that the tank will sit in front of is covered in stone....

Yes, they don't go bad as much as they say. Sometimes you read things on the net and your brain automatically picks for the cons instead of pros.

 

[Wildman]

How well do the GFCI breakers work? I had to install arc fault breakers to pass inspection on my house renovation and had my tank hooked up to that circuit. My timers constantly nuisance tripped the breaker. After passing inspection I replaced it with a regular breaker and GFCI outlets.
IMHO arc faults are extremely problematic because every time I turn on or off a light switch it causes and arc. All of mine trip constantly.

 

[sammy77]

How well do the GFCI breakers work? I had to install arc fault breakers to pass inspection on my house renovation and had my tank hooked up to that circuit. My timers constantly nuisance tripped the breaker. After passing inspection I replaced it with a regular breaker and GFCI outlets.
IMHO arc faults are extremely problematic because every time I turn on or off a light switch it causes and arc. All of mine trip constantly.

This is what I'm afraid of.