Electrical Safety

scallywags

scallywags

New member
So I am up and running (Will be posting pictures soon), and am plugged into a normal wall outlet as my power needs aren't very demanding (35g). I worry about possible splashing onto the outlet. I have a surge protector that is mostly protected and lifted off the ground. I could see a situation when the actually wall outlet might get splashed slightly. I live in an apartment so all the into I have seen has to do a lot with GFCI / breaker box work and i don't think i can really swing anything like that. Any hints or ideas as to protecting the actual wall outlet? Thanks for helping me not set my apartment building on fire!
 
If you have access to the panel putting a GFCI outlet in will only take a few minutes. It is easily reversed when the time comes to move.
 
You don't even need to do panel/outlet work. Just go to Lowes/home depot and buy a gfci outlet adapter. They just plug into a regular outlet and your equipment plugs into it.
 
GFCI is, at least IMO, a mandatory upgrade that you will need to do. Either a plug-in one like mentioned above, or just replace the outlet itself.

To protect the outlet itself from splashes, something as simple as a small sheet of plastic placed between the top of the switchplate and the wall and then allowed to lay over the top of the outlet creating a splash shield would suffice.
 
+1 on the GFCI.

That thing has clicked while I've had my hands in the tank before... A few grey hairs, but that's ok. If I'm going to go I might as well go doing something I love. ;)
 
Do a proper GFCI. But if you're not going to do it, using an outlet away from the tank where no splashing is or leak could reach it, along with a drip loop, provides you with at least some protection. Fashioning some type of drip protection for the power bar under the tank would add some more safety margin. But play it safe. No fish tank is worth death or serious injury.
 
Reef Frog said:
Do a proper GFCI. But if you're not going to do it, using an outlet away from the tank where no splashing is or leak could reach it, along with a drip loop, provides you with at least some protection. Fashioning some type of drip protection for the power bar under the tank would add some more safety margin. But play it safe. No fish tank is worth death or serious injury.
Click to expand...

GFCI - Yes

Drip Loop - Yes

Outlet away from tank - No, because that would require the use of an extension cord. Extension cords are meant for temporary use ONLY and are not meant or designed for permanent use.
 
^ Agree 100%. NO EXTENSION CORDS. Not safe.

I was envisioning a nearby outlet a few feet to the side of this tank, with the OP's tank set up right in front of an outlet, or very near splashing distance. Or possibly as an imperfect interim solution until the electrician can be scheduled.

Many of my electrical components have really long cords & in my house seem to have outlets every 3 feet. I should have been more explicit with my idea. Sorry for any confusion.

Not ideal of course. Not even close. Just pointing out that it would be better than nothing since some folks (not saying the OP) will undoubtably choose not to use non GFCI despite the safety benefit.
 
Just out of curiosity, do you think the designers of those extension cords were meant to work "part time" so to say? The GFCI obviously works...
 
Thing to remember too is if your tank is on a wood stand, any electrical potential in the water has no path to ground until you sick your hand in the tank or sump. Then you are the path to ground, likely through your heart.

Do NOT trust your life to a power strip with a built in surge protector. DO manage to get a gfci on that outlet, have the drip loop, and remember that salt water is very highly conductive. There could even be problems with how your wiring is installed that could lead to a surge coming from something else on that circuit using your body as a path to ground.

Best advice, have an electrician come test to make sure you have a properly grounded circuit and install that gfci for you, although it isn't difficult.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 
There's a reason why they call them X-wives... An extension cord is the least of my problems... Don't THINK too much, it's just a plug and play... GL.
 
Ok, so I'm guilty of not using a GFCI. I tried one a long time ago, but after coming home to the lights, heaters, pumps, etc shut off several times I gave up. I would reset the GFCI, and a few days later it would trip again. I know that means that I had a faulty piece of equipment (likely a heater), but i decided that a piece of equipment could go bad at any time, shutting down the entire tank. For those of you using them, how often do they trip? How do you get around shutting off necessary life sustaining equipment in your reef because one heater is going bad? I suppose a separate GFCI for each piece of equipment would solve this, but it's not very practical. I guess with today's internet capable monitors it's less of an issue, but until I get one I've stayed away from the gfci's.
 
jon99 said:
Ok, so I'm guilty of not using a GFCI. I tried one a long time ago, but after coming home to the lights, heaters, pumps, etc shut off several times I gave up. I would reset the GFCI, and a few days later it would trip again. I know that means that I had a faulty piece of equipment (likely a heater), but i decided that a piece of equipment could go bad at any time, shutting down the entire tank. For those of you using them, how often do they trip? How do you get around shutting off necessary life sustaining equipment in your reef because one heater is going bad? I suppose a separate GFCI for each piece of equipment would solve this, but it's not very practical. I guess with today's internet capable monitors it's less of an issue, but until I get one I've stayed away from the gfci's.
Click to expand...

In my old place I had a GFCI outlet on the wall and it's true, this has happened to me. Woke up one day to everything completely off, no reason why. I haven't yet put a GFCI on my new system in my new place, but something to think about after the latest threads I've seen where people had tank crashes due to power failures. Really need some redundancy either way.
 
I ran 2 separate 20A lines to my DT, and the same in the basement to the fish room. All are GFCI protected and the only one to trip is one of the ones for my DT. It will sometimes trip when I plug the return pump back in after water changes.

In order to avoid shutting down the entire system, I spread the various life support equipment (especially return pump and power heads)between them so that should one trip while I'm away there will still be circulation. Lights, if they go out, won't spell the end of the system. Neither will heat, unless it is for an extended period and it's VERY cold. Circulation, or lack thereof and the resulting lack of oxygen, on the other hand, can quickly start a domino effect that can take down a system in fairly short order.
 
The outlet-type GFCI can definitely go bad and have to be periodically replaced. Happens in my restaurant kitchen, they just start tripping a lot without any real need. Then we replace them. I'm told (no data or experience) that the GFCI circuit breakers you can install in the panel are more durable. That's what I'm installing on my current build. We'll see.
 
Tanks in apartment setting often run on a single room circuit to a 15amp breaker.

Let's do the math: The max watts on a 15 amp circuit is 15X120 = 1800 watts. The max continuous load should not exceed 80%, which is 12 amps or 1440 watts.

Know your load before you load!

Food for thought.
 
Are extension cords really terrible? I was going to use an extension cord to connect the power strip in my stand to the outlet in the wall. The outlet is not GCFI (needs to be remedied) but I wanted to use the extension cord to make a drip loop. Just getting into the hobby and somewhat terrible at electric things beyond the obvious (don't stick a fork in it, don't let water get into it).
 
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