GFCI help

bluenassarius

retired algae slanger
hey guys..

i'm currently staying at an apartment. theres no gfci on the outlet.. is there something i can do to hook one up there?
 
Sam,

You could purchase one of those "plug in" GFCI outlet. Home Depot carries them, but they are crap. I have one that works really well. I'll try to find it and give you the brand. Also - there are surge suppressors with built in GFCI, but they are a little pricey. The last option is just replace the wall outlet with a GFCI (assuming you have a circuit breaker for that outlet).

Minh
 
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Ok. Found the one I have.

http://www.aquatichouse.com/Maintenance_files/shockbuster.asp

It looks like this:
Shockbuster9011.jpg


but the part number I have is different from what they have. The one I have seems very stable and has tripped except for when I have spilled saltwater on the powerstrip. :p The one that I got from Home Depot seems to trip ALL the time. Maybe I just am unlucky and got a defective one.
 
I believe the Shock Busters that Refugee posted are available through Lowes. I have similar ones from Home depot. I think that as long as you don'tdrive them to point of total amp capacity, they should work fine, I've never had mine accidently trip in the 10 months I've been using it (estimated 6-7 amps running through it).
 
The one that I got from HD was running a small pump. It tripped everytime you unplug or plug something back in. Total piece of junk.

Sam - if you need help installing a GFCI outlet, let me know and I can probably help. Once we find the breaker, it should only take a few minutes.
 
my experience with those "plug-in" gfci's has been the same :(. after seeing steve's electrical presentation awhile back, i ran out and bought a few of them and none of them seemed to work well. also, when i simulated a complete tank shut down, they all tripped :mad2:!
 
So which are the most reliable? I bought a couple of the in wall replacments and they are junk. I still need to return them...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14822579#post14822579 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Reefugee
The one that I got from HD was running a small pump. It tripped everytime you unplug or plug something back in. Total piece of junk.

Sam - if you need help installing a GFCI outlet, let me know and I can probably help. Once we find the breaker, it should only take a few minutes.

minh,

i'm at an apartment. i have no idea where the brker is..
 
For in-walls, I have always used the Leviton brand. Never had any problems with them. I purchased them from Home Depot for somewhere around $12-15 each for the 15 amp version. I usually purchase the 3-packs.

Minh
 
It's been a while since I have lived in an apartment, but every apartment I have lived in have had circuit breaker. Sometime it was in the laundy room, sometime in the closet, and one time it was in the water heater closet. Have your maintenance guy show you where it's located.

Like I said - if you need help, let me know.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14823013#post14823013 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bluenassarius
minh,

i'm at an apartment. i have no idea where the brker is..
 
Sam, here is what I did:
wiredGFCI1.jpg


I put it in a 'new construction' 2 gang box (or whatever its called) and it looked like this (but was a plastic box and one outlet was a GFCI).
diy-power-snake.gif


Total cost was about $20 and you now have an extension cord with a non GFCI outlet, and a GFCI outlet. This works very well for my application. I actually have 2 of these and have a DC8 plugged into one GFCI and a DC4HD plugged into the other. This way my equipment is split between two different GFCI circuits.
 
If there is even the slightest question of if something will work I would have a backup. Make sure that you have a pump/powerhead and a heater on a different power source until it is a proven system.
I agree with bored4long-
My 50 gallon has two powerheads and two heaters. I have two different circuits and each runs one heater and one powerhead. The only way I lose all flow and heat is if the whole house loses power. (I know this might not be possible on the smaller tank)
 
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