GFCI outlet help

[ganjero]

I am trying to change the outlet for my fish tank to a GFCI outlet but I am having issues. I wired the new outlet the same way as as the previous one but the outlet will not work unless a light switch in the same room is on. The light switch now turns on the outlet only, the lights do not come on.
The previous outlet did not work this way, I actually reinstalled the old outlet for now and it works fine (independent from the light switch).
How can a fix thi issue?
Thanks

 

[MJNTWise]

Can you take a pic of the wires hook to the outlet.

 

[max6297]

You have switched the switch leg for the light with the wire you have going to the outlet. the white wire for the outlet goes on the silver screw. Switch the wires. I would not put a GFCI on your tank anyway. They do not do well with pumps. If it trips out when you are not home then you will have no power in your tank.

 

[Ted_C]

You have switched the switch leg for the light with the wire you have going to the outlet. the white wire for the outlet goes on the silver screw. Switch the wires. I would not put a GFCI on your tank anyway. They do not do well with pumps. If it trips out when you are not home then you will have no power in your tank.

While I might agree with your first comment - your second comment has me scratching my head. Do you have any evidence or sauce on why a pump may not work with a GFI? If your pump is leaking current to the point the GFI is getting tripped - time to invest in a new pump.

Your working with saltwater and electricity - disregard the above and always use a GFI on everything you can. Your safety is alot more important than tripping a GFI when your not home (which should never happen).

Now if your talking about those GFI's you can plug into a normal wall outlet - those things are junk and should not be used. On power loss - they require a manual reset.

 

[Seagars]

^^^^^+1

 

[CuzzA]

Max6297 you are dead wrong about not using a GFCI and that is bad advice. There's plenty of threads online about house fires and dead electrocuted hobbyists from not using protected circuits and grounding probes.

http://www.marineaquariumsa.com/general-discussions/32580-herkie.html

https://joejaworski.wordpress.com/2007/09/06/aquarist-found-dead/

Ganjero, a picture of the wiring or illustration will help. But some common issues people have are as follows... The outlet has to be wired correctly, unlike a standard outlet, the AC in (line) is installed in the top terminals and the wires feeding (load) the next outlet are installed in the bottom terminals. (Always install common to silver and hot to brass and of course the ground). The GFCI should have a label on it. Also, if there is a fault (lack of ground) somewhere else in your wire run (another outlet/switch) the GFCI won't operate properly.

Here's some troubleshooting info. http://www.thecircuitdetective.com/gfis.htm#bad

 

[CuzzA]

GFCI outlet help

I'll also add that there are a few ways to prevent a tank crash from a tripped GFCI.

Split the tanks life support equipment between two circuits. Redundancy is a good idea. My new build has two returns pumps and obviously multiple power heads.

Install an automatic battery backup. Here's my "how to" thread. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2440002. Go to post #19 for more detailed info.

And finally if you have a controller be sure to register it with Reeftronics. They will send you an email or text if Reeftronics cannot communicate with your controller after one hour.

 

[ganjero]

I will take a picture tonight. I forgot to mention in my first post that I tried "switching" the wiring (I tried load up and line bottom, and line up and load bottom) and that did not fix the issue, it just changed the outlet to be dependent of a different light switch in the room :hmm3:

I am not sure if the issue is how the light switches (or entire circuit) are wired.

 

[Ted_C]

It's probably a three way light switch wiring set-up - in which case - yes - you'd need to have one of the switches on to complete the circuit.

 

[ganjero]

If that is the case wouldn't the regular receptacle be dependent of the light switch too?

 

[ganjero]

Issue was fixed Jake's help.

Thank you