Reefkeeper PC4

[mushroomhead]

Has anyone had a problem with a PC4 strip going bad? My GFCI keeps tripping whenever it is plugged in, even wth no equipment plugged into its outlets..

 

[n2585722]

Any electronic device can fail. Has it been exposed to salt spray or high humidity?

 

[mushroomhead]

They are mounted in the stand about 18" away from sump. Salt spray has never accumulated on anything on my electric board but I suppose high humidity would exist.

 

[n2585722]

Try unplugging it from the buss. plug back in with power off and see if it still trips gfci. if it trips with power on or off and nothling plugged into it including buss cables then it has to have an issue. At the cost it would probably be time to purchase a new power bar. DA does not make the PC4 anymore. It has been replaced by the PB4. It is a little different. I has more buss power than a PC4. It also has circuitry to make it possible to use CH2 and CH3 with low power inductive loads ( low power pumps ). It does not have a current readback like the PC4.

Salt creep has a bad habbit of getting into the most unlikely places. You may want to look inside and see if there is any corrosion. If so you may want to rethink where the PC4's are mounted. I would not try and repair. It is not worth the risk at $100.

 

[mushroomhead]

The entire system seem to be acting erratically. Both PC4 modules had a blinking status light indicating an overload while the channel lights are off, yet the power is still on at those outlets. There seems to be a bad connection with the bus cables, which is a problem I had when I first installed it. Now both status lights are green and everything is operating normally. But for how long?

 

[n2585722]

If this is a RKE there is a buss error status under system info. Keep an eye on how many buss errors you are getting. The blinking status light indicates no communications with head unit. did all modules do that or just the PC4's.

 

[mushroomhead]

Both pc4's and the sl1 had blinking lights at one time or another.

 

[mushroomhead]

So the support team from DA told me it's most likely the transformer inside the power bar. They are past the warranty period, so I don't know if I want to replace the power bars, or go with an entire new controller. I'd hate to have to replace these every 2-3 yrs.

 

[n2585722]

I still have my original ones since 2008.