Thank God for GFCI!

[H20Sidhe]

And thank you Minh!

I was dosing some Mg using the same I.V. bag I've used for the last 5 years. The plastic hanger broke & the I.V. bag fell, dumping about 2 cups of Mg-water onto the floor - and onto a powerstrip which had several things plugged into it. The GFCI instantly cut the power.

I don't want to think what might have happened if I didn't have a GFCI installed. Even though I know how important it is, I was still procrastinating on installing one. Minh gently & firmly insisted that I stop procrastinating just a couple of weeks ago.

Any of you still procrastinating - please get your GFCI protection ASAP!

 

[Unarce]

Glad you're okay, Sherie! Haven't had a mishap yet, but I feel good knowing I'm hooked up to a GFCI, too.

 

[bkmorris]

yikes... no fried animals (primates included)! glad you were prepared.

 

[lilleahseafreak]

what is it? how easy is this thing to install? i would like to avoid a zip-zap-mishaps, i am prone to such problems. my d@mn hotglue gun fried on me just the other night * POP-FIZZ-SPARKS-FLAME-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!!!! at least i was not holding it when it did that and i don't know what scared me more, the gluegun or the fricken loud old smoke detector.
plus with my small tanks i heard poping sounds and found a drip on the powerstrip and i used a 3 way little extension cord and it git wet and when i found it the plugs had melted off...

seriously i have no idea what a GFCI is

 

[DrDNA]

FWIW, I have seen powerstrips with a GFCI that you can plug into a regular outlet to give the strip GFCI protection, think I saw them at Home Depot. Might be easier than replacing outlets, sometimes the GFCI outlets are a P.I.A. to fit back into the box.

 

[funman1]

Glad to hear you had one installed!!!

The Dr. is correct either will work, the stip is easiest but not the best. Something is better then nothing.

Come to next months meeting and learn all about GFCI's I will be doing a presentation on "Electircal Safety in the Aquarium Hobby"

Brief desciption "If more power is leaving the plug than is coming back IE: you are getting fried, then it trips"

It's a bit more complex but come to the meeting


~Steve~

 

[Marc Daniels]

Steve-
Can't you have GFCI instaled at the breaker box so it protects the entire circuit?

 

[funman1]

Yep you can do that too.
But they are usually much more expensive, and sometimes hard to find your panel brand. I don't think they make Zinsco GFCI's and LOTS of people have these panels.

 

[Wee-Reef Master]

GFCI's are a MUST for everyone on this board! lilleahseafreak, it's a simple device that cuts power when it detects irregularity or disturbance in the circuit. You can get one that simply plugs into the wall outlet, at which point you plug your regular cord into it.

For a long time now I've been BEGGING for GFCI's to be included in the raffle, do a group buy, something.....anything!!! If I had the resources and the wherewithal, I'd do it myself. But I think that this is a worthy and responsive club activity.

 

[JAnwyl]

When i was in College I didn't have an adequate drip loop for all my cords. I had an issue with a refugium overflowing and the water dripped down the cords into the electrical outlet. This burned out the outlet and luckily didn't start a fire. There was a 8 inch +/- black burnt area in a circle on the wall around that outlet. That was how I learned the GFCI lesson.

-Jared

I learned the hard way........but I was rather lucky!!

 

[Reefugee]

GFCI wall outlet are very easy to install. The whole process will probably take about 10-15 minutes. The nice thing about the wall version is that it will also protect any outlet downstream of the GFCI outlet.

I use a combination of wall outlet GFCI, powerstrip GFCI (expensive) and small little adapter GFCI. Regardless of what you do - just get a GFCI switch.

Instruction on how to install a GFCI outlet
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=802223&highlight=GFCI

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

 

[Reefugee]

Sherie - I am glad that I was able to annoy you enough to get the outlet installed. ;-)

 

[H20Sidhe]

Yeah - and keeping me alive to annoy others! :lol:

 

[tfp]

Gfci's are essential around any water. i had my mishap last summer. please, get one if you don't have one in place.

 

[funman1]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9231482#post9231482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Wee-Reef Master
For a long time now I've been BEGGING for GFCI's to be included in the raffle, do a group buy, something.....anything!!!

I bought 4 GFCI's today for the raffel
2 for this month and two for next month.

I need to talk to the BOG, but I would like to make a seperate ticket bin for these GFCI's, so people who don't have them can win them, and people who already have them won't end up winning them.

 

[Wee-Reef Master]

Funman1,

Excellent idea and great work.....thank heaven!!!

 

[jlfnjlf]

This is how I learned that a GFCI is a must.

I am so glad I was home when the leak started. Man it was loud and smoky.