Ryan S February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 (edited) I plan on using a single outlet in my living for my new tank. You can see it here. I am going to have 2 EB8's running into it that will be mounted on the wall. I've never used a GFCI before, is this something that I could install in my apartment on my own? I have access to the breaker box, so I think I can kill the power to the outlet. Is it a "simple" swap procedure, or is it some-what complicated? (IE: Should I pay someone $50 to install it for me?) Or should I just get something like this and call it good? Or should I skip GFCI protection entirely? Edited February 9, 2012 by Ryan S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wvreef February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 what u have the link to will work as long as you do not go over 12amps going thru it.... do u have any electrical experience at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGKS February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 (edited) I have the exact same one located on my tank. I wouldn't skip it. The one from HD is the easy, plus you get multiple outlets. Replacing a outlet with a GFI is a tad bit harder, but once you turn off the power you just swap them out, but it also depends the age of the system. Some have the third ground while older ground to the box. I went with the box because of the number of outlets. Edited February 9, 2012 by EGKS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Omair February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 Ryan, I have a GFCI socket that's wired into a grounded plug that you can use. Stop by whenever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S February 9, 2012 Author Share February 9, 2012 do u have any electrical experience at all? none really. which is why the plug-in one looks perfect! i don't think i'll have a problem staying under 15 amps for my equipment. all i have are led lights/vortech/mag pump/a couple maxi jets/heater - thats it for electric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYfan78 February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 Not to hack the thread, but i just got shocked last night changing the filter pad. I have a Red Sea Max 130. I dont see that link... would something like whts in the link work fo rme. i have no idea how many amps im using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYfan78 February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 BTW i see the link now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RubberFrog February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 That sure makes it easy and convenient! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Puckstable February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 I have the exact same one located on my tank. I wouldn't skip it. The one from HD is the easy, plus you get multiple outlets. Replacing a outlet with a GFI is a tad bit harder, but once you turn off the power you just swap them out, but it also depends the age of the system. Some have the third ground while older ground to the box. I went with the box because of the number of outlets. Are you experiencing any nuisance tripping at all? That is the one complaint I keep reading about using a GFCI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 Are you experiencing any nuisance tripping at all? That is the one complaint I keep reading about using a GFCI. Some items like T5 lighting will cause nuisance tripping. Other items like pumps, powerheads, and heaters shouldn't. What you think is nuisance tripping could also be a sign something is starting to fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 I plan on using a single outlet in my living for my new tank. You can see it here. I am going to have 2 EB8's running into it that will be mounted on the wall. I've never used a GFCI before, is this something that I could install in my apartment on my own? I have access to the breaker box, so I think I can kill the power to the outlet. Is it a "simple" swap procedure, or is it some-what complicated? (IE: Should I pay someone $50 to install it for me?) Or should I just get something like this and call it good? Or should I skip GFCI protection entirely? I wouldn't skip GFCI protection as it's important to protect yourself (and your tank) from shocks and possibly worse. The Mag pump you're using is submersible, making it that much more important to protect yourself. First of all, you'll need to check the circuit breaker for what amp it is. If it's not matched properly, it will trip every time the power has a hiccup. This is true for both the replacement socket and the power center you're looking at. As far as difficulty, it's very easy to replace one. All you need to know how to do is turn the breaker off, unscrew the socket, and replace it. The wiring is the same for both a GFCI and a regular socket. If you've happen to have a double socket, install 2 separate GFCI sockets and run them independently of each other so that when one trips, the other is still going. When you plug things in, plug your pump into one and any other water circulation into the other. That way if one trips, the other will keep your stuff alive. You can even replace your circuit breaker with a GFCI or dual GFCI/Arc Fault breaker if it's the correct kind. Not all of them have the ability to take a new breaker but if you know the brand (look at the breakers and they'll have some sort of lettering on them - my house has Square D (it's a D with a box around it) but those don't take either the Arc Fault or Ground Fault so I had to install a new box. For one that trips easily, there's an issue with either the socket or something plugged into it and I'd investigate why and replace it. It's also possible that you have too much juice running through the rating for that socket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davelin315 February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 FYI, I did mine with some help from Brian Ward. He came over and consulted and I put it in myself. I had one issue with it when I had a wire that got nicked from the main to the sub box and it arced when I flipped it (next time I flipped it I used a broomstick and stood far away and shied away). Each of my sockets is an individual GFCI and the breakers are all Arc Fault. If you pay someone $50 to do it, they're most likely not a licensed electrician and are just a hobbyist so you're just as good off doing it with someone else's help for free - I have yet to meet an electrician who will do a job like that for just $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 Not to hack the thread, but i just got shocked last night changing the filter pad. I have a Red Sea Max 130. I dont see that link... would something like whts in the link work fo rme. i have no idea how many amps im using. The GFCI would prevent a shock but if the current leakage is very very mild you may still feel it but not have the GFCI trip. The body can feel something around 1mA but fibrillation will start to happen around 60mA. A GFCI is designed to trip at 6mA for class A and 20mA for class B. So you can see that a GFCI will save your life but there is still a range below 6mA when you would feel a mild tingle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 This is another option which I use. Sometimes I don't want all my oulets as GFCI's so this lets me just protect the items I want to. http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=202510249&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=202510249&cm_mmc=shopping%2d%5f%2dgooglebase%2d%5f%2dD27X%2d%5f%2d202510249 Also, I recommend splitting things up on seperate GFCI's so if one does trip not everything is shut off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGKS February 9, 2012 Share February 9, 2012 Are you experiencing any nuisance tripping at all? That is the one complaint I keep reading about using a GFCI. Not yet. Been running it for about 6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDReef February 10, 2012 Share February 10, 2012 Just make your own portable GFCI. They are cheap and easy to make. Take a look here. I have used the store bought GFCI outlets that plug directly into the wall socket and every one of them has tripped when the power goes out or blips off for a second. Having your entire tank shut off for a short power outage and not come back on can be a royal pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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