my ground fault current interupter works!

[Folta]

Well, it was bound to happen. Electricity + Water + Time = Disaster.

 

I'm transferring things from my 55 to the 180, and catch my clownfish. Bag him up, and start floating him in the 180. Sit back down at my computer for a bit.. then look over.. the bag floated from the left side of the tank to the far right side (I pushed the left half's tek fixture back, but the right one was still all the way forward).

 

"Crap", I thought. I don't want that! I better move him back to the left. So I lift the far right side of the far right fixture to grab the bag. I forgot that the left side of the fixture isn't actually on the cross beam, but the beam is a little further in. In other words:

 

<========> (Fixture)

.......|............| (Crossbeams)

 

So, it acts kinda like a seesaw... right side goes up, left side goes DOWN.... into the water, while I have my hand in the water.

 

PHESSSSHHHHWWWWW!!! :idea2: :wall: :wall: :wall:

 

Now, its pitch dark, I have my hand in the water and the fixture in the other hand and I'm standing on a chair. I find my way to the plug and unplug the power strip from the wall. I make my way to the circuit breakers. None flipped. I flip off and back on the one that is for the room with the tank in it, just for good measure. I go back.. nothing works!

 

It takes a few minutes of panic to realize that the circuit breaker is no longer the only thing that can trip for this room, see that the gfci did in fact trip.

 

Anyway, everything is now back on and running. And now I know for a fact my GFCI works

[dhoch]

That GFCI probably saved you from one pretty big shock!!!

:speechless:

 

Dave

[flowerseller]

When I used to give propagation talks for shops in Gaithersburg, I was always asked what I thought as the first piece of or most important piece of equipment to get was.

I always said GFI and got more laughs or "aw come on".

 

Glad you got one Tim.

You'd have gotten more than a shock from those lights.

[Grav]

Chip is right.

 

IMHO a Ground probe is the #2 item. This way even if your hand isn't in the water YOU are NOT the path of least resistance to the ground. Also eliminates any stray static that can irritate fish and coral.

[Guest Kimo]

That GFCI saved your life.

 

Smart move using one

 

Good luck with the tank.

 

Jamie

[emissary]

I made sure with my re-designed fish room that every outlet in there was GFI

[HowardofNOVA]

Tim,

Congrats on keeping your wife from having a big sale on fish stuff next week! :D

Always nice to confirm hard lessons, this easily!

Got another tip for you, don't grab MH light fixtures with wet hands! :afro: :stars:

....well, that's what I've HEARD!

[ErikS]

I always said GFI and got more laughs or "aw come on".

Hmmmmm....sounds like some "Darwin Award" candidates to me I guess they figure that code mandating GFCI in wet locations is just silly too.

 

Hey Tim....ah.....um...you do know there's a test button on the outlets, right? No need to risk life & limb on a test. :D

 

Should be reef rule #1 - one GFCI per circuit is mandatory.

 

I made sure with my re-designed fish room that every outlet in there was GFI

FWIW - only 1 GFCI per circuit is necessary as they protect everything "downstream".....not that overkill is a bad thing :D (mostly for those who use the excuse it's so expensive )

[Folta]

I actually have gfci's doubled up in a couple places. It was one of those forgetting I had one on that circuit, installed another, realized I had one already but was like "eh, two can't hurt" deals.

 

Eriks - pssh! Using the 'test' button isn't the 'manly' way to do it! Besides, the test button might be broken, or worse yet the test button ok but the actual tripping of the gfci faulty! Just had to make sure

 

lol... Howard, I wouldn't think there would be much of a fish sale if it killed me.. as the gfci wouldn't have been reset, and all the fish would be dead by now too :/

 

 

I don't understand why anyone wouldn't have one.. I mean you can even buy the plug in ones (no install necessary) for like 12 bucks from hellolights!

 

"GFCI for sale! Only 12 dollars! No complicated installation! Will save your life! GFCI for sale!"

 

"hhmmmm.... saving my life is good.. but 12 dollars? I think I'll take my chances.. I have good reflexes!"

[ErikS]

Eriks - pssh! Using the 'test' button isn't the 'manly'...........

 

"hhmmmm.... saving my life is good.. but 12 dollars? I think I'll take my chances.. I have good reflexes!"

 

ROTFLMAO!

 

had one already but was like "eh, two can't hurt" deals

 

Yep, too many = overkill, too few = dead..........I'll take the former please!

[HowardofNOVA]

Tim,

The shock would have gone through you SENDING you across the room, fish would have been fine.

YOU on the other hand would have been THROTTLED, by your wife for getting a better curl in your hair then she! :D

And just for SPITE, would have sold everything while you where at work!

 

 

......or something like that!

[martin]

Well, pre GFI I had a JBJ power head that was sending current into the water., I got a tingle at first. Didn't hurt much. Then I put one hand in the tank with the short and one in another tank while bare foot on a cement floor. It was like the cartoons, I was frozen in place and convulsing. That may have saved me, I must have broke contact with the water surface while convulsing. My body hurt all over and it felt like I pulled some muscles as well. My brother, who is a contractor, said it could have easly killed me. Sure felt like it to me.

 

Grounding probes, GFI, and if it tingles when I touch the glass-I don't further test it with my hands. No more JBJ pumps either.

 

Crash in on armed drugs dealers--fun stuff--die working on fish tank, thats no good.