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GFCI and power strip questions

MontanaBay

MontanaBay

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Hi All,

So I need a power strip for my 40Gal.

I will be running a 1x 150watt lighting, 1x 150watt heater, 2x Koralina III, and 2x maxijet pumps. Is it cool to put these all on one strip? How about a DJ power strip, people seem to like these, any models/brands worth suggesting? I've seen a few DIY GFCI type strip/boxes. Any commercial products that are GFCI?

Thanks,

Josh
 
I have been used nothing but the Chauvet DJ power panels in the past year and a half or so, and I am very happy with them - zero problems. It makes it much easier to turn things on and off on a regular basis without unplugging them! I've found all 3 of mine on eBay for about $30.
My house outlet is not a GFCI outlet, so I will ordering one of these in the coming weeks:
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idproduct~TW38085~idCartRow~13627105~isKit~0.html
These also have a single one, for half the price:
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~category~Tower_Shock_Buster_Portable_GFCI_Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies_Miscellaneous_GFCI_Cords___Grounding_Probes~vendor~Tower_Manufacturing~SearchStr~gfci~action~view~idProduct~TW39013~idCategory~FIMIGF.html

I am curious as well as to whether or not we would be good to just plug the DJ power strip into a GFCI outlet, or need one for every single appliance we're running - so I'm tagging along on this thread, as for my new set-up I was thinking of just plugging the DJ power strip into a GFCI adaptor.
 
I love my DJ powerstrip, finally hooked it up after holding onto it for quite a while... man it's slick.

I forget the brand that I got, but I can't imagine they're terribly different. As to the GFCI yeah you can get a plug version (go home depot before DFS though, I can't imagine DFS is cheaper). One will protect the whole power strip, however I have had issues in the past with a magnetic ballast tripping the GFCI almost every time the lights went out, it got so bad that I didn't even hook the lights up to it anymore, still didn't figure out why exactly it was doing it.
 
Electronic ballasts can do it as well Mike. If my power shuts off during the MH time and it turns back on my GFCI trips every time. Only when the bubls are cool enough will it even attempt start up with out tripping :(
 
Awfully convenient eh Mike?
so we're good to just plug the entire panel into one GFCI, and all the equipment plugged into the panel will be protected right?
 
Why not just replace the outlet with a GFCI, then plug the DJ panel into the GFCI outlet? If wired correctly you should only need 1 GFCI for a circuit then all plugs on the circuit are GFCI protected. Important thing is to make sure it is in front of the rest of the plugs in the circuit and that the load and line wires are connected correctly. That is to say you don't necessarily need to do what some people do and put a GFCI at multiple outlets if they are on the same circuit.
 
I had same GFI problems, to a point where i had replaced the 'bad' GFI that kept tripping, but the new GFI tripped just as much, so I got rid of the GFI's altogether. Now when I go on vacation I don't have to worry about it tripping and causing a tank crash. I just increased the risk, probably negligible anyway, about shocking myself.

The DJ powerstrip is great, plugging it into 1 GFI might work, just check how much amperage would turn on all at once and check the ballasts like mentioned before to make sure it doesn't trip. I think it's best to replace the outlet in the wall with a GFI one (I can give you one of my old ones if you want it) instead of adding another cord. replacing the outlet in the wall is a quick project, just be sure circuit is off.
 
One problem with entire circuit GFCI...see mine and Mikes posts for reasons why not to :)

If you do have a trip and you are not home to re-trip it, guess what won't have power until you do?

Take what happened to me this summer. I have multiple GFCI's. At one point they where for system parts, like one for lighting, one for pumps, etc. Now I still have multiple but they run different tanks. This summer we had all those fires near SC which knocked out my power. I was away camping for 4 days when it went down. For some reason my lights didn't trip off but my water circulation GFCI did. I had lights for 4 days but no water movement. Lost a TON of stuff and I still am recovering :(
 
[quote author=sfsuphysics link=topic=5241.msg64753#msg64753 date=1226963846]
I love my DJ powerstrip, finally hooked it up after holding onto it for quite a while... man it's slick.

I forget the brand that I got, but I can't imagine they're terribly different. As to the GFCI yeah you can get a plug version (go home depot before DFS though, I can't imagine DFS is cheaper). One will protect the whole power strip, however I have had issues in the past with a magnetic ballast tripping the GFCI almost every time the lights went out, it got so bad that I didn't even hook the lights up to it anymore, still didn't figure out why exactly it was doing it.

[/quote]

I'm confuzzled - when the MH goes out, it trips the GFCI?
 
[quote author=seminolecpa link=topic=5241.msg64777#msg64777 date=1226967200]
Why not just replace the outlet with a GFCI, then plug the DJ panel into the GFCI outlet? If wired correctly you should only need 1 GFCI for a circuit then all plugs on the circuit are GFCI protected. [/quote]

Problem with putting the DJ panel (where all your equipments are plug in) to GFCI is when it trips you lost all power to your equipment. I suggest multiple GFCI to seperate your return pump and powerheads. You can also distribute your lightings say one halide connected to GFCI-1 and the other halide connected to another GFCI-2. Powerheads connected to GFCI-1 and return pump connected to GFCI-2.

[quote author=CookieJar link=topic=5241.msg64781#msg64781 date=1226967355]
I had same GFI problems, to a point where i had replaced the 'bad' GFI that kept tripping, but the new GFI tripped just as much, so I got rid of the GFI's altogether. Now when I go on vacation I don't have to worry about it tripping and causing a tank crash. I just increased the risk, probably negligible anyway, about shocking myself.
[/quote]

You need to find which device is causing the GFI to trip. Most of the time it will be the mh, pc or vho ballast will cause to trip the GFI. Once you find w/c device causing to trip the GFI you move that device to and plug it directly to the wall. Again, I also suggest using multiple GFCI. So that when one GFCI fails you'll still have a pump/powerhead and light on your tank.
 
If your lights aren't on a GFCI and your reflectors are not grounded, watch out touching them when your wet ;)
 
[quote author=xinumaster link=topic=5241.msg64801#msg64801 date=1226968209]
[quote author=seminolecpa link=topic=5241.msg64777#msg64777 date=1226967200]
Why not just replace the outlet with a GFCI, then plug the DJ panel into the GFCI outlet? If wired correctly you should only need 1 GFCI for a circuit then all plugs on the circuit are GFCI protected. [/quote]

Problem with putting the DJ panel (where all your equipments are plug in) to GFCI is when it trips you lost all power to your equipment. I suggest multiple GFCI to seperate your return pump and powerheads. You can also distribute your lightings say one halide connected to GFCI-1 and the other halide connected to another GFCI-2. Powerheads connected to GFCI-1 and return pump connected to GFCI-2.

[quote author=CookieJar link=topic=5241.msg64781#msg64781 date=1226967355]
I had same GFI problems, to a point where i had replaced the 'bad' GFI that kept tripping, but the new GFI tripped just as much, so I got rid of the GFI's altogether. Now when I go on vacation I don't have to worry about it tripping and causing a tank crash. I just increased the risk, probably negligible anyway, about shocking myself.
[/quote]

You need to find which device is causing the GFI to trip. Most of the time it will be the mh, pc or vho ballast will cause to trip the GFI. Once you find w/c device causing to trip the GFI you move that device to and plug it directly to the wall. Again, I also suggest using multiple GFCI. So that when one GFCI fails you'll still have a pump/powerhead and light on your tank.
[/quote]

Would I be better off getting two of these:
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~category~Tower_Shock_Buster_Portable_GFCI_Saltwater_Aquarium_Supplies_Miscellaneous_GFCI_Cords___Grounding_Probes~vendor~Tower_Manufacturing~SearchStr~gfci~action~view~idProduct~TW39013~idCategory~FIMIGF.html

One can be for just my MH
and the other can be for my dj power strip
Would this work better than getting 1 multiple gfci adaptor?
 
Oh Gresham? I wasn't sure that electronic ballast did it too... the plot thickens!

[quote author=A_Lee link=topic=5241.msg64794#msg64794 date=1226967843]
[quote author=sfsuphysics link=topic=5241.msg64753#msg64753 date=1226963846]
I love my DJ powerstrip, finally hooked it up after holding onto it for quite a while... man it's slick.

I forget the brand that I got, but I can't imagine they're terribly different. As to the GFCI yeah you can get a plug version (go home depot before DFS though, I can't imagine DFS is cheaper). One will protect the whole power strip, however I have had issues in the past with a magnetic ballast tripping the GFCI almost every time the lights went out, it got so bad that I didn't even hook the lights up to it anymore, still didn't figure out why exactly it was doing it.

[/quote]

I'm confuzzled - when the MH goes out, it trips the GFCI?
[/quote]
Well I'm not sure why, its something that doesn't always happen apparently either. But the way a GFCI works (or at least they used to, something may have changed) they measure how much current goes into the circuit (hot plug) and how much current comes out (neutral plug), and if those two are the same it's all good. Now if you happen to be blow drying your hair while taking a bath and the blow drier falls into the tub some of that current goes through you, rather that the plug as a result the circuit trips and cuts all power off. It does this very fast also on the order of 30-40 milliseconds and for small current changes on the order of a few milliamps.

So my theory is there's some sort of delay in the discharge of the high amperage lighting which some how trips the circuit. Doubly so if there's a capacitor in the circuit since there is a finite time that it takes for it to discharge, the larger the capacitor (in the case of metal halide bulbs) the longer it takes to discharge...

I run on the dangerous side myself as a result, and don't use GFCI circuits.
 
[quote author=MontanaBay link=topic=5241.msg64843#msg64843 date=1226970326]
have you guys done this DIY style? Get a small electrical box and mount 3 independent GFCI each with their own DJ switch?
[/quote]
Depending upon how the plugs are wired, one GFCI might take care of all the plugs, and as a result make the other GFCIs expensive $12-15 plugs
 
[quote author=sfsuphysics link=topic=5241.msg64862#msg64862 date=1226974463]
Oh Gresham? I wasn't sure that electronic ballast did it too... the plot thickens!

[quote author=A_Lee link=topic=5241.msg64794#msg64794 date=1226967843]
[quote author=sfsuphysics link=topic=5241.msg64753#msg64753 date=1226963846]
I love my DJ powerstrip, finally hooked it up after holding onto it for quite a while... man it's slick.

I forget the brand that I got, but I can't imagine they're terribly different. As to the GFCI yeah you can get a plug version (go home depot before DFS though, I can't imagine DFS is cheaper). One will protect the whole power strip, however I have had issues in the past with a magnetic ballast tripping the GFCI almost every time the lights went out, it got so bad that I didn't even hook the lights up to it anymore, still didn't figure out why exactly it was doing it.

[/quote]

I'm confuzzled - when the MH goes out, it trips the GFCI?
[/quote]
Well I'm not sure why, its something that doesn't always happen apparently either. But the way a GFCI works (or at least they used to, something may have changed) they measure how much current goes into the circuit (hot plug) and how much current comes out (neutral plug), and if those two are the same it's all good. Now if you happen to be blow drying your hair while taking a bath and the blow drier falls into the tub some of that current goes through you, rather that the plug as a result the circuit trips and cuts all power off. It does this very fast also on the order of 30-40 milliseconds and for small current changes on the order of a few milliamps.

So my theory is there's some sort of delay in the discharge of the high amperage lighting which some how trips the circuit. Doubly so if there's a capacitor in the circuit since there is a finite time that it takes for it to discharge, the larger the capacitor (in the case of metal halide bulbs) the longer it takes to discharge...

I run on the dangerous side myself as a result, and don't use GFCI circuits.

[/quote]

Good to know I am not the only one not using a GFCI on one of my tanks ;)
But on this new tank I will be setting up I plan to.
 
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