Kessil

Electrical Adventure

patchin

patchin

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So the evening before we were to go on vacation, the gfci BEHIND our tank lost power. Man, what should we do?? I decided to go to OSH to get a plugin gfci and the heaviest extension cord I could buy and hope. Well things ran just fine that evening, so I left an extra detailed note for my ex, who takes care of things while we are gone. The tank ran fine while we were gone. Didn't lose anything (we had already lost all of our sps before we left). This morning I decided to deal with the gfci behind the tank. I moved the sump and replaced the gfci. Still didn't work. What the heck??? This plug seemed to be the end of the wire run, so I checked the outlet before this one, which worked. It was also the end of a run, both on the same breaker. Boy was I confused. At that point I remembered that the outlet behind the tank was controlled by a wall switch, which was now OFF. When the tank power originally went out, we were both sitting in the room, so the switch had to be on. A ghost?? So anyway, flipped the switch and everything worked, which is good. Can I explained what all happened, no.
How can a gfci go bad and not trip the breaker?
But I'm glad I was able to get the power back on, that extension cord scared me.
 
The GFCI can go "bad" (i.e. stop working as a gFCI, but should still work as a plug unless it's a complete POS constructed piece). However it stop working all together is quite strange, unless of course it tripped (did you bother pressing the reset?).
 
oh, yeah, them suckers are expensive but you don't want to screw around with one especially if you're expecting it to save your life :D

I don't know what kind of lighting you have but it is possible the sudden spikes if you have halides that fire up could potentially do damage... but who knows.
 
Had a wonderful vacation, though. We went to the Mt Hood area of Oregon. Lots of hiking to waterfalls and lakes. Fishing. Even visited Gresham (Ore.)
 
It's not uncommon at all to have MH's turn GFCI useless. At the LFS I worked at we'd replace them every 6 months or so as they'd fuse together like yours did (all buttons stuck, unit no longer works).
 
patchin said:
Had a wonderful vacation, though. We went to the Mt Hood area of Oregon. Lots of hiking to waterfalls and lakes. Fishing. Even visited Gresham (Ore.)
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Shoot, wish I had known you were there. A friend in Portland has had a sign from Gresham for me for well over 20 years now....one of these days I'll grab it :p

Great fishing there, at least when I ahve gone. Did you do a float trip or fish from shore?
 
I didn't even know The city of Gresham existed before the trip. Just rode through it on MAX on the way from Sandy to Portland. We liked the area, so if we go again, before you get there, we'll be sure to get the info from you and pick it up. There are still some things we didn't get to do up there. We really want to take the Oneonta(sp?) Falls hike, which is just past Multnomah Falls. You have to scramble over a jumble of boulders and logs, then wade or swim through waist high water before you get to the falls. Something I want to do with my son.
AFA fishing goes, we told the only place that was fishing well was the Desheutes which was over an hour away. The summer steelhead were running there. We just flyfished the Salmon River, which was very close, caught a few small trout, but it was nice to be out on a river again. We don't get to fish very often. I just loved watching the Dippers feeding in the river. Maybe next time we'll spend the money for a drift trip on the Desheutes. It is exciting to catch the big fish. Get the adrenaline flowing.
 
I've drifted most the rivers in OR as my dad did a year long build of a Bed & Breakfast in Eugene. Fishing in OR rocks!!!! Reminds me of what Cali used to be like :)

FWIW the sign is HUGE. It's an formal freeway exit sign my friend saved from a dump :lol:
 
GreshamH said:
It's not uncommon at all to have MH's turn GFCI useless. At the LFS I worked at we'd replace them every 6 months or so as they'd fuse together like yours did (all buttons stuck, unit no longer works).
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GFCI's are available in 15AMP and 20AMP ratings.
I would get the 20AMP ones to maximize the life span.
Salt is the main culprit in many cases.
 
Only get a 20amp if your running a 20amp line & breaker.

FWIW ours were not only 20amp (with 20amp service) but were also protected in waterproof covers. More like splash guards when all said an done, but they never had much corrosion inside them (took many a part). Most looked like the contacts fused which going to a higher rated GFCI wouldn't solve really. It baffled the electricians until we got one that understood the lighting demands of the MH ballasts we had in use.
 
I'd rather be fishing then giving advice :lol:

Oh well, I still have more colonies to frag back today :D
 
Used to (Dad was on local FF club BOD for many years in fact). I mainly spin now just to keep the gear down to a min.
 
I enjoy FF, but am not a great caster. Would probably be better if we went more often. Just good enough to catch a few fish. If I could cast better, I'd probably catch bigger (smarter) trout.
 
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