Grounding probes… Pros and Dangers

[BeanAnimal]

Hubbel or Leviton - build a few small power snakes with regular in-wall GFCIs. That way you don't have a single point of failure. You can use outdoor boxes, plastic bubble covers and cord grips, make them fairly high quality.

I do not use a ground probe and feel they cause more problems than not. eroded pump shafts (external volute like ReeFlo) and other ground loop issues.

 

[Tamberav]

Question

Those text features you just used, I used to have. Now they are disabled. You wouldn't know how to turn them back on, would you?

The 3 dots, each one opens up a different menu with different features.

 

[Doctorgori]

Hubbel or Leviton - build a few small power snakes with regular in-wall GFCIs. That way you don't have a single point of failure. You can use outdoor boxes, plastic bubble covers and cord grips, make them fairly high quality.

No probes? you mind telling us what you recommend then?
In a few other post I thought you sounded more electrically competent than most; I “think” you and someone else sorta schooled us in a thread a few years back, but it’s been a while…

what is a power snake?
are those “plug in” GFCI’s worth a darn?
is there a difference (advantage) between GFCI outlets vs GFCI breaker?
would it be worth it to just GFCI at the box? ( I have one tank that was filled and I can’t change the outlet now)

appreciate any advise

 

[Solo McReefer]

.

 

[Solo McReefer]

Gracias

 

[BeanAnimal]

No probes? you mind telling us what you recommend then?

Honestly - I don't want to head down the ground probe debate rabbit hole... I will simply say that I don't find any substantial benefit and several drawbacks. I prefer induced voltage NOT turn into current instead of giving it a path to do so.

what is a power snake?

Fancy extension cord.

are those “plug in” GFCI’s worth a darn?

Yes - but often more sensitive and nuisance trip prone than traditional double duplex style. Also many plug in types must be reset when plugged in. So a power outage will leave them in an off state after the power comes back on. This is for safety as most are used with power tools or other extension cord type devices that you don't want powering on automatically.

is there a difference (advantage) between GFCI outlets vs GFCI breaker?

A breaker is great, but a single point of failure if it trips.

would it be worth it to just GFCI at the box? ( I have one tank that was filled and I can’t change the outlet now)

Up to you - It would add safety and prevent the need to build a GFCI power cord. But the DIY route allows you to add multiple GFCIs to eliminate the single point of failure.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Something I didn’t mention earlier is that I don’t care about induced voltage. That is the voltage that is produced by pumps and wavemakers, etc. This voltage does not hurt coral in most cases, imo. What I care about is electrical shorts (true “stray voltage”) from broken or corroded equipment. I care about getting shocked or a fire. My tanks don’t trip from the gfci circuits erroneously, but they all use well under 15 amps, and are spread across three circuits.

 

[RelaxingWithTheReef]

I’m in an apartment and use a plug in GFCI that I found at Home Depot around $10 or $15. They seem to work but is there something you would advise to use since you mention high quality? It’s an apartment so I cannot change the outlets but I wasn’t sure if there was specific high quality plug in ones?

I use a couple 3 ft GFCI Extension Cords. They are heavy duty, waterproof, have three outlets with an indicator light built into the end to let you know when it's energized, and UL listed. Something like this will cost a couple extra bucks, but its worth it.

As a final layer of protection, it's always good to use a GFCI Outlet Tester to verify everything is working perfectly.

 

[BillFish Coral Lover]

Thank you for the tutorial. I really appreciate it. And thank you, OP, for the question.

 

[BillFish Coral Lover]

Hubbel or Leviton - build a few small power snakes with regular in-wall GFCIs. That way you don't have a single point of failure. You can use outdoor boxes, plastic bubble covers and cord grips, make them fairly high quality.

Sorry, Bean. I’m not a quick study. Can you describe end-to-end what you’re saying here?

 

[KStatefan]

Sorry, Bean. I’m not a quick study. Can you describe end-to-end what you’re saying here?

Like this but you can use two GFCIs and pigtail to the line side.

 

[OrionN]

I don't know about that "only with a gfci" thing

That's a first I've heard that

A working breaker, at the breaker box, will pop on ground. Or should. If not, that needs to be replaced

The breaker will pop if too much current flow through it (the rated amp of the breaker). If that break tripped because it flows through you, then you are likely to be long gone when it tripped. The GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) tripped whenever there is uneven flow between the positive and negative at the GFCI. It trips with minimal ground fault, some of the current go to ground through you instead of through the negative arm of the circuit, it breaks the circuit and keep you alive.
I have 3 circuits to my fish room, multiple outlets to each point from each of the circuits. I rarely need to use extension cord. Each of the outlet are individually GFCI. If it tripped, only that outlet is tripped instead of the whole circuit, so I only have one or at the most two pieces of equipment stop working rather than a bunch of them. And I don't use ground probe.

 

[OrionN]

Something I didn’t mention earlier is that I don’t care about induced voltage. That is the voltage that is produced by pumps and wavemakers, etc. This voltage does not hurt coral in most cases, imo. What I care about is electrical shorts (true “stray voltage”) from broken or corroded equipment. I care about getting shocked or a fire. My tanks don’t trip from the gfci circuits erroneously, but they all use well under 15 amps, and are spread across three circuits.

Same here. With all GFCI, ground probe is not really needed. I have this tank/fish room running since around 2010, and never get any tingling from loose electricity. The tree circuits is mainly so that when one tripped, it doesn't kill my tank, not that I plan to more electricity from one circuit can handle.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Same here. With all GFCI, ground probe is not really needed. I have this tank/fish room running since around 2010, and never get any tingling from loose electricity. The tree circuits is mainly so that when one tripped, it doesn't kill my tank, not that I plan to more electricity from one circuit can handle.

Yeah, I mainly use the ground probe to complete the circuit and trip the gfci if equipment goes bad. It’ll also prevent an electrical shock (if I reach in the tank without a probe), just before the gfci trips. I have an Apex that will alarm if the tanks aren’t using the correct wattage range. I’d rather know right away if I have a problem. I noticed there are power monitoring smart plugs for those who don’t own a controller as well. That should allow them to use a ground probe and gfci with confidence.

 

[Harpo]

Could the GFCI be on the breaker instead of the wall plug?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

IMO,

Every aquarium should be fully on GFCI.

Ground probes add the following benefits.

1. An exposed live electric wire (such as a broken heater) will immediately trip the GFCI, instead of allowing the issue to persist, potentially electrolytically driving copper into the water if the electricity finds a path to ground through the broken device.

2. This may be just me, but I do not want it to be me that completes the path to ground through my body when I reach into a tank with an exposed live wire. Yes, the GFCI should protect me. As cheap as they are these days, I don’t want to risk my life on a “should”.

FWIW, one can get a strong shock off a GFCI if the electricity path is in and out of the hot and neutral of the same outlet. I tried to unplug something with my hand wet with salt water. Got a substantial shock though that hand without tripping the GFCI.

 

[BeanAnimal]

FWIW, one can get a strong shock off a GFCI if the electricity path is in and out of the hot and neutral of the same outlet. I tried to unplug something with my hand wet with salt water. Got a substantial shock though that hand without tripping the GFCI.

Correct. If you are "insulated" and contact the hot and neutral on the output side of the GFCI, there is no fault. You simply become the load.

Counterintuitively makes the case for working barefoot...

 

[legalizedreefer]

Im in a bit of an inconvenient position here….

My tank is already set up and running for over a year.

I utilize a receptacle directly behind my tank, using low-profile 3 foot extensions. One plug goes off to my apex energy bar and the other to my ADJ-100 power box.

In order to switch the receptacle to GFCI, I would have to empty the tank and move it.
Afterward, any time it trips I’d have to empty the tank and move it again to reset it.

Is there ANYTHING I can do increase my safety?

Could I put an inline GFCI between the extension and the apex bar, ADJ bar, etc?

I imagine this does nothing to protect the circuit between the wall plug and the inline GFCI, meaning if I had a tank leak out the back directly on to the wall receptacle I’d still be screwed, right?

 

[Reefer Matt]

Im in a bit of an inconvenient position here….

My tank is already set up and running for over a year.

I utilize a receptacle directly behind my tank, using low-profile 3 foot extensions. One plug goes off to my apex energy bar and the other to my ADJ-100 power box.

In order to switch the receptacle to GFCI, I would have to empty the tank and move it.
Afterward, any time it trips I’d have to empty the tank and move it again to reset it.

Is there ANYTHING I can do increase my safety?

Could I put an inline GFCI between the extension and the apex bar, ADJ bar, etc?

I imagine this does nothing to protect the circuit between the wall plug and the inline GFCI, meaning if I had a tank leak out the back directly on to the wall receptacle I’d still be screwed, right?

If you have another outlet in the room that is on the same circuit of the tank, you can install a gfci wall receptacle there. More than one outlet can be connected to a gfci outlet. I’m talking about the hardwired kind, not the plug in type. Just be sure to closely follow the instructions. Also, depending on your electrical service, a gfci breaker can be installed in the breaker box.

 

[legalizedreefer]

If you have another outlet in the room that is on the same circuit of the tank, you can install a gfci wall receptacle there. More than one outlet can be connected to a gfci outlet. I’m talking about the hardwired kind, not the plug in type. Just be sure to closely follow the instructions. Also, depending on your electrical service, a gfci breaker can be installed in the breaker box.

Great advice thank you