how NOT to kill everything?

[Perureef]

How will using a CGFI? and a grounding probe possibly save my life? Is this true, and how is this done (do i connect the grounding probe with the CGFI, or what)? I have a grounding probe on me, i havent used it though because i was told that by itself it could cause a lot of problems in my tank. Thanks

[Wiskey]

Your GFI detects a path of current to ground, in the event of a heater cracking or something, the electric current will go to the grounding probe, to ground, and the GFI will detect that and shut off.

If you did not have a grounding probe, since most heaters are not grounded, the current would not make it to ground, but nutural (the same kinda,but not really as far as the GFI is conserned) and the GFI likely would not shut off.

You just plug the ground probe's plug into the GFI, then put the probe part in the tank.

HTH,
Whiskey

[integlikewhoa]

Your talking about a GFCI or a GFI. Stands for ground fault circuit interrupter. They come in many forms. hard as installing a breaker and easy as a plugging something into the wall. The easiest to use is something like these.
http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_miscellaneous_tower_shock_buster_gfci_adapter_cord_set_inline.asp?CartId=

You buy them at your local hardware store. You can plug these into the wall then plug you tank into them. They will stop you from getting shocked. GFCI is the the special plugs you have in the bathroom with the red and black test buttons on them. Its made so when an as soon as something shorts out in the water it trips the GFCI and shuts down the power preventing shocking u to death. Some lights cant be plugging into these as they will trip the switch when nothing is wrong. But its good for all your pumps and stuff that already under water incase one of those got water in it and started to short out. Its also good not to but everything on one. That way incase one thing went out and triped the switch it would shut everything in the whole tank down.

[Perureef]

ok thanks for the info. Lets see if i got this straight. so all my pumps and heater, but not the lights, would be connected to the GFCI, and i would also connect the grounding probe to the CFCI. I would then put the probe part into the tank or sump. If the probe detects a current (from one of these devices), then it will cause the CFGI to shut off the equipment connected to it, thereby protecting me from danger. Is that right? Assuming that nothing happens, however, would the grounding probe cause any problems to the inhabitants? Would it be better to have it in the sump or the main tank, or does it not matter?

[Perureef]

actually, like integlikewhoa said, it would be best to have a GFCI for each equipment, right? would one also use them for powerheads, considering that since they are already underwater if one were to short the havoc could be instant?

[Perureef]

could someone confirm this?

[chucksta1]

So what you're really saying is.....

In simple terms, a GFI "sees" the power going into and out of the circuit. if the power isn't the same, (like if there's a short) , it trips. (kinda like your wife when she sees your Visa bill from the LFS).

A GFI wouldn't necessarily see voltage leaking into the tank, since it's static until it has a path. There's been much debate on the effects of that. It's likened to a bird sitting on high tension wires, the birds are in it, it's not passing through them. But the GFI will trip when your arm short's out the path from the water to the grounded light fixture, since the output and the return aren't equal.

A GFI in the fuse box will shut off the entire circuit if tripped (evrything goes black on the circuit). A GFI with only a couple of power heads plugged into it will only go off if it's the powerr heads with a problem. The rest of the tank can still kill you or the ones you love.

One GFI per breaker at the box is the cheapest life insurance that you will ever buy yourself and your family. The next level of protection is to wire the electrics so that tripping one GFI isolates the failure to the problem, leaves the unaffected systems running and still protects you.

Take it from someone who has "oopsed" ( I dropped a MH into the tank while it was on and my hand was in the tank) and walked away.

200 gallon tank, stand, canopy............$1000.00
Lights and pumps and skimmer.............$2500.00
LIve rock and fish...................................$1000.00
Assorted implements of destruction........$1000.00
Re-wire house with two new 20 amp circuits for the tank.. $900.00

2 GFI outlets................................................$60.00

Still standing and seeing my kid's face after I dropped the light into the tank and hearing him say "are you O.K. dad?".................................................................................................... ..........Priceless (or well more than $60.00)

[integlikewhoa]

Nice chucksta. Well put...... and do you need an assistant at work? I dont charge and i wont even bother you. Damn you might not even see were i went.

[Perureef]

yeah i came to the conclusion that i really need a GFI for my setup and will do at first opportunity, but what i want to know is how will a GFI in conjunction with a grounding probe work/make things safer? if i connect some equipment to the GFI and the grounding probe to the GFI, as soon as the grounding probe detects stray voltage it will trip off the GFI?

[ste6168]

i am by no means an expert but i do not think you really need the grounding probe. Seems to me that a GFI will do almost the same thing without it

[integlikewhoa]

yup leave the grounding probe out.

[Perureef]

tru, ok so i dont need the probe. i read a few post here saying that it is best to use the two together, i wanted to know how that was done. a lot of people at RC think that the ground probe is wonderful, just wanted to know how tru that is and what conclusion was reached

[eleodes]

i had an experience recently (can't find the thread) where an urchin chewed through a submerged wire and nuked the whole tank. the appliance (which lacked a ground wire) was plugged into an outlet GFCI, which did NOT trip. i discovered the tank with the power still flowing after who knows how long and i was lucky i didn't stick my hand in there.

when i inquired on RC the respondants told me that, had i used a ground probe, the device would have detected the current and tripped. i have since installed probes in the other tanks.

what problems would a probe cause anyway?