GFI & storms

Doug · #1 05-29-2010, 11:13 PM

In all my years of using GFI ,s on my tanks, never had this problem before. Apparently we are in the middle of monsoon season here. During one of the storms today, lightning I guess, created a brief power down. Computer, aquarium,etc. It was only like a sec.

Power back but I noticed my sump, return and skimmer not restarting. MP 20,s running, as they are on another GFI/arc fault circuit. I find the GFI tripped on the above mentioned circuit. Reset it and everythings fine.

However, of course that scenario is no good if no body around to reset. So I ask. What the &&&^%$. Does this mean I have a problem with that wall GFI I installed, as opposed to the GFI/arc fault in the breaker panel?

Skimmerking · #2 05-30-2010, 12:03 AM

weird Doug i know about the power surge down here on the east end the power pack kicked in for a milli sec to the beeping sound. however the lights didnt shut off thou and the GFI 's were all good

Doug · #3 05-30-2010, 12:11 AM

Yep. Cant have that when not around. If its not one thing its another. Sheez.

DiverDude · #4 05-30-2010, 12:51 AM

Doug,

You have to keep in mind what GFI's are meant for. They are intended to protect humans from electrocution. To that end, when they detect a difference in current between hot and neutral, they trip and cut power. If you were holding a hair dryer with a bad cord while standing on a wet floor, it possibly saved your life.

For our purposes with aquaria, it still saves livestock in certain circumstances but it's still primarilly to save YOUR butt if something leaks current to the tank and you stick your hand in there.

The GFI did what it was supposed to but the catch is that it has to be manually reset and as you've pointed out, there are pitfalls to that when all your aquarium gear is plugged into it.

Doug · #5 05-30-2010, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiverDude

Doug,

You have to keep in mind what GFI's are meant for. They are intended to protect humans from electrocution. To that end, when they detect a difference in current between hot and neutral, they trip and cut power. If you were holding a hair dryer with a bad cord while standing on a wet floor, it possibly saved your life.

For our purposes with aquaria, it still saves livestock in certain circumstances but it's still primarilly to save YOUR butt if something leaks current to the tank and you stick your hand in there.

The GFI did what it was supposed to but the catch is that it has to be manually reset and as you've pointed out, there are pitfalls to that when all your aquarium gear is plugged into it.

Agreed Mark, but it should not trip from the power down. And it tripped while the other never. The tripped unit is only a few months old also. We need protection, for sure. I have always promoted gfi circuits for us and have used them for longer than I can remember, with never a related problem.

If they trip because of equipment failure, then one can understand. When away I have my tank checked daily and run two gfi circuits. I put a heater in my tank on the other circuit when I,m going to be away, so it would run along with the Vortechs.

However when the power fails and then comes back on, the gfi should still be on. Should it not?

mike31154 · #6 05-31-2010, 05:18 AM

Most wall receptacle GFIs are designed to stay set when there is a power outage and power is restored. However, in the case of some outages, it's possible an imbalance causes it to trip, in which case it must be reset manually when power comes back on. There are some 'plug in' type GFIs and power bar GFIs that are designed to remain tripped when there is a power failure. The reason for this is that if they are used with certain power tools, the tool won't start spinning if you lose power and it's restored. This is a safety feature for if you happen to walk away and leave the tool turned on. In this case when power is restored and you're not in control of the power tool, it could have disastrous consequences.

GFIs are very sensitive devices, taking only milliamps in current differential to trip. Even though the one you have is only a few months old, it could still be faulty. Probably worth your while to try a new one, or at least see if you can duplicate the problem by tripping and resetting the circuit breaker feeding that device. That will simulate a power outage. If it stays on after tripping and resetting the breaker, it may have been a one time glitch and nothing to be concerned about. Always a good idea to split your system load between more than one circuit for peace of mind when you're away and some sort of power backup for added insurance.

Doug · #7 05-31-2010, 12:35 PM

Thanks Mike. I will try the breaker test.

mike31154 · #8 05-31-2010, 04:18 PM

Good idea. I've also found the odd time a piece of equipment I unplug and then plug back in will cause the GFI to trip. One was a fluorescent ballast on a digital timer power bar and also the Rena canister filter on occasion. I'm no longer using the fluorescent ballast since I couldn't trust that it would not trip the device on every time cycle (I also decommissioned that part of my lighting since I added 2x MH). A second fluorescent of the same brand on another digital power bar of the same brand work flawlessly, go figure. Could be the digital power bar was causing it too, I didn't try to isolate the glitch any further. It's a tradeoff you need to be aware of and live with when using GFIs.

Doug · #9 06-27-2010, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike31154

Most wall receptacle GFIs are designed to stay set when there is a power outage and power is restored. However, in the case of some outages, it's possible an imbalance causes it to trip, in which case it must be reset manually when power comes back on. There are some 'plug in' type GFIs and power bar GFIs that are designed to remain tripped when there is a power failure. The reason for this is that if they are used with certain power tools, the tool won't start spinning if you lose power and it's restored. This is a safety feature for if you happen to walk away and leave the tool turned on. In this case when power is restored and you're not in control of the power tool, it could have disastrous consequences.

GFIs are very sensitive devices, taking only milliamps in current differential to trip. Even though the one you have is only a few months old, it could still be faulty. Probably worth your while to try a new one, or at least see if you can duplicate the problem by tripping and resetting the circuit breaker feeding that device. That will simulate a power outage. If it stays on after tripping and resetting the breaker, it may have been a one time glitch and nothing to be concerned about. Always a good idea to split your system load between more than one circuit for peace of mind when you're away and some sort of power backup for added insurance.

A brief power outage, {just one of those off and back on things} and the circuit never reset again. So today I tried the test Mike suggested here and the circuit reset fine when the breaker was reset.

So whatever those power bumps are, they trip the gfi. But again, not the gfi/arc fault breaker that powers half the tank.

StirCrazy · #10 06-27-2010, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug

A brief power outage, {just one of those off and back on things} and the circuit never reset again. So today I tried the test Mike suggested here and the circuit reset fine when the breaker was reset.

So whatever those power bumps are, they trip the gfi. But again, not the gfi/arc fault breaker that powers half the tank.

ok I am confused is it a outlet GFI or is it the gfi breaker that is tripping?

If it is the wall one change it. they go bad and start tripping more easy.

and just to be sure, the wall gfi isn't the same circut as the gfi breaker, right?

Steve