Blue Ram Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 I went to pick up another power bar last night to use with some aquarium equipment. I was at Canadian Tire and Revy and every power bar I looked at said on the box "not to be used with aquarium related equipment"? My question is why? I currently use 5 or 6 power bars on tanks. As long as you employ the use of a drip loop and your power bar has surge and shock protection, is there anything else that is necessary to make it safe? There is an article in the current Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine that states: "A ground fault circuit interrupter (GFI) is the most overlooked piece of aquarium gear, and it could save your life or that of someone in your family. These outlets and plug-in extension cords shut off the flow of free electricity from a damaged pen wire or faulty connection (arc) before it can deliver a dangerous shock. Only one-tenth of an ampere of free electricity can kill a person with water as a conductor. This is why they are "code" in bathroom, garage, and outdoor receptacles". Can anyone clarify what I need to use and where to buy it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loki Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 im using a zilla power center. it has a digital timer and surge protection. after thinking i struck a deal paying $40+ for it, i saw the exact same thing at home depot for $14, only difference is the brand name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 (edited) My question is why? I would assume legal speak for CYA in case of someone getting fried from incorrect useage of a GFCI unit. The GFCI must be between the wall wiring (plugged directly into the wall outlet) & the appliances. In other words, no 'extra' extension cords etc between point A & point B. You can also add a GFCI breaker to your panel that will protect all outlets in that circuit. One word of advice, a single faulting piece of equipment (or a nuisance trip from whatever) will result in the loss of power to all of the equipment connected to that GFCI (power bar or entire circuit in the case of a GFCI breaker). Both GFCI receptacles and GFCI circuit breakers are also susceptible to nuisance tripping if/when they determine that a fault has occurred. (rare, but it can happen) In other words, plugging everything into a single GFCI circuit, or power bar, may not be the best insurance as far as your tank livestock is concerned, as once tripped, they must be manually reset. Not a problem if one catches it right away, but could be a disaster if one was away for the weekend when the circuit tripped. BTW - surge protection is not the same as GFCI. The former helps protect your equipment, the latter helps protect lives. Edited June 13, 2009 by RD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted June 13, 2009 Report Share Posted June 13, 2009 I'm thinking they are saying that on the power bars for libility issues. There is no difference between a two pronged plug in table lamp and a two pronged plug in tank lamp on the elelcricity side. Use Drip loops and keep it off the floor and you should be fine Good luck L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baos Posted June 14, 2009 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 (edited) Something to think about.. You're on holidays and won't be back for a week. lightening strikes and power goes out for 2 seconds. The power bar trips.. The power comes back on but the power bar doesn't supply it to the tanks anymore. Hooked up to my tanks is a battery backup system designed for a computer. Edited June 14, 2009 by Baos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Dawg Posted June 15, 2009 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 (edited) Something to think about.. You're on holidays and won't be back for a week. lightening strikes and power goes out for 2 seconds. The power bar trips.. The power comes back on but the power bar doesn't supply it to the tanks anymore. Hooked up to my tanks is a battery backup system designed for a computer. You may not have a lot of power draw, but a week would seem to be very optimistic for most UPSs. Even a small Elite 20 HOB filter is 3.4 watts would max out at 4.5 days on a high end consumer UPS. My XP3 is 28W, throw in my XP2 and the airpump and even a single battery mid grade 2200VA server UPS would be a stretched at a week, but all bets are off if the heaters kick in. While your case may be different, a run time calculation on the UPS does not always match what you get with a plugs out test. A UPS is still a good idea. Edited June 15, 2009 by T Dawg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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