And since I just started up a brand new tank, that was my first suspicion…
And a heater would be my first guess too. Especially since the only items having current carrying conductors in this tank currently was 2 heaters…. They were plugged in to an Inkbird so current was only present during a call for heating.
It was an intermittent fault as I would reset the GCFI and it would not immediately retrip. Where it did not immediately trip again, I reasoned it could be an artifact. The trip level on GCFI is pretty small, and both C and DC current can flow on a fpground wire and in both directions…
After the second trip I figured it was a problem. I unplugged one of the heaters. 50/50 you know, no reason to remove it till we know we got the right one. And I didnt. Pulled the second one and no trips since then.
Now then. My point for posting here is to urge people to take a few precautions.
The circuit powering your tanks should be GCFI protected. You should make a point of tripping that circuit on a monthly basis to ensure it trips and resets. They can freeze if not exercised and fail to trip. You should invest ina ground probe inside every tank. The ground probe is what caused my GCFI to trip. If I did not have a ground probe, there would be bo path for the electricity to leave the tank and it would not trip…. You would still be protected personally once you stick your fingers in the water and contact a ground as the current would pass through you and trip the circuit. Assuming you tested the circuit on the first of the month every month so it is still working…. I would much rather it trip when the fault occurs rather than having the water in the tank at 120 volrs potential 240 volts for our international friends. I much prefer the tank being held at ground potential all of the time.
Since Murphy is a tricky fellow, I make sure to test every month. I make sure to have a grounding probe in every tank, and make sure that I have an active ground on the circuit. (Grounds can drop). And I make sure that all items that have conductors in the water or near the water, are on a power strip that gets turned off before I stick my body parts or metal instruments into 5e water. Ie wavemakers, hobs, canister filters powerheads immersed lighting, heaters. I also like my heaters controlled by Inkbirds turning power on and off to the heater to reduce the hours current carrying conductors are hot in the tank…
I used to be a Paramedic, and I used to be an ABYC marine electrician. If you stick your hand in a tank, and you feel a little tingle, you are actually pretty darn close to the milliamp potential that can put your heart into intractable venticular fribillation. Intractable vfib means the defibrillator isnt going to start your heart back up. It is game over…
I tend to avoid powerheads and wavemakers specifically to minimize conductors in tanks. All things considered, a canister filters powerheads is less a hazard as the wires do not go into the tank, and the wires and windings are likely potted in epoxy and isolated from the water by molded plastic. Unfortunately heaters are not terribly reliable and are your biggest risk..
I am in year three of the hobby since starting up again. This was my first gcfi trip episode. It is good to not get complacent.
And a heater would be my first guess too. Especially since the only items having current carrying conductors in this tank currently was 2 heaters…. They were plugged in to an Inkbird so current was only present during a call for heating.
It was an intermittent fault as I would reset the GCFI and it would not immediately retrip. Where it did not immediately trip again, I reasoned it could be an artifact. The trip level on GCFI is pretty small, and both C and DC current can flow on a fpground wire and in both directions…
After the second trip I figured it was a problem. I unplugged one of the heaters. 50/50 you know, no reason to remove it till we know we got the right one. And I didnt. Pulled the second one and no trips since then.
Now then. My point for posting here is to urge people to take a few precautions.
The circuit powering your tanks should be GCFI protected. You should make a point of tripping that circuit on a monthly basis to ensure it trips and resets. They can freeze if not exercised and fail to trip. You should invest ina ground probe inside every tank. The ground probe is what caused my GCFI to trip. If I did not have a ground probe, there would be bo path for the electricity to leave the tank and it would not trip…. You would still be protected personally once you stick your fingers in the water and contact a ground as the current would pass through you and trip the circuit. Assuming you tested the circuit on the first of the month every month so it is still working…. I would much rather it trip when the fault occurs rather than having the water in the tank at 120 volrs potential 240 volts for our international friends. I much prefer the tank being held at ground potential all of the time.
Since Murphy is a tricky fellow, I make sure to test every month. I make sure to have a grounding probe in every tank, and make sure that I have an active ground on the circuit. (Grounds can drop). And I make sure that all items that have conductors in the water or near the water, are on a power strip that gets turned off before I stick my body parts or metal instruments into 5e water. Ie wavemakers, hobs, canister filters powerheads immersed lighting, heaters. I also like my heaters controlled by Inkbirds turning power on and off to the heater to reduce the hours current carrying conductors are hot in the tank…
I used to be a Paramedic, and I used to be an ABYC marine electrician. If you stick your hand in a tank, and you feel a little tingle, you are actually pretty darn close to the milliamp potential that can put your heart into intractable venticular fribillation. Intractable vfib means the defibrillator isnt going to start your heart back up. It is game over…
I tend to avoid powerheads and wavemakers specifically to minimize conductors in tanks. All things considered, a canister filters powerheads is less a hazard as the wires do not go into the tank, and the wires and windings are likely potted in epoxy and isolated from the water by molded plastic. Unfortunately heaters are not terribly reliable and are your biggest risk..
I am in year three of the hobby since starting up again. This was my first gcfi trip episode. It is good to not get complacent.
