GCIF Saves Me from Injury or Death

CollegeReefer · 04-07-2008, 03:47 PM

Hello fellow Enthusiast,

Today a scary thing happened and along with stupidity could have ended in complete disaster. I made some now frag racks for my frag tank and when putting the new ones in I was lazy and kept the light plugged in and just held it with one hand as I put the racks in (mistake #1). I am not sure how, but the light (4 bulb t5) managed to slip out of my hands and into my frag tank. Only worrying about the light and corals before even thinking I threw my hand into the water to recover it (mistake #2). Just as I hit the water I thought to myself SH**! Of course in this time I didn’t realize that all of my lights and pumps went off and was thankful that I didn’t get shocked. The moral of the story is that if you don’t have GCIF plugs get them. Either install them or do what I did and just by the one of the shockbusters. Not sure how much injury I could have endured but I am glad I didn’t find out.

Zachary

k-dawg- · 04-08-2008, 05:41 PM

^i second..with two hands in a bucket of saltwater with live 120V you coulda been a goner. I've shocked myself on my fuge light twice when i went to switch it with wet hands...GFI probably save me from at least burns on my hand, lol the 5ms or whatever it takes for the gfi to trip was enough pain to make me wish i hadn't done it tho..

Good Wolf · 04-08-2008, 07:42 PM

Dang, close call.

Also FYI it is a GFCI.

Ground fault circuit interupter I think.

CollegeReefer · 04-09-2008, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by I <3 Fish

Dang, close call.

Also FYI it is a GFCI.

Ground fault circuit interupter I think.

ha ha ha. First person to notice that. I posted this on several forums and noone pointed that out. Not even on reefcentral!

Ricker · 04-09-2008, 02:09 PM

yap it is GFCI ya I noticed it i was like that looks weird. Ya it probley did save you though. I know when I was plugging in dryer I got a nice big shock fell down and passed out for a good 5 mins lol. Woke up arm was hurting and felt pain in chest never again will I touch that plug again.

COM · 04-09-2008, 02:18 PM

It can also be called a "GFI." That stands for Ground Fault Interruptor. I actually never thought of it but it is a good idea to make sure that the outlets my tanks are plugged into are set on one. Current building codes in most places require GFIs anywhere near a water source so most kitchens and baths have them. Some states require bedrooms to have them as well. They are cheap and not too hard to install.

A standard power strip should serve the same function. They have a circuit that will trip if overloaded as well.

emc7 · 04-09-2008, 03:12 PM

I put some in near my upstairs tanks. No harder than replacing an outlet. Sometimes they trip for no apparent reason. One kept tripping whenever it was raining. Finally figured out that it was on the same circuit as the outside back porch light. Water was getting in the fixture. Replaced the whole light and its been fine since.

04-08-2008, 07:42 PM	#3
Good Wolf Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Wylie, TX Posts: 238	Dang, close call. Also FYI it is a GFCI. Ground fault circuit interupter I think. __________________ ~Chris~ *55g planted; 30g planted; 5g planted*

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04-07-2008, 03:47 PM	#1
CollegeReefer Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Stevens Pont, Wisconsin Age: 22 Posts: 386	GCIF Saves Me from Injury or Death Hello fellow Enthusiast, Today a scary thing happened and along with stupidity could have ended in complete disaster. I made some now frag racks for my frag tank and when putting the new ones in I was lazy and kept the light plugged in and just held it with one hand as I put the racks in (mistake #1). I am not sure how, but the light (4 bulb t5) managed to slip out of my hands and into my frag tank. Only worrying about the light and corals before even thinking I threw my hand into the water to recover it (mistake #2). Just as I hit the water I thought to myself SH**! Of course in this time I didn’t realize that all of my lights and pumps went off and was thankful that I didn’t get shocked. The moral of the story is that if you don’t have GCIF plugs get them. Either install them or do what I did and just by the one of the shockbusters. Not sure how much injury I could have endured but I am glad I didn’t find out. Zachary __________________ CollegeReefer

04-08-2008, 05:41 PM	#2
k-dawg- Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Age: 18 Posts: 190	^i second..with two hands in a bucket of saltwater with live 120V you coulda been a goner. I've shocked myself on my fuge light twice when i went to switch it with wet hands...GFI probably save me from at least burns on my hand, lol the 5ms or whatever it takes for the gfi to trip was enough pain to make me wish i hadn't done it tho.. __________________ Kevin 5.5G Nano Reef 50G Reef

04-09-2008, 02:09 PM	#5
Ricker Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Age: 19 Posts: 514	yap it is GFCI ya I noticed it i was like that looks weird. Ya it probley did save you though. I know when I was plugging in dryer I got a nice big shock fell down and passed out for a good 5 mins lol. Woke up arm was hurting and felt pain in chest never again will I touch that plug again.

04-09-2008, 02:18 PM	#6
COM Rebel Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 681	It can also be called a "GFI." That stands for Ground Fault Interruptor. I actually never thought of it but it is a good idea to make sure that the outlets my tanks are plugged into are set on one. Current building codes in most places require GFIs anywhere near a water source so most kitchens and baths have them. Some states require bedrooms to have them as well. They are cheap and not too hard to install. A standard power strip should serve the same function. They have a circuit that will trip if overloaded as well.

04-09-2008, 03:12 PM	#7
emc7 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Johns Creek, GA Posts: 3,239	I put some in near my upstairs tanks. No harder than replacing an outlet. Sometimes they trip for no apparent reason. One kept tripping whenever it was raining. Finally figured out that it was on the same circuit as the outside back porch light. Water was getting in the fixture. Replaced the whole light and its been fine since.

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