question regarding internal filters

[durtypanda]

Hello i just got a new internal power head (sponge filter) what i need to know.the filter is on the bottom of my tank a 55 gal. I have the power cord in the water. Should i move the filter up so the cord is not in the water or is this normal???

[Mustafa]

Usually it's fine, but don't take my word for it (and I'm not assuming any liability of course) and go read its manual or contact their customer service.

[durtypanda]

Ok the brand is aquael and model is aqua thrust and clean 100 i have 3 of these. In my 10 gals and one aqua thrust and clean 300 in my 55 gal. The company is in Poland and the instructions are not specific about the cord.any time water and electricity mix i always feel safer asking.

[link81]

i would definitally plug in anything related to my fish tanks to a gfi outlet or breaker. That way on the off chance if something does go bad the outlet will trip within 4 milliseconds and the chance of a problem with the fish/shrimp is very small.

[ChearpyTrice]

Hey ya
Normally all cords to filters, heaters, power heads, air pumps etc anything that has to be submerse in water is water proof. I would also have the unit pluged in to a safe outlet so if u have a power serge it will turn off the power so it will not blow up.
Tar tar Patrice

[link81]

not to be particular , but a surge protector is designed to work the other way, it will trip if a power surge hits the house, i.e. lightening. it is not the same as a gfi or even a circuit breaker which are designed to trip on the load side of the outlets. a circuit breaker will trip if the number of things plugged into it exceeds a certain number, normally 15 or 20 amps, preventing you from blowing a fuse or tripping a breaker in your main panel. a gfi (or gfci: Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) constantly monitor the ground line, if it detects ANY current from the power line to the ground line it trips. Bathrooms and kitchens are required to have them in the US. If they are installed properly they will offer the same protection to all the outlets DOWNSTREAM of them.

Any electrician or reasonably handy individual can pull out the outlet that is currently behind your tank and install a gfi. they are not that difficult to install and most of them come with instructions in the box. they're not that expensive either 5-10 dollars or so.

[chinamon]

not to be particular , but a surge protector is designed to work the other way, it will trip if a power surge hits the house, i.e. lightening. it is not the same as a gfi or even a circuit breaker which are designed to trip on the load side of the outlets. a circuit breaker will trip if the number of things plugged into it exceeds a certain number, normally 15 or 20 amps, preventing you from blowing a fuse or tripping a breaker in your main panel. a gfi (or gfci: Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) constantly monitor the ground line, if it detects ANY current from the power line to the ground line it trips. Bathrooms and kitchens are required to have them in the US. If they are installed properly they will offer the same protection to all the outlets DOWNSTREAM of them.

Any electrician or reasonably handy individual can pull out the outlet that is currently behind your tank and install a gfi. they are not that difficult to install and most of them come with instructions in the box. they're not that expensive either 5-10 dollars or so.

correct. you are very knowledgable with electrical.
i believe that a GFCI is required if a receptacle is within 1 meter of a sink or tub here in canada but i would have to check my code book.

15A receptacles are pretty much all you will see in residential. i have never seen a home with 20A, not including stove or dryer receptacles but those are higher.

if you have two receptacles on the same circuit all you need is ONE gfci being connected as the first device on that circuit (on the "line" side of the gfci") and having all the other receptacles connected to the "load" side of the gfci.

the way i like to describe how a gfci works is what goes in must go out. so if you have a device using 2A of current then 2A of current must return on the neutral or unidentified conductor (the white wire). if there is 0.05A (5mA) difference then the GFCI will interrupt the circuit (ie. if a person's body is grounding out the circuit then it will help prevent them from being electrocuted).

GFCI breakers are also available but they are many times more expensive than a GFCI receptacle. i would highly recommend installing GFCI receptacles for aquarium circuits since each tank contains a fair bit of water and it would be a great safety measure. i ran two new circuits for my tanks and they are both protected by GFCI.

however, if you have no experience or knowledge or are uncomfortable doing stuff like this on your own then i would definitely recommend calling an electrician. it is always best to hire someone to do it properly because there are too many people that claim to know electrical but are total hack-jobs which could end up causing your house to burn down. electricity is very dangerous and is not something to play around with. i was zapped with 347V at work a few weeks ago but luckily i was wearing insulated boots and on a fiberglas ladder otherwise i would not be here typing this right now.

[link81]

i was zapped with 347V at work a few weeks ago but luckily i was wearing insulated boots and on a fiberglas ladder otherwise i would not be here typing this right now.

oof... good thing you were wearing the gear.....

i thought that 277 hurt.....

i like your gfi description, simple, yet very accurate. Thank you for adding further information and a little "north of the border" knowledge.

I'm not positive what the code books say either, but i'm pretty sure its about what you said, however there is nothing saying that you can't be further protected, for the most part the books don't take into account things like fish tanks, so they're not going to require a gfi in a living room for example.