GFCI question

[GTO]

Hello, Everyone

I know very little about electricity, so please bear with me. I want to buy those 3-outlet GFCI's that you can just plug into your wall, but I need some clarification first. If I plug a powerstrip into a GFCI protected outlet will it protect everything that is plugged into the strip? Or would I have to plug each individual piece of equipment into its own separate outlet for it to be properly protected?

Also, is a grounding probe necessary if you already have GFCI protected outlets? And if so, can it be plugged into a powerstrip or one of the outlets on the GFCI strip? Or would it have to be plugged directly into the outlet itself for it to be grounded.

Thank you for any answers that you can give me.

Felicia

[Hemmie]

Try here for a start (http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=139064&highlight=gfci+and+grounding+probe)

Another one (http://archive.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=43949&highlight=gfci+and+grounding+probe)

There's lots of GFCI/Grounding probe discussions around. Good luck!:)

[DgenR8]

Hey GTO,
[welcome]

To answer your questions, Yes, a GFCI outlet will protect anything that gets plugged into it. One GFCI with a 6 outlet strip plugged into it will give you 6 protected outlets. (plus one more as the powerstrip will only occupy one of the two original outlets)
A ground probe is always a good idea, IMHO. It does not have to be plugged into a GFCI, just a grounded outlet. (If the outlet has 2 slots and a hole, it's SUPPOSED to be a grounded outlet)
Look here for some more GFCI info.
[GFCI]

[GTO]

Thanks, Larry and Hemmie, for your help. It's about 3:40 am here in LA and I didn't expect to get any responses until later in the day :) I've been reading the GFCI threads and it's very educational, but the technical aspects are also a bit overwhelming (especially when you're reading it so late at night). So, I hope you don't mind if I have more questions later on.

And thank you for the warm welcome, Larry!

Felicia

[crumbdav]

In addition. And Correct me if I am wrong.

If your outlets are set up as a 'daisy chain'.. Power goes from one outlet to the other, any outlet that is past the wired GFCI outlet is protected as well.

[DgenR8]

Originally posted by crumbdav
In addition. And Correct me if I am wrong.

If your outlets are set up as a 'daisy chain'.. Power goes from one outlet to the other, any outlet that is past the wired GFCI outlet is protected as well.


Absolutely correct, every outlet AFTER the GFCI will be protected by that one GFCI, as long as they're wired correctly. (line/load in correct place)
I have heard of this causing problems for people that forget they have GFCI protection on an outlet, and go NUTS when they lose power, but the breaker is not tripped.
Felicia,
We're glad to have 'ya :D

[GTO]

Hi, Larry. Thank you for answering my questions directly. Some of the stuff in the threads was kind of confusing and I'm not sure I could've deciphered it all to get my questions answered. Luckily I was able to use what you said as a guide.

I have a few last questions to ask and I promise I won't bother you anymore :)

I'm going to buy the GFCI that has 3 outlets on it which they sell at drsfostersmith.com

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=7&pCatId=5545

After I plug it in, I'll have 3 protected outlets and 1 unprotected. Should I plug the grounding probe directly into the wall (unprotected), or should I plug it into one of the GFCI's outlets (or even the powerstrip that I'll plug into the GFCI)? And what is the correct way to install a grounding probe? From what I could understand from the threads, I'm supposed to take the grounding wire and attach it to the screw in the wall, right? And if I were to plug it into the powerstrip, I'm supposed to take a screw and attach the wire where the 3rd prong is supposed to go. Please correct me if I'm wrong. And lastly, would it be safe to plug in more than one powerstrip to the GFCI? I've heard that it is not safe to do so and if that's the case I'll just use the 2 remaining outlets for equipment. Sorry for all the questions! I don't have any brothers to help me with this stuff. Thanks a million :)

Felicia

[DgenR8]

A grounding probe is usually made of titanium, with a single wire attached. At the other end of the wire, is what looks like a 3 prong plug. Two of the 3 prongs are plastic, and carry NO electricity, the third is metal, and fits into the round hole on the bottom of any standard GROUNDED outlet. When a GFCI "trips" the ground is not broken, so you can plug your probe into a GFCI protected or not GFCI protected outlet.
If your probe doesn't have what looks like a regular 3 prong plug, then you have to attach the wire to a ground. The screw in the middle of any outlet, that holds the cover on, should be a ground.
Plugging two powerstrips into one outlet, GFCI or not is fine, as long as you don't plug in enough stuff to overload the circuit breaker that the GFCI is attached to.
If you have more questions, keep 'em comin'!

[wizardgus®]

I've heard that it is not safe to do so and if that's the case I'll just use the 2 remaining outlets for equipment
A quick note here. Unless your house is very new construction and this outlet was in a kitchen, then most likely it is irrelevent whether you plug things into another powerstrip or the remaining outlet as it will still be on the same circuit at the breaker box. Easy to test, plug something into the one outlet and turn off the appropriate breaker...is there power at the other outlet? If not it is the same circuit. Depending how elaborate your equipment load is going to be you may have to either find another outlet that is on another breaker for part of the load, or as I had to do run a dedicated circuit for the tank.

[GTO]

Hi, Larry. Thank you so much for replying again. I had thought that you had to plug in the prongs AND attach the wire to make it work. It's a good thing you pointed out that I don't have to do that. See why I needed your help so much? I'm clueless when it comes to these things :)

Jay, my house was just built a year ago, but the outlet is not in the kitchen. I just opened up the fuse box and everything is nicely labeled in there so it shouldn't be too hard to test out. Thanks for letting me know about that.

Amazingly, I don't have anymore questions :)
Hopefully it's smooth sailing from here on out. I appreciate everyone's help on this and thanks for putting up with my ignorance on the matter.

Felicia

[DgenR8]

I'm glad to hear it's working out for you!
Now, I have to ask about your Nick. When I first saw it, I thought that you must appreciate the fine American muscle car known as the Pontiac GTO. (My favorite was the 1968) Seeing that your name is Felicia, I'm wondering if I was way off with my first guess???

[GTO]

Actually you're partially correct. My dad used to love cars and two of his favorites were the Pontiac GTO as well as the Ferrari GTO. I then happened to hear about a Japanese TV show called GTO and wondered if there was any relation. I got my hands on the TV show but it turned out to have nothing to do with cars at all. However, I really enjoyed the show. So, the three GTO's determined my nick :)

Felicia