GFCI + Lights = Trouble

[dakota]

I use an outdoor/contractor grade GFCI by Yellow Jacket for ground fault protection on my tank.

I use the Marineland rotary timers to control lights and fans on my tank plugged into a small GE powerstrip.

When the timer switches on, the GFCI trips. Everytime, like clockwork.....

I can turn the powerstrip off, reset the GFCI, leave the timers switched on: and when I turn the powerstrip back on, the GFCI trips.

I can plug the lighting powerstrip into the outlet, and everything works.
I can plug the lights into the GFCI, and it trips.

It does this with both a 18 Watt PC ballast and a 150 Watt electronic MH ballast.

I find it hard to believe that a heavy duty, contractor grade GFCI can't handle the current from any lighting ballast. This thing was designed to handle three powercords for power tools.

I don't know much about electronics, and I'd like to know what's going on here. I paid a small fortune for this thing.

I'd really like to run my lighting on a GFCI circuit, and wiring a GFCI breaker into the box is probably not going to happen in my apartment.

Someone please recommend a good brand of extension cord style GFCI that will work with my lighting.

 

[FutureInterest]

I use a gfci powerstrip. I can't find the link or even remember where I bought it from... but I would think this would also work just fine:

 

[budsreef]

Have you tried plugging other things into it to see if it works? It may be working just the way it should and you possibly have a grounding problem. I just bought one from Home Depot and it works fine with the 30" Orbit fixture on a timer and with the heater and pump.

 

[seedless reefer]

Most likely it is not the GFCI.

More than likely it it the timer or the ballast itself.

I had a similar problem with a vacuum tripping a GFCI. Basically the circuit was fine until you pressed the button to release the handle into vacuuming position.

This caused a motor to start up to spin the brush. Startup caused a small internal spark which the GFCI correctly identified and tripped like it should.

Bet your timer or ballast is doing the same thing. Does not mean that these units are defective or unsafe, but probably something internal that the GFCI sees as a fault.


Loren

 

[dakota]

FI - Awwww! Cute avatar!
I've been considering one of those - the GFCI, not the baby. LOL
I've just been burned too many times buying equipment marketed for this hobby. What brand GFCI and timer are you using?

Bud - Is it a Yellow Jacket, and what timer? Everything else works just fine with it, but I haven't tried plugging a pump or heater into the timer with it. But I can plug and unplug everything without a hitch....or trip.

SR - That's what I'm thinking. I think those rotary timers must use a switch that doesn't close completely, might try a digital timer. But the GFCI also trips the instant I plug any ballast into it.

I can't find a work-around on this except for running the light without GFCI.
Not ideal.

 

[seedless reefer]

I have a digital timer you can borrow to see what it does before you buy one.

I bought it for Lindas tank it will program 7 events and has two outlets but the outlets are not independent. Don't think it would work to run the lighting the way you want it but it will for sure give you an idea regarding digital.

Im afraid that no matter what manner of timer analog or digital, it will still trip the GFCI. Let me know if you wanna try before you buy.

<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: blue;">Loren W.</span></span>

<span style="font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: blue;"></span></span>

 

[cameron]

Is this a single ballast or multiple? If it is multiple, try staggering the turn on. Ballasts like most electronics can have a large amp pull when they start up. If it is a single ballast, go with the other suggestions and start swapping parts out. I would start by simple eliminating the timer as a test.

 

[budsreef]

I have the lights plugged into a two outlet digital timer with the exact same buttons and timing cycles as the Coralife Digital Power Center so I think they are probably made by the same company. That digital timer, the heater, pump and moon lights are plugged into a power strip that is plugged into the three outlet gfci. It is called ShockShield by TRC and cost $26.87 at Home Depot. Right now I have to turn the white lights on manually since the two outlets on the timer both are either on or off at the same time. I've ordered a Coralife Power Center and will add it in to make the lights auto turn on the way I want them to.

I could come by with my gfci and timer and test them on your set up if you would like to try that. I still think there is something wrong in the setup and the gfci is just doing its job.

 

[cameron]

I hope I never have to change around my electrical any time soon... it is buried behind a ton of equipment.

The culprit is likely one of the ballasts. Ballasts will eventually go bad and before they do, they will spike the amp pull as they spool up. You probably have a misbehaving ballast that is pulling a load of amps on startup while everything else is coming on causing the GFCI to flip.

 

[dakota]

SR - Thank you for the offer. A digital timer with two outlets would allow me to run the light and fan off the same timer. I like the idea.

Cameron - I've plugged the light directly into the GFCI and it trips every time.
So I have:
Light + Timer + GFCI = trip
Light + GFCI = trip
Heaters + Pumps + Fan + Timer + GFCI = No Trip

I've had TWO BRAND NEW 18W Corallife PC ballasts both trip it, with or without timers. And the electronic 150W MH ballast trips it.

I'm thinking it's gotta be the GFCI not liking the ballast operation. My other tanks are on the GFCI in the kitchen and have never tripped it.

I wonder if this brand of GFCI is made for electric power tool motors and the capacitors in the ballasts are tripping it when they fire the bulbs. WEIRD

Bud - That's a great idea! I'd really appreciate being able to test some products out before I buy, and I'd know I could get them locally. Thanks!

 

[FutureInterest]

Hey John I found the GFCI strip that I use... Here's a link:

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=FS-GFI-STRIP&Category_Code=GFI">http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=FS-GFI-STRIP&Category_Code=GFI</a>

I run all my lights and pumps on it aside from my return pump which is on a battery backup gfci unit.

 

[dakota]

Thanks, Jin!

I think I've seen that one at Home Depot.

 

[mojo]

It's your ballast(s), not the GFCI. A normal circuit breaker works by detecting an over-drawn amount of current through the wire. A ground-fault circuit interrupter detects a power leakage between the mains power and the ground (and thus the "ground fault" part of the name). Something in your ballasts are apparently allowing electricity flow to ground, and the GFCI is doing it's job.

FWIW- I have both</em> of my 1000w ballasts (18 amps total) on one 20amp GFCI outlet (with a dedicated 20amp circuit), and the GFCI has never tripped.

 

[cameron]

If I can find my portable GFCI, you can borrow it. My icecap ballasts do not cause it to trip. If you trip it with yours, Mojo is most likely correct.

 

[budsreef]

PM sent!