GFCI Help!

reefdope · 03-13-2002, 06:40 PM

Sorry if this is a repeat. I did a search and can't find this again. Someone did a great "stand-alone" GFCI box and had pics and all to show how its done. Does anyone have a link to this? Also, what do you do about the two prong power heads, heaters, probles, etc....They can give you a shock too, right?

TIA

Kev

WannaBeAReefer · 03-13-2002, 07:16 PM

To be honest I am not sure why you would want to DIY a GFCI...

You can buy the little plug into the wall ones for <$10 at a OSH or Home Depot... do you have special requirements? I would be surprised that you could do it cheaper than a Home Depot can...

icemark · 03-13-2002, 09:49 PM

I tend to agree, unless there are some special circumstances the replacement outlet GFIs generally are the most cost effective.

reefdope · 03-14-2002, 12:43 AM

Okay, I see your point....Though, I'm in an apartment and would rather make a box with say two GFCI plugs. Like the one's you can buy online for $50 a piece

and take it with me if I move (for instance). Plug that into the wall and plug all my gear into the GFCI. That would work wouldn't it? I know the $50 is worth it (or should I say worth my safety), but I figure this might be a fairly simple DIY and was looking for some visual instructions to clarify the task.

Thanks again! This site has helped me beyond any thanks tho!

bertoni · 03-14-2002, 09:51 PM

You can buy a GFCI extension cord that will plug into a three-prong
outlet and provide a GFCI. Mine cost $30. It's certainly portable!

reefdope · 03-15-2002, 01:17 AM

Bertoni,

Great! Did you buy it at a specialty electrical store or pretty much anywhere?

valid · 03-15-2002, 03:22 PM

anyone try this?
http://www.northcoastmarines.com/GFI.htm

reefdope · 03-15-2002, 10:24 PM

Wow, perfect! Thx!!

afss · 03-16-2002, 11:49 AM

Make yourself an electrical type board.. buy a gfi.. buy other outlets.. wire into the gfi, and then into the other outlets from the gfi thereby protecting the other outlets. Screw all outlets to a board... leave a wire off 10 feet or more so that it can lead off the gfi to the nearest outlet. Hard wire to the nearest outlet (afer that outlet has the breaker or fues pulled). Then when you move you just shut that circuit down, and remove the wires.... It should be relatively cheap and easy to do, and is portable.
Scott

reefdope · 03-16-2002, 11:55 AM

Scott -

Thank you! Not being an electrician, that is what I was originally looking for.

Kev

afss · 03-16-2002, 12:03 PM

Its not that hard.. green to ground (or bare copper) put whit to white and black to black. Make sure the power to the circuit your working on is dead by pulling the fuse or breaker. The gfi i have tells you on the back what goes where, and came with a book that showed you how to wire other non gfi's in line with it so that they are protected too. If you aren't comforatable with it then you might be best to buy a prefab, but it really isn't that complicated.
you would need some 3 strand wire(tell the guy at HD what you are using it for he will get you what you need)
a gfi
however many of plug outlets you want to put after the gfi
wire stripers, a piece of wood baord, some screws, and some wire nuts.

The guy at HD told me everything i needed to do and how to do it. I already had a good idea, but it was nice of him to explain to me as if i knew nothing so that i knew i was on the right track.

I would really suggest HD as they have electricians etc.
Scott

hllywd · 03-16-2002, 01:48 PM

hllywd · 03-16-2002, 01:55 PM

You can install your GFCI in a metal surface mount box (outlets must be mounted in boxes with covers!!! also the cord coming into the box must have a strain reliever) and run a three wire appliance cord, or extension cord minus the female end into it to build a portable GFCI. I have a couple of these, but, my advice would be that if YOU do not know EXACTLY what you are doing and why, you need to contact a "qualified electrician" for this type of DIY project (the 16 year old weekend deptartment manager at HD doesn't count).
Definately DO NOT "screw the outlets to a board" it's a fire and shock hazard and would be a distinct code violation, also taking a cover plate off and hard wiring into an outlet is a huge no-no, think of the liability issue when you have people over and one of you guests' curious kids gets into the bare supply wiring. I'm sure I misunderstood the meaning of the term "board" and that previous post meant to say an approved electric panel for mounting outlets.
Anymore it's really only economical to make your own if you already have some of the materials laying around already. Also anything plugged into the GFCI will be protected, two or three prong.
I don't mean to be a dick, but this is literally playing with fire and if you "make do" or wire something wrong not acually knowing what it is you're doing, the results can be fatal either for you or someone else.
Tim

afss · 03-16-2002, 02:22 PM

OK.. let me re-word that.. screw the metal box to the board.. the outlet to the box.. The boxes are lik 50 cents.. I forgot about them.. you definetly need them

afss · 03-16-2002, 02:25 PM

The people who work in the departments at home depot are qualified electricians.. or at least one of them is.. atleast here in canada

afss · 03-16-2002, 02:27 PM

how is wireing into an outlet any different then putting power bars on it? Its the same thing different method.

hllywd · 03-16-2002, 03:50 PM

Cool got the box idea! Now for hard wiring into an outlet... I'm picturing a piece of 12-2 stripped with a white, a black, and the gound wired into the front of an uncovered outlet?
The local Lowes has about one guy I'd trust to as a life or death electrical question, he doesn't work nights or weekends, HD is the same way.
My point is this is a life and death issue I think people should weigh it out, if the the guy/girl is qualified enough to trust with your life why are they in an E-department at a chain store maing 7 bucks an hour?
This is not an appropriate DIY money saver if you don't know for absolute positive what you're doing. If all your tank water leaks on the floor you can fix it. If you wire your GFCI wrong you may not have a second chance. Obviously it's not a rocket ship we're building but with the electric part of your system there's no room for error.
Tim

afss · 03-16-2002, 05:35 PM

I agree totally.. thats why i said that if they aren't comforatable then they should go prefab.

When i say hard wire i don't mean stick the wires into the place where the prongs of the plugs would go.
What i am saing with hard wiring it means shutting off the power to that outlet, taking the face plate off of it, wireing the black wire to the black wire side (screw it on), the white wire to the white wire side (screw it on), wire the ground to the ground (screw it on). Sand or grind a small amount off the face platesuch that when you put it back on the new wire will just fit between the wall and the plate. Put the plate back on, and then turn the power back on.

The gfi I bought, and I am told all new ones have specific diretions on the back as to with spot is for hot, neutral, and ground.
Scott

hllywd · 03-17-2002, 10:06 AM

It is against code to run wire out of the front of an outlet (because it's not safe).
What is safe, if you're gonna DIY, is to wire a plug, appropriate guage cord, and GFCI assembly correctly, and plug your "portable" GFCI into a properly wired, grounded outlet.
Tim

reefdope · 03-17-2002, 11:10 AM

You guys mention using the 50c metal box. Are you referring to the box that would normally site inside the wall and act as the mount? What I thought was that you would mount the GFCI units into one of these mount boxes and then build a wooden container to hold the entire unit. Then run a power cord through the wooden unit to the GFCI. There wouldn't be any issues with then screwing the GFCI unit to the wooden box.

I see your point about getting this exactly right....and figure if I'm not 100% on this I'll get something prefab.

03-13-2002, 06:40 PM	#1
reefdope Tenant Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 69	GFCI Help! Sorry if this is a repeat. I did a search and can't find this again. Someone did a great "stand-alone" GFCI box and had pics and all to show how its done. Does anyone have a link to this? Also, what do you do about the two prong power heads, heaters, probles, etc....They can give you a shock too, right? TIA Kev

03-13-2002, 09:49 PM	#3
icemark Governor Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Rohnert Park, CA, USA Posts: 1,102	I tend to agree, unless there are some special circumstances the replacement outlet GFIs generally are the most cost effective. __________________ Play well Mark www.mazdamark.com

03-14-2002, 12:43 AM	#4
reefdope Tenant Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 69	hmmm...I see Okay, I see your point....Though, I'm in an apartment and would rather make a box with say two GFCI plugs. Like the one's you can buy online for $50 a piece and take it with me if I move (for instance). Plug that into the wall and plug all my gear into the GFCI. That would work wouldn't it? I know the $50 is worth it (or should I say worth my safety), but I figure this might be a fairly simple DIY and was looking for some visual instructions to clarify the task. Thanks again! This site has helped me beyond any thanks tho!

03-14-2002, 09:51 PM	#5
bertoni Just Moved In Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 6	You can buy a GFCI extension cord that will plug into a three-prong outlet and provide a GFCI. Mine cost $30. It's certainly portable! __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03-15-2002, 01:17 AM	#6
reefdope Tenant Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 69	Great! Bertoni, Great! Did you buy it at a specialty electrical store or pretty much anywhere?

03-13-2002, 07:16 PM	#2
WannaBeAReefer Just Moved In Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: SF Bay Area Posts: 46	To be honest I am not sure why you would want to DIY a GFCI... You can buy the little plug into the wall ones for <$10 at a OSH or Home Depot... do you have special requirements? I would be surprised that you could do it cheaper than a Home Depot can...

03-15-2002, 03:22 PM	#7
valid Tenant Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: louisville, ky Posts: 96	anyone try this? http://www.northcoastmarines.com/GFI.htm

03-15-2002, 10:24 PM	#8
reefdope Tenant Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 69	Wooohooo Wow, perfect! Thx!!

03-16-2002, 11:49 AM	#9
afss Just Moved In Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: St Catharines, Ontario Posts: 16	Make yourself an electrical type board.. buy a gfi.. buy other outlets.. wire into the gfi, and then into the other outlets from the gfi thereby protecting the other outlets. Screw all outlets to a board... leave a wire off 10 feet or more so that it can lead off the gfi to the nearest outlet. Hard wire to the nearest outlet (afer that outlet has the breaker or fues pulled). Then when you move you just shut that circuit down, and remove the wires.... It should be relatively cheap and easy to do, and is portable. Scott __________________ Scott Stackhouse afnss@cogeco.ca 905 685 3635 ICQ 10928562

03-16-2002, 11:55 AM	#10
reefdope Tenant Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 69	Scott - Thank you! Not being an electrician, that is what I was originally looking for. Kev

03-16-2002, 12:03 PM	#11
afss Just Moved In Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: St Catharines, Ontario Posts: 16	Its not that hard.. green to ground (or bare copper) put whit to white and black to black. Make sure the power to the circuit your working on is dead by pulling the fuse or breaker. The gfi i have tells you on the back what goes where, and came with a book that showed you how to wire other non gfi's in line with it so that they are protected too. If you aren't comforatable with it then you might be best to buy a prefab, but it really isn't that complicated. you would need some 3 strand wire(tell the guy at HD what you are using it for he will get you what you need) a gfi however many of plug outlets you want to put after the gfi wire stripers, a piece of wood baord, some screws, and some wire nuts. The guy at HD told me everything i needed to do and how to do it. I already had a good idea, but it was nice of him to explain to me as if i knew nothing so that i knew i was on the right track. I would really suggest HD as they have electricians etc. Scott __________________ Scott Stackhouse afnss@cogeco.ca 905 685 3635 ICQ 10928562

03-16-2002, 01:48 PM	#12
hllywd Just Moved In Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Findlay, Ohio Posts: 40	x Last edited by hllywd; 03-16-2002 at 01:56 PM.

03-16-2002, 01:55 PM	#13
hllywd Just Moved In Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Findlay, Ohio Posts: 40	You can install your GFCI in a metal surface mount box (outlets must be mounted in boxes with covers!!! also the cord coming into the box must have a strain reliever) and run a three wire appliance cord, or extension cord minus the female end into it to build a portable GFCI. I have a couple of these, but, my advice would be that if YOU do not know EXACTLY what you are doing and why, you need to contact a "qualified electrician" for this type of DIY project (the 16 year old weekend deptartment manager at HD doesn't count). Definately DO NOT "screw the outlets to a board" it's a fire and shock hazard and would be a distinct code violation, also taking a cover plate off and hard wiring into an outlet is a huge no-no, think of the liability issue when you have people over and one of you guests' curious kids gets into the bare supply wiring. I'm sure I misunderstood the meaning of the term "board" and that previous post meant to say an approved electric panel for mounting outlets. Anymore it's really only economical to make your own if you already have some of the materials laying around already. Also anything plugged into the GFCI will be protected, two or three prong. I don't mean to be a dick, but this is literally playing with fire and if you "make do" or wire something wrong not acually knowing what it is you're doing, the results can be fatal either for you or someone else. Tim Last edited by hllywd; 03-16-2002 at 02:22 PM.

03-16-2002, 02:22 PM	#14
afss Just Moved In Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: St Catharines, Ontario Posts: 16	OK.. let me re-word that.. screw the metal box to the board.. the outlet to the box.. The boxes are lik 50 cents.. I forgot about them.. you definetly need them __________________ Scott Stackhouse afnss@cogeco.ca 905 685 3635 ICQ 10928562

03-16-2002, 02:25 PM	#15
afss Just Moved In Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: St Catharines, Ontario Posts: 16	The people who work in the departments at home depot are qualified electricians.. or at least one of them is.. atleast here in canada __________________ Scott Stackhouse afnss@cogeco.ca 905 685 3635 ICQ 10928562

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

03-16-2002, 02:27 PM	#16
afss Just Moved In Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: St Catharines, Ontario Posts: 16	how is wireing into an outlet any different then putting power bars on it? Its the same thing different method. __________________ Scott Stackhouse afnss@cogeco.ca 905 685 3635 ICQ 10928562

03-16-2002, 03:50 PM	#17
hllywd Just Moved In Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Findlay, Ohio Posts: 40	Cool got the box idea! Now for hard wiring into an outlet... I'm picturing a piece of 12-2 stripped with a white, a black, and the gound wired into the front of an uncovered outlet? The local Lowes has about one guy I'd trust to as a life or death electrical question, he doesn't work nights or weekends, HD is the same way. My point is this is a life and death issue I think people should weigh it out, if the the guy/girl is qualified enough to trust with your life why are they in an E-department at a chain store maing 7 bucks an hour? This is not an appropriate DIY money saver if you don't know for absolute positive what you're doing. If all your tank water leaks on the floor you can fix it. If you wire your GFCI wrong you may not have a second chance. Obviously it's not a rocket ship we're building but with the electric part of your system there's no room for error. Tim

03-16-2002, 05:35 PM	#18
afss Just Moved In Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: St Catharines, Ontario Posts: 16	I agree totally.. thats why i said that if they aren't comforatable then they should go prefab. When i say hard wire i don't mean stick the wires into the place where the prongs of the plugs would go. What i am saing with hard wiring it means shutting off the power to that outlet, taking the face plate off of it, wireing the black wire to the black wire side (screw it on), the white wire to the white wire side (screw it on), wire the ground to the ground (screw it on). Sand or grind a small amount off the face platesuch that when you put it back on the new wire will just fit between the wall and the plate. Put the plate back on, and then turn the power back on. The gfi I bought, and I am told all new ones have specific diretions on the back as to with spot is for hot, neutral, and ground. Scott __________________ Scott Stackhouse afnss@cogeco.ca 905 685 3635 ICQ 10928562

03-17-2002, 10:06 AM	#19
hllywd Just Moved In Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Findlay, Ohio Posts: 40	It is against code to run wire out of the front of an outlet (because it's not safe). What is safe, if you're gonna DIY, is to wire a plug, appropriate guage cord, and GFCI assembly correctly, and plug your "portable" GFCI into a properly wired, grounded outlet. Tim

03-17-2002, 11:10 AM	#20
reefdope Tenant Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 69	You guys mention using the 50c metal box. Are you referring to the box that would normally site inside the wall and act as the mount? What I thought was that you would mount the GFCI units into one of these mount boxes and then build a wooden container to hold the entire unit. Then run a power cord through the wooden unit to the GFCI. There wouldn't be any issues with then screwing the GFCI unit to the wooden box. I see your point about getting this exactly right....and figure if I'm not 100% on this I'll get something prefab.

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