Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Couple weeks ago I installed a GFCI outlet for the air/water pumps. Numerous times its needed to be reset and I want to do away with it. I found a dead mouse in the shed thats on the same circuit...it had tried to crawl between 2 receptacles since there wasn't a quad face plate over them and was electrocuted. I thought yay!!...that was probably the reasoning...guess I was wrong because it still does it.


Is a GFCI really a necessity?

Anybody got any real life stories that would sway me to keep it installed?

Yes it is. Every person ever saved by one will have a story for you.

Fix the circuit so it does not constantly trip....

I know some people will tell you it's not needed or they have no place in an AP setup. That's BS. They are a safety device to protect you (or your fish) from getting electrocuted. I'm at 2 years without a single GFCI trip. There's a pretty good chance yours is happening for a reason. I'd troubleshoot the GFCI before you remove it. I suspect that something is tripping it as it powers on. Are you running Constant Flood or using Timers?

If you don't have a backup system it sounds like you need one.

They didn't live to tell the story..lol

I would put a new GFCI in the shed quad or further up even in the house to keep it dry. You can have 5 outlets past the GFCI by most codes and it will protect you. They can be finicky and even come from the store bad. Usually if a ground came loose or melted they will pop. The mouse probably damaged the outlets which were before the GFCI and it ruined it. Had the quad been after the GFCI and the mouse got in it would have been fine.

The pumps run 24/7 and there isn't anything else on that circuit that cycles on/off. I rarely turn on a light that is on that circuit but its never tripped it.

I found the GFCI in the basement and it had a faceplate connected to it already which tells me it was used at some point and I guess its possibly bad. I bought another one to replace it but then I found the mouse and thought that was the problem.



Thank for the advice..I'd still like to hear a cool story though

I have a story...

A few months after I reconditioned the front bearing of my old, old pump with some stainless wire...



I was given a new "old pump" that triggered our pesky safety switch, so I moved it to a different power point which didn't seem to trigger the safety switch.

It turned out to be heaps better, because the goat and the pig no longer drank all the water in my sump.

Which was nice.

Then later I scored a $65 pump, and a safety switch (GFCI thing) and the kids next door didn't get electrocuted that time they got their tennis ball back from the inflow to the grow bed when we weren't home.

Which was also nice.

Apparently you make your own luck.

Who knew?

Of course I could be wrong about something switching on causing the trip

Good story BW

You will probably have to replace the wires where the mouse tried to crawl thru as they like to chew on the insulation. Start by isolating all of the receptcles past the GFCI then start adding them back to the circuit and see when it starts tripping. Will isolate the problem. Run an extension cord to the GFCI while isolating to keep your system going. That will also tell you if you pump is the problem if it trips with just that plugged in.

If your GFCI is tripping, than it is WORKING. Figure out what s making it trip, and be thankful that it was there to do it's job, because there is very likely an HSM attached to it not being there.

I have lost count of the number of times one has saved my life.

Nice story bullwinkle

Ron..what does HSM stand for and I'm not so sure one could be certain that its working properly just because it tripping

loco..the GFCi is the last plug on that circuit so I would have to rewire straight to the sheds source...which is basically an outlet for an RV.


I've been growing in this shed for years and never once been shocked or had any weird electrical surges or anything else out of the ordinary. I think the best choice for me is to replace the GFCi with a new one and see where I stand. If the new receptacle never trips...I save a considerable amount of time trying to troubleshoot a problem that I don't really understand


Lets hear one of them stories werdna...

I used to fix TVs for a living.
Before we had the RCD (GFCI) I saw someone thrown back about 3 meters for grabbing hold of a live chassis while plugging in an antenna with an earthed end on it.
Another repairer did the same thing and the only reason he is here today is because the jolting of his muscles was enough to snap the board and break the connection.
We tried doing it later to old TVs and none of us could snap the board in half like the electricity made him do it.

Our RCD used to get flicked around once a month, when you have live power in front of you all day long accidents happen.
If you ever get the zap you will understand.
That feeling of whacking your funny bone feels just like an electric shock.
If you want to have a real laugh, watch an electrician hit their funny bone, they JUMP! You train your body to pull away when you get shocked

Just sounds like good times to me


thank you

Holy Sh_t Moment, HSM

If the device trips at a friends house, then you could be reasonably sure there is something wrong with it.

I tripped one once when I was coiling an extension cord after doing some work with an angle grinder, and didn't feel a thing. When the power cut off, I opened my hand holding the cord and saw nice shiny exposed copper.

Now I have extension cords hanging from the roof. Putting in a few hanging cords was the best shed thing I ever did. So totally convenient. Just mount them a bit above head height and do your grinding at the correct distance away from the hanging cord to keep the power tools cord out of the way. (no doubt every one does this, but if there is someone that doesn't they will be slightly happier then they were yesterday for hearing it )

You can buy extension cords with the earth leakage safety thing built in, and two plugs with switches on the end. Mine also have a light to tell you the plug is live.

If you're young enough, you can get one for free by telling your mum the next time you get zapped