Aquariums and GFCI

[Binare]

I'm amazed at how tanks I've seen over the years and even in discussions in pm where people don't have a GFCI on there tanks. Some people don't think they need it becuase their tank x amount of feet from the receptacle. Others just simply don't know what it is or what it does. A Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (like your bathroom receptacle) is not just for saving you if you get water in the receptacle, in fact that may or may not trip. Ill use an aquarium heater for example, it has two wires... A Hot and an ID, when your heater turns on it draws all its current from the Hot. That current HAS to go somewhere, it returns on the ID. Whatever current enters that has to leave, the ID carries just as much current as the hot, a lot of people don't know this. What a GFCI does is detect a difference between the Hot and the ID. Let's say your heater craps out, the glass breaks, cord frays from heat. A crab digs the epoxy out of the hole sealing it, you now could have the water in your tank part of the live circuit. A GFCI would trip in this case, it would sense a difference in current between what's being sent out to the tank... And what's returning. Without a GFCI, you could go stick your hand in there and boom... You now could be the path for that current to travel to ground instead of the ID. Electricity aint picky, it will use children and pets just as easily. Now that you know, is it worth the 25 bucks and couple minutes to install one?