*
What’s the best way to know instantly if a plug is not working? I have a controller that’s plugged into a GFCI outlet. It controls some high-amp stuff (water heaters, hot tub heaters, hvac, etc) that affects our rates according to time-of-use schedules. The GFCI tripped one day for unknown reasons, and I didn’t know for more than a month, during which my now-unregulated demand charge killed all my elec savings. I reset it and it’s been fine since. I’d wire something to the controller, but all the ports are used. I’m wondering what’s the cheapest thing I can plug into the outlet that will sound an alarm or flash or whatever whenever power to the outlet fails. A trip to Radio Shack was useless. Thanks,
Jim
Replies
*
Take the controller off the GFCI. Each of your hi amp, dangerous appliances should be on their own protected circuit.
Or, if you can't do that, get one of those emergency, battery powered lights that comes on automatically whenever power fails. The kind you see on the wall in all the retail stores. Those are usually hardwired but you could unstall a cord with a plug.
*If you are talking about pluging into a 120v outlet you can build a fairly simple device to warn you when you looose power.Go to a good electrical supply house or electronics store and ask for a "normaly open" switch or relay for a 120v circuit. They are more common in 12 or 24v, so if you can't find a 120v relay you will need to add a transformer to step the 120v down to the relay voltage. When the relay is energized it will stay open, so the what ever is downstream of it will not operate. When power is cut to the relay it will close and make-up what ever source you have on the downstream side. There you could rig up a simple 6v battery with a horn, light, or whatever warning device you want.I'm sure there are other options, but that the first one to pop into my head. Maybe someone else will have a simple solution if you don't want to build it yourself.
*See I told you someone would have a simple solution!
*Buy a $2.00 nightlight. When it goes off, you have a problem.The power-failure lights are a nicer off-the-shelf solution. But if you aren't home during their 2 to 10 hour battery life, you've missed the message. Do some combo line voltage- and battery-powered smoke detectors chirp when the AC is off? That could be a $20 solution. -David
*A little more expensive, but computer battery backups usually beep when the power fails. With no load, even a small one has a long battery time. I see that CompUSA has one on-line for fifty bucks.Dave
*Check with an electrician; you might be ablkew to replace the GFCI with a regular outlet.
*Seems to me that if a GFCI is placed at the start of the circuit, everything beyond it is "Protected" So if you move the GFCI to make it the first recepticle in the circuit, it will still protect the outlet you intend to, as well as shutting down every other outlet on the circuit, then when it trips, nothing on the circuit will work. Maybe just by moving it up the circuit, you'll still get your warning because something else won't work. Of course with the High amps, this may be the only outlet on the circuit in which case this is useless...
*I think I need to describe something better. (Sorry,*I* knew what I meant. ) Only the controller is plugged into the gfci. It has a very small draw. 18ga or smaller wire runs from the terminals on the controller to normally open or normally closed (depending on appliance) contacts on each appliance that interrupts the line voltage that the appliance will properly receive from their separate circuits in the panel. The contacts are sized for the load at each appliance. The guy who set this up lives a cpl hrs away, so getting him here just for this is kinda expensive. I'm less capable electrically--anything beyond replacing outlets/fixtures/screwing in lightbulbs and I'm outa my league. Also, the controller/plug is in a far corner of the basement, so I really shouldn'ta said "flash" in my post be/c it'd most likely be days till I'd see it.Figured Radio Shack would have a plug in/battery op siren to warn of power outages, but they didn't. Don't know who does. Their only suggestion was a computer-type uninterruptible power supply, which is overkill. The smoke detector/chirp thing is one I hadn't thought of, and I think I have an extra sitting around, so I may experiment with that. Other ideas given the new and improved presentation of facts also welcome.Thanks!
*Cloud,GFCI receptacles are often subject to nuisance tripping especially in damper locations. I'd check into repacing it with a regular duplex outlet. There's a chance that other plugs downstream are protected by the GFCI but not necessarily. Open it up and see if anything is connected to the terminals marked LOAD, if there is find the next outlet and put the GFCI in it's place. They do make GFCI outlets with pilot lights to tell when there's power available but if you're not looking in that corner of the basement all the time you wouldn't notice it anyway. The simplest approach would be just to get rid of the GFCI. The "Cadilllac" solution would be Dave's idea with a relay and a separate annuciating circuit.
*You may have to do a little searching to find it, but there is a product out there called a freezer alarm that will sound when there is a loss of power. Check with an appliance dealer or electrical supplier. Sounds like this is just what you need.
*GFCI's are there for your protection, not convenience.As such, if you decide to go with Barry's advice, make sure you put the plug back in it's rightful home before selling your house or having any other type of electrical inspection - Any unfinished or "wet" areas, are required to be GFCI protected.D-
*D- No worries, mate--I'm not messing with the GFCI's. A plug could malfunction for a number of reasons, not just ground fault. My need for an alarm is to cover all of them. I have a few inquiries out to follow up on the suggestions from here.Jim
*Never use GFCI's in this type of use period. The controller should be wired into a non GFCI circuit.End of story...near the story the stream,ajOh...and little red riding hood married the wolf...
*Maybe get a controller that has a battery backup for its clock. I have a lawn sprinkler system that does.-- J.S.
*AJ,It's just a regular plug on the end of the thin wire powering the controller and the only nearby outlets are GFCI. Why shouldn't I plug this into them? What am I missing? (OK, let's narrow that or my wife will give you a list...) The nearest regular outlet is across a doorway and I don't wanna drape an extension cord, etc.Jim
*i Any unfinished or "wet" areas, are required to be GFCI protected.That is not true. There are specific exempts in the NEC for applications like this. Another classical example is a sump pump.The purpose of the GFCI is to protect against failure in a hand held tool or appliance.In application like this you have permanately connected devices to a grounded outlet. Any ground fault in the equipment will flow safely through the ground connection. If the fault is large enough then it will trip the breaker.
*The reason it isn't a good idea to plug "critical" equipment into GFCI general use receptacles is that they can be too sensitive for real world use. Yes, I realize they're there for personal protection, but, it's just not a good idea to plug certain things into them. I've seen freezers trip them a couple of times resulting in a lot of spoiled food. So, ideally run a circuit just for the controller. Does the controller enclosure have a knock-out ? If so, put the romex into it directly and remove the cord cap. Or, put a single receptacle (not a duplex) in that will only accept one plug, then it's not required to be GFCI protected. I was just offering a practical solution before since you said that electrical work isn't your thing.
*I'm with AJ, Bill and Barry. For a device (garage door opener, refrigerator, sump pump, etc) you can have a dedicated, non-GFCI receptacle. To be totally legit, put in a single receptacle rather than a duplex so the only available receptacle is occupied. My inspector is pleased (but surprised) when I bother to do that. -David
*OK, AJ, Bill, Barry, David, et al. I'm now getting your point. I never paid lots of attention to GFCI's other than the electrician put em where he said they were required. I just plug stuff into whatever's closest, and they gots the same slots as any other. But I can easily find another line to safely extend for a box just for this, and I can wire it, too. I see your collective point--better than a gfci and better than an alarm. And I have all the parts on hand, so the cost is reasonable too. Thanks for keeping at me. The fog is clearing...
*
What's the best way to know instantly if a plug is not working? I have a controller that's plugged into a GFCI outlet. It controls some high-amp stuff (water heaters, hot tub heaters, hvac, etc) that affects our rates according to time-of-use schedules. The GFCI tripped one day for unknown reasons, and I didn't know for more than a month, during which my now-unregulated demand charge killed all my elec savings. I reset it and it's been fine since. I'd wire something to the controller, but all the ports are used. I'm wondering what's the cheapest thing I can plug into the outlet that will sound an alarm or flash or whatever whenever power to the outlet fails. A trip to Radio Shack was useless. Thanks,
Jim