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GFCI question

Discussion in 'Electric Brewing' started by Lynchy217, Jul 2, 2017.

 

  1. #1
    Lynchy217

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jul 2, 2017
    Hi, so I've been brewing in my electric kettle for a while now, and I've decided it's time to upgrade the box to be a little more user friendly. As part of this, I wanted to add outlets so I could keep relatively short power cables attached to my kettle and have outlets on the box that are powered by the ssr's. My original idea was to have those outlets be gfci so I could stop using the adapters I'm using now, which connect into outlets in my apt. What I realized, though, is that this would mean that when the ssr is open, there would be no gfci protection for the love collage inside the box. Obviously, it would require a weird failure for any of that live voltage to wind up on the box, switches or pots, but this still seems potentially problematic. Thoughts? Should I just suck it up and stick with the gfci wall adapters? Is there any real risk in having live voltage in a grounded enclosure without the gfci in circuit? I'm looking to buy parts for the updated box soon, so I want to make sure I'm planning the right thing.
     
  2. #2
    doug293cz

    BIABer, Beer Math Nerd, ePanel Designer, Pilot Staff Member  

    Posted Jul 2, 2017
    You want the GFCI protection on the power coming into the control panel, as this protects you from faults occurring inside the panel. Ground connections, like any other connections can fail. GFCI on the input can protect you in case of a failure of your ground circuit. These are homemade panels, you have to expect to have failures over time, and have protection from them, if you want to be safe.

    Brew on :mug:
     
  3. #3
    Lynchy217

    Well-Known Member

    Posted Jul 2, 2017
    Ok, That's what I figured. I'll stick to the wall adapters I have for now, which is actually the cheaper option anyway. Thanks!
     
  4. #4
    wilserbrewer

    BIAB Expert Tailor  

    Posted Jul 2, 2017

    You can feed your box using the wall gfi adapters, and use regular outlets in your control panel. Everything downstream of a gfi is protected.

    My apologies if you already knew this, I was a little confused w the question.
     
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