Surge protection = GFCI?

[kkutac001]

Hey. Any electric gurus out there? You know those power strips with a 'reset-On' toggle switch. Is having a power strip with this surge protection the same effect as having a GFCI plug?
TIA ..Karl

[JimD]

NO!!! They are two compleately different items. I suggest you research each of these so you understand the difference.

[mathias]

they have surge protectors that have gfci on them

[kkutac001]

Actually, I did as Jim suggested. See if I got the general picture here. The surge protector will divert any excess voltage (either a surge, or a spike) into the neutral wire. This keeps the power at a steady amount. A GFCI, on the other hand, will detect a sudden diversion of voltage (like when the electricity is being diverted by passing through you to a ground), and shut off all power.
As a tangential question, do people plug lights and/or pumps into GFCI receptacles?

[RNall]

Yes, it's a good practice. Although more expensive, it is a good investment considering what (other electrical equipment, reef tank inhabitants) or who could be saved. Anytime you add hefty electrical equipment and water, GFCI's are a good idea.

[RNall]

You will see them regularly installed in kitchens and bathrooms for this reason....

[caferacermike]

GFCI's are great. Better to have them installed in the outlet instead of adding it on as a three way plug adapter. The adapters are great but a real PITA. I work construction and must use them everytime I plug something in. Most do not come on automatically. They need to be manually turned on by hitting the reset button. Long/short of it is that if you have a power outage do not epect yoru tanks to come back on until you hit that button. Installed versions like in your bathroom do not have that problem.

[alton]

Remember most GFCI's fail on so you need to test often.