I was aware of that. Hard wiring would not negate the protection of the GFCI, he'd just make the connection "downwind" of the GFCI. Everything there is protected. IIRC, most of those cables connecting stock tank heaters are covered with SS spring around the cord. But then the OP doesn't want to expend any energy to get this problem fixed, he just wants to wish it away. Good luck with that!
I forget the details after 20 years, but somewhere far away humans somehow taught some newts?? (like otters) to wash their food before eating it, and they ended up teaching their offspring. I lost track of what happened next.
Yeah, this guy also does not like to expend any money either; or search time; or thinking-but I don't know if has a brain, he hasn't shown any evidence yet.
You do know what the purpose of a GFI is, right? I know I mentioned at least 3 times that I use them on all outlets where animals can get to cords and electrical stuff...
A government mandated GFCI insures that most essential equipment will be without power at the most expensive possible moment, insuring the loss of the greatest possible expense to the party of the first part.
If the only 2 choices are "important" and "unimportant" then spoiled food, dehydrated horses and flooded basements are indeed unimportant when compared to death by electrocution*, which the GFCI can prevent.
Darwin might have something to say about someone who attempts to access a breaker panel in a flooded basement. Anyone who sloshes through a flooded basement to deal with any type of electrical problem while the power to the house is still on deserves whatever happens.
many years ago my minature poodle chewed at the power wire to our vacuumn.
she was a smart puppy and although she ruined the vacuum power cord, it was over 40 bucks for a new one.
for the rest of her life she never went around any power cords. i tossed a ball, it would go behind the tv, she would come and stare at me till i retrieved the ball.
puddle died 4 years ago of old age, near 15 15 years old, i still miss her
Hard wire the heater through conduit to a switch set farther away or in a box.
Move the outlet, or add another outlet, up by the roof. Run the heater's cord through split flex conduit, fasten the conduit to the wall so she can't pull at it, and plug it in up where she can't get at it.
I actually did something similar to #2 on an exterior tank. The outlet is under the eaves on the barn, and I have some very tough hose made for commercial applications, fastened to the wall of the barn. This hose is big enough to accept the plugs, because the plug from the heater is plugged into an extension cord inside that hose, since those heaters only have 5' or 6' cords. That has worked well for years. I could probably do the same thing inside, IF I could get more of that hose. (I got it at an auction, and dont know what it's made for, or where to get more). If I use solid conduit, I cant dump the tank to clean it, and I've never seen flex conduit big enough for the plugs.
However, I did solve the problem. I had an old fuse box which I'd never use anyhow. I removed the guts, sawed a hole in the back to fit over the outlet, and screwed it to the wall over the outlet. All I got to do is open the door on it to service the outlet. Then I put the cord thru a piece of steel pipe below the box, just to the height of the water tank. The cord has a steel spiral (like a spring) to pretect the rest of it which is inside the tank.
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