eletricity flowing through my tank?>?

coralman05

coralman05

Member
so, for as long as i can remember I've told my friend that my tank shocks me; he of course told me i was crazy and it goes on.. Too find out that it really does shock you then you put your finger in there but, then stops if you keep it in there ( like when I'm cleaning it) is this something i should worry about.. would it cause any of my reading to be higher.. that would be pretty messed up if it would..
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Borrow or buy a voltmeter and learn how to use it or get someone with the know how to read your tank for you. You should not get any kind of shock when you put your hand in the water. Some piece of equipment you have is leaking voltage into the tank, and that is bad. Bad for both you and your tanks inhabitants. The best way to find out what is doing it is to use the voltmeter and then unplug one piece of equipment at a time until the reading goes to zero. Then, the next thing you should do is buy a titanium grounding probe to take care of any stray voltage in the tank.
Another thing that you should do is replace your electrical outlet with a GFCI Unit. All of these precautions could save your live and your tanks life and your house. Do it today if you can. Get that outlet changed out ASAP.
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/387978/eletricity-flowing-through-my-tank#post_3418185
Borrow or buy a voltmeter and learn how to use it or get someone with the know how to read your tank for you. You should not get any kind of shock when you put your hand in the water. Some piece of equipment you have is leaking voltage into the tank, and that is bad. Bad for both you and your tanks inhabitants. The best way to find out what is doing it is to use the voltmeter and then unplug one piece of equipment at a time until the reading goes to zero. Then, the next thing you should do is buy a titanium grounding probe to take care of any stray voltage in the tank.
Another thing that you should do is replace your electrical outlet with a GFCI Unit. All of these precautions could save your live and your tanks life and your house. Do it today if you can. Get that outlet changed out ASAP.
+1... great advice.
 
coralman05

coralman05

Member
okay great.. I feel like everything going wrong but.. okay uh i dont have a voltmeter but by putting my finger in the water in different spots its A LOT stronger by my heater.. P.s i hate getting shocked
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by coralman05 http:///t/387978/eletricity-flowing-through-my-tank#post_3418189
okay great.. I feel like everything going wrong but.. okay uh i dont have a voltmeter but by putting my finger in the water in different spots its A LOT stronger by my heater.. P.s i hate getting shocked
Turn the heater off... plug it out... and then put your hand back in the tank. Do that with every piece of equipment until you see the troublemaker.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Traveler, bad advice. If you advise that, and he gets electricuted, it could be your fault. You have to be very careful when you post advice that is harmful or dangerous to the aquarist or the aquarium - for liability issues.
Most of the time, it is going to be either a heater or a powerhead that is causing excess voltage. Start there first.
Another thing you could do is buy a true power surge device with a built in fuse. They are pricy, but very, very well worth it. When it comes to electricity and water, you really have to be prepared and play it safe.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Voltmeter's don't cost much, get yourself one. Don't just stick your hand in the tank, getting shocked isn't fun and can be dangerous. Also, if you have a cut on your hand, you could be just getting burnt from salt and think you're getting shocked, which I have seen happen.
 
coralman05

coralman05

Member
hahaha that's really funny; Thanks snakeblitz23 for being concerned!! but yeah right! that's why its so confusing i would use different fingers and all that but there differently something going on in my tank. tomorrow I'm going to ask to borrow a voltmeter from my old chem class
i'll let you guys know tomorrow on what i find.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Your welcome. Just need to take care of it. I had a heater completely BURST on me and electrocuted all of my fish and corals etc. Stuff happens, but in your case, you can prevent it from happening NOW.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelerjp98 http:///t/387978/eletricity-flowing-through-my-tank#post_3418246
Yes, but he already stuck his hand in a number of times and got shocked by the electricity, so...
And each time you unplug and replug in a piece of equipment, it's more likely to short out and produce more and more current, and it can become dangerous. You don't want to expose yourself to more electricity than necessary, EVER, especially when saltwater, which is a great conductor is involved. Telling someone to shock himself again is not only irresponsible, it's dangerous.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't it only take a few miliampers across the heart to stop it? Electricity in aquariums is dangerous! I had a CFL light without a waterproof end cap fall in the tank while I was working on the tank with my hands in the water! Pretty lights, and then my GFCI shut it off. Not fun. Don't risk it. only stick the wires from the voltmeter in the tank, not your hands.
 
morgan175

morgan175

Member
like everything in this hobby don't take short cuts use a volt meter and get a GFCI and grounding probe. take the time for for the right results
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Just a little FYI but you're probably never going to get a reading of zero volts in the tank. Something tells me that if you're only getting a small shock then it's probably not your heater but rather something that's putting out a lower voltage of D.C. current. Probably a power head/pump or something.
Also, the use of grounding probes in only beneficial if used in conjunction with having all of your equipment on GFCI's. Many will argue that there are a lot more cons to grounding probes than there are pro's as far as livestock is concerned. But they do offer more safety for the user.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
When I've seen properly installed titanium grounding probes in aquariums, I've seen volts drop from 1.0v to zero... If you don't use a ground probe, then you will probably never get a zero result. Not all GFCI's are grounded either, and they don't have to be. So, check to make sure you have a grounding wire anyway! In my old 1940s duplex house apartment I live in, none of the sockets come with a ground!
Can't rule any piece of equipment out unless it's been tested... I would think.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/387978/eletricity-flowing-through-my-tank#post_3418280
When I've seen properly installed titanium grounding probes in aquariums, I've seen volts drop from 1.0v to zero... If you don't use a ground probe, then you will probably never get a zero result. Not all GFCI's are grounded either, and they don't have to be. So, check to make sure you have a grounding wire anyway! In my old 1940s duplex house apartment I live in, none of the sockets come with a ground!
Can't rule any piece of equipment out unless it's been tested... I would think.
With all due respect Snake I don't see how that is possible. Transient voltage doesn't just dissapear. When you install a ground probe you provide a path to ground for current to travel, but it doesn't remove the potential (voltage). What method do you use to test for voltage in a tank?
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
I set the dial for the lowest AC setting, put the black wire on a grounded recepticle and put the red clamp /wire in the tank. I don't exactly know what method that is, because I got it off of YouTube. lol! If I'm doing it wrong, by all means , tell me!
You're right, it doesn't remove potential voltage if you ground it, it just provides a path out of the aquarium.
Here is an article I partially understood the other day: http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/1298/1298_3.html
Here's a quote from the conclusion:
"Regardless of the method by which the energy is being coupled into the tank (and we can debate this further) the voltages are quite real, and quite high for a sufficiently isolated tank. The currents, however, are so small that they very nearly defy measurement with laboratory grade equipment. In all cases tested for this paper, no voltage was detectable in the tank when the titanium ground probe was properly connected to (earth)."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top