pfitz44
Active Member
Originally Posted by Sly
I can see using a gfci outlet but I would never use a grounding rod. Stick your tongue to the positive or negative post of a car battery. You will not get shocked... but if you could stick you tongue to both (dang that's a long tongue) then you would get quite a jolt. Voltage is only an issue when it's compaired to something else. If you have an object that is charged to a million volts, it only matters when it comes in contact with something else that is a million volts of potential different... Voltage is always relative. It does not matter unless you complete a circuit. Ground rods complete the circuit and therefore pose a danger to the fish by channeling electricity through their bodies.
A GFCI will notice the voltage dif, and will trip. Plain and simple. That is they're jobs. To prevent a non intentional circuit from being completed.
Originally Posted by Sly
Why is a car one of the safest places to be in the event of a lightning storm? It's because they are not grounded. Electricity will not flow easily through rubber tires.
False. It has noting to do with the rubber. By that logic, if i was standing on a rubber tire, and got struck by a lightining bolt, i would live. The reason you are safe in a car is called "Skin Effect". Electricity can only move on the surface of objects. The car's surface area is what actually protects you. Another example of this is High Tention/High Voltage wires. The insulators on those work the same way. It is the total surface area that protects the wire from shorting out to the tower. Same thing on Distribution netowrks. The surface area of the insulator on the utility poles prevents flash overs.
Originally Posted by Sly
Why do we use lightning rods on houses? Because wood and wet brick WILL conduct electricity when the differential is in the millions of volts, much more so that the rubber on our car tires. Then this current will cause the wood to burst into flames and burn the house down. We use lightning rods BECAUSE houses conduct electricity. We would rather a steel rod conduct the electricity than our house.
False. Ground Rods, like Grounding probes, are acting as a way for lighting, or voltage, to get to the ground, were voltage wants to be at... zero potential. The ground rod will take the hit, rather than your house. A ground probe will be the bath to ground, rather than your hand. BTW, Brick does not conduct electricity.
Originally Posted by Sly
However a fish tank in a glass aquarium is MUCH more insulated from electicity than is a house and at the same time, the voltage, even at its worst, is much lower than lightning. Our fish will not feel the flow of current until we do something horrible like add a grounding rod to our tanks...
That is why Grounding probes should not be installed if there is no GFCI inplace.
I can see using a gfci outlet but I would never use a grounding rod. Stick your tongue to the positive or negative post of a car battery. You will not get shocked... but if you could stick you tongue to both (dang that's a long tongue) then you would get quite a jolt. Voltage is only an issue when it's compaired to something else. If you have an object that is charged to a million volts, it only matters when it comes in contact with something else that is a million volts of potential different... Voltage is always relative. It does not matter unless you complete a circuit. Ground rods complete the circuit and therefore pose a danger to the fish by channeling electricity through their bodies.
A GFCI will notice the voltage dif, and will trip. Plain and simple. That is they're jobs. To prevent a non intentional circuit from being completed.
Originally Posted by Sly
Why is a car one of the safest places to be in the event of a lightning storm? It's because they are not grounded. Electricity will not flow easily through rubber tires.
False. It has noting to do with the rubber. By that logic, if i was standing on a rubber tire, and got struck by a lightining bolt, i would live. The reason you are safe in a car is called "Skin Effect". Electricity can only move on the surface of objects. The car's surface area is what actually protects you. Another example of this is High Tention/High Voltage wires. The insulators on those work the same way. It is the total surface area that protects the wire from shorting out to the tower. Same thing on Distribution netowrks. The surface area of the insulator on the utility poles prevents flash overs.
Originally Posted by Sly
Why do we use lightning rods on houses? Because wood and wet brick WILL conduct electricity when the differential is in the millions of volts, much more so that the rubber on our car tires. Then this current will cause the wood to burst into flames and burn the house down. We use lightning rods BECAUSE houses conduct electricity. We would rather a steel rod conduct the electricity than our house.
False. Ground Rods, like Grounding probes, are acting as a way for lighting, or voltage, to get to the ground, were voltage wants to be at... zero potential. The ground rod will take the hit, rather than your house. A ground probe will be the bath to ground, rather than your hand. BTW, Brick does not conduct electricity.
Originally Posted by Sly
However a fish tank in a glass aquarium is MUCH more insulated from electicity than is a house and at the same time, the voltage, even at its worst, is much lower than lightning. Our fish will not feel the flow of current until we do something horrible like add a grounding rod to our tanks...
That is why Grounding probes should not be installed if there is no GFCI inplace.
