grounding probe issue

[bergamer]

I have been getting shocked in my tank for a while and tonight i was fixing things and placing things back where they belong and when i touched my grounding probe I got the -#% shocked out of me. as I was taking the grounding probe out I was still getting shocked and it only stopped when I unplugged it. Then I placed my hand in the tank and didn't feel any shock at all.
whats going on here?

 

[murph]

Well.... one of your pumps heaters etc. Is leaking voltage into your tank.
First protect yourself. At home labyrinth you can buy outlet splitters that have a GFI built into them. Plug all your tank electronics into it. The kind of shock you are describing would have tripped it for sure and you would not have felt a thing but would be wondering why your lights and pumps all shut off until it registers in your mind what happened.
While at home labyrinth buy an inexpensive voltage meter. Place the red lead in your tank water and ground the black lead. It will read voltage in your case. Then unplug each of your tanks electronics until it reads no voltage and you will have found the faulty device. Replace it!

 

[reefnut]

Plug the grounding probe back in, away from the tank and see if it reads any volts... two things... one... you had the probe plugged in wrong or two... you have a major voltage leak in the tank. My guess is #2.
Ditto Murph's comments!!

 

[acrylic51]

 

[dad]

I wrote a big article about this some time ago. not sure where it is now..sorry
I am a none beleiver in grounding probes. To put it as simple as i can: Your tank will create (stray voltage). Think of this voltage the same as a bird on a high line. As long as the bird is not grounded; it is ok. Make since? By adding a ground probe; you are giving that bird/tank a ground. A place for the voltage to go. Very bad IMO!
Now about safety: All of your tank should be on GFCI breakers or recepts.
I recomend having at least two. One running pumps and another running lighting.
If you do noy have GFCI's..STOP! Go get some!

 

[acrylic51]

I don't know if I agree with your thoughts on the ground probe, but I don't use GFCI's at all in my fishroom.....After all these years "knock on wood" never had a problem and besides all my recepticles are mounted in the ceiling above the tank.....

 

[reefnut]

GFCI's can save your life... I can't stress enough the importance of having GFCI's on your tank.
The National Electrical Code (NEC) required GFCI's anywhere you are likely to encounter water while having something plugged in... bathrooms, outside, etc... for the same reasons our tank's need them.
I'm a believer in ground probes... I wouldn't run a tank w/o one.