powerstrip / gfci
- Thread starter alix2.0
- Start date
lion_crazz
Active Member
Surge protectors and GFCI's are not the same. Not to cause a dispute between you and your dad, but here is the difference:
Surge protectors protect equipment (not people) from spikes in current. Spikes could come from things like lightening.
GFCI's protect people from electrical shock. Shock would come if your hand was wet and you touched the outlet, if water dripped onto the outlet, etc.
When you bring up stray electricity, that is a totally separate issue. This is where a grounding probe comes into play. Neither a GFCI or surge protector will prevent stray electricity.
Every tank should have a grounding probe and a GFCI.
Surge protectors protect equipment (not people) from spikes in current. Spikes could come from things like lightening.
GFCI's protect people from electrical shock. Shock would come if your hand was wet and you touched the outlet, if water dripped onto the outlet, etc.
When you bring up stray electricity, that is a totally separate issue. This is where a grounding probe comes into play. Neither a GFCI or surge protector will prevent stray electricity.
Every tank should have a grounding probe and a GFCI.
alix2.0
Active Member
thanks for the info. ill let him know.
the second question is, i have my tanks plugged into a powerstrip with a surge protecter, but occasionally when i touch the surface of the smallest tank, i get a little jolt, not a shock, but definately enough that you notice. i know some people have problems with stray voltage in their tanks, and was wondering if this was possibly what was going on. everything in the tank is looking and acting great. i actually unplugged everything yesterday & still got a jolt though, so it might just be me.
the second question is, i have my tanks plugged into a powerstrip with a surge protecter, but occasionally when i touch the surface of the smallest tank, i get a little jolt, not a shock, but definately enough that you notice. i know some people have problems with stray voltage in their tanks, and was wondering if this was possibly what was going on. everything in the tank is looking and acting great. i actually unplugged everything yesterday & still got a jolt though, so it might just be me.
lion_crazz
Active Member
Originally Posted by alix2.0
http:///forum/post/2757418
thanks for the info. ill let him know.
the second question is, i have my tanks plugged into a powerstrip with a surge protecter, but occasionally when i touch the surface of the smallest tank, i get a little jolt, not a shock, but definately enough that you notice. i know some people have problems with stray voltage in their tanks, and was wondering if this was possibly what was going on. everything in the tank is looking and acting great. i actually unplugged everything yesterday & still got a jolt though, so it might just be me.
Sorry Alix, I edited my post above after I realized what you were saying.
http:///forum/post/2757418
thanks for the info. ill let him know.
the second question is, i have my tanks plugged into a powerstrip with a surge protecter, but occasionally when i touch the surface of the smallest tank, i get a little jolt, not a shock, but definately enough that you notice. i know some people have problems with stray voltage in their tanks, and was wondering if this was possibly what was going on. everything in the tank is looking and acting great. i actually unplugged everything yesterday & still got a jolt though, so it might just be me.
Sorry Alix, I edited my post above after I realized what you were saying.
lion_crazz
Active Member
Anytime.
fishfreak1242
Active Member
don't mean to hijack your thread, but how does a grounding probe work and how do you set one up? thanks
gmann1139
Active Member
Originally Posted by alix2.0
http:///forum/post/2757418
thanks for the info. ill let him know.
the second question is, i have my tanks plugged into a powerstrip with a surge protecter, but occasionally when i touch the surface of the smallest tank, i get a little jolt, not a shock, but definately enough that you notice. i know some people have problems with stray voltage in their tanks, and was wondering if this was possibly what was going on. everything in the tank is looking and acting great. i actually unplugged everything yesterday & still got a jolt though, so it might just be me.
Carpet or bare floor?
You could be generating static on yourself, so when you touch your tank, which is an excellent conductor just like a doorknob, you're discharging your charge into the tank.
So in other words, yes, the problem might not be your tank, the problem might be you
http:///forum/post/2757418
thanks for the info. ill let him know.
the second question is, i have my tanks plugged into a powerstrip with a surge protecter, but occasionally when i touch the surface of the smallest tank, i get a little jolt, not a shock, but definately enough that you notice. i know some people have problems with stray voltage in their tanks, and was wondering if this was possibly what was going on. everything in the tank is looking and acting great. i actually unplugged everything yesterday & still got a jolt though, so it might just be me.
Carpet or bare floor?
You could be generating static on yourself, so when you touch your tank, which is an excellent conductor just like a doorknob, you're discharging your charge into the tank.
So in other words, yes, the problem might not be your tank, the problem might be you
wattsupdoc
Active Member
I imagine the jolt is just a slight tingling, and happens repetitively and continouosly as long as you remain in contact with the surface of the water? An d not something that just happens and then does away. Are you barefoot or socks when this happens?
The concrete is a earth connection. It is in fact not a great conductor, but an excellent ground connection. Don't get me wrong concrete conducts well enough, but just not the best we have. I cant tell you the actual conuctivity of concrete at this moment........well, I digress. Anyways, it's not likely a static source, that requires friction, your carpet is a good source of static electricity, but not a relatively smooth surface like concrete. So, if the jolt you are feeling is a tingle or even a good zap that occurs every time you touch the surface and are bare footed, then you have a problem somewhere. I should mention it can be when you touch another object that is grounded as well. Now, you say you disconnected EVERYTHING. Are you absolutely sure it was everything and all at one time, not just one thing at a time. So the tank is completely disconnected from any source.And it still occurs. Try connecting everything up through a GFCI. Plug therm in one thing at a time, and see if anything trips it. If any one object does, remove that object and repair or replace it immediately. NOW, if you have a ballast with a capacitor on it and it is disconnected from the source, you can still get a shock, and a dandy one too if I might say so. Capacitors store energy, then release it when needed to perform a certain task. If it is a capacitor replace it immediately.
If you still have an issue, with everything disconnected, you may have an issue somewhere else and the water is carrying the current through the house piping and the point at which it can find a path to ground is between your fish tank and your concrete floor. So this could be a issue with your home. Try the above first, with the gfi and see what happens.
I will add that IMO, using a gfi on an aquarium is a great safety measure. If you have a ground probe or not, it's better than nothing at all. However having a ground probe without a GFCI is NOT a good idea. Ultimately a GFCI and ground probe both would be best.
The concrete is a earth connection. It is in fact not a great conductor, but an excellent ground connection. Don't get me wrong concrete conducts well enough, but just not the best we have. I cant tell you the actual conuctivity of concrete at this moment........well, I digress. Anyways, it's not likely a static source, that requires friction, your carpet is a good source of static electricity, but not a relatively smooth surface like concrete. So, if the jolt you are feeling is a tingle or even a good zap that occurs every time you touch the surface and are bare footed, then you have a problem somewhere. I should mention it can be when you touch another object that is grounded as well. Now, you say you disconnected EVERYTHING. Are you absolutely sure it was everything and all at one time, not just one thing at a time. So the tank is completely disconnected from any source.And it still occurs. Try connecting everything up through a GFCI. Plug therm in one thing at a time, and see if anything trips it. If any one object does, remove that object and repair or replace it immediately. NOW, if you have a ballast with a capacitor on it and it is disconnected from the source, you can still get a shock, and a dandy one too if I might say so. Capacitors store energy, then release it when needed to perform a certain task. If it is a capacitor replace it immediately.
If you still have an issue, with everything disconnected, you may have an issue somewhere else and the water is carrying the current through the house piping and the point at which it can find a path to ground is between your fish tank and your concrete floor. So this could be a issue with your home. Try the above first, with the gfi and see what happens.
I will add that IMO, using a gfi on an aquarium is a great safety measure. If you have a ground probe or not, it's better than nothing at all. However having a ground probe without a GFCI is NOT a good idea. Ultimately a GFCI and ground probe both would be best.
alix2.0
Active Member
I imagine the jolt is just a slight tingling, and happens repetitively and continouosly as long as you remain in contact with the surface of the water? An d not something that just happens and then does away. Are you barefoot or socks when this happens? its strange. its only when i touch the knuckle of my right pinkie to the water (
) do i get a zap, and then its just like a shock on a doorknob. its not continuous or pulsing. also, i am barefoot when it occurrs, but it also happened when i was wearing shoes with rubber soles.
The concrete is a earth connection. It is in fact not a great conductor, but an excellent ground connection. Don't get me wrong concrete conducts well enough, but just not the best we have. I cant tell you the actual conuctivity of concrete at this moment........well, I digress. Anyways, it's not likely a static source, that requires friction, your carpet is a good source of static electricity, but not a relatively smooth surface like concrete. So, if the jolt you are feeling is a tingle or even a good zap that occurs every time you touch the surface and are bare footed, then you have a problem somewhere. I should mention it can be when you touch another object that is grounded as well. Now, you say you disconnected EVERYTHING. Are you absolutely sure it was everything and all at one time, not just one thing at a time. well i turned the powerstrip off, which everything is plugged into. i didnt think to unplug the strip, but i didnt think it mattered (doh?) So the tank is completely disconnected from any source. And it still occurs. Try connecting everything up through a GFCI. Plug therm in one thing at a time, and see if anything trips it. If any one object does, remove that object and repair or replace it immediately. NOW, if you have a ballast with a capacitor on it and it is disconnected from the source, you can still get a shock, and a dandy one too if I might say so. Capacitors store energy, then release it when needed to perform a certain task. If it is a capacitor replace it immediately.
If you still have an issue, with everything disconnected, you may have an issue somewhere else and the water is carrying the current through the house piping and the point at which it can find a path to ground is between your fish tank and your concrete floor. So this could be a issue with your home. Try the above first, with the gfi and see what happens.
I will add that IMO, using a gfi on an aquarium is a great safety measure. If you have a ground probe or not, it's better than nothing at all. However having a ground probe without a GFCI is NOT a good idea. Ultimately a GFCI and ground probe both would be best
ohk ill try the grounding probe gfci thing... you kind of lost me with the ballast / capacitor / technical stuff thing but i get the main idea. thanks.
The concrete is a earth connection. It is in fact not a great conductor, but an excellent ground connection. Don't get me wrong concrete conducts well enough, but just not the best we have. I cant tell you the actual conuctivity of concrete at this moment........well, I digress. Anyways, it's not likely a static source, that requires friction, your carpet is a good source of static electricity, but not a relatively smooth surface like concrete. So, if the jolt you are feeling is a tingle or even a good zap that occurs every time you touch the surface and are bare footed, then you have a problem somewhere. I should mention it can be when you touch another object that is grounded as well. Now, you say you disconnected EVERYTHING. Are you absolutely sure it was everything and all at one time, not just one thing at a time. well i turned the powerstrip off, which everything is plugged into. i didnt think to unplug the strip, but i didnt think it mattered (doh?) So the tank is completely disconnected from any source. And it still occurs. Try connecting everything up through a GFCI. Plug therm in one thing at a time, and see if anything trips it. If any one object does, remove that object and repair or replace it immediately. NOW, if you have a ballast with a capacitor on it and it is disconnected from the source, you can still get a shock, and a dandy one too if I might say so. Capacitors store energy, then release it when needed to perform a certain task. If it is a capacitor replace it immediately.
If you still have an issue, with everything disconnected, you may have an issue somewhere else and the water is carrying the current through the house piping and the point at which it can find a path to ground is between your fish tank and your concrete floor. So this could be a issue with your home. Try the above first, with the gfi and see what happens.
I will add that IMO, using a gfi on an aquarium is a great safety measure. If you have a ground probe or not, it's better than nothing at all. However having a ground probe without a GFCI is NOT a good idea. Ultimately a GFCI and ground probe both would be best
ohk ill try the grounding probe gfci thing... you kind of lost me with the ballast / capacitor / technical stuff thing but i get the main idea. thanks.
wattsupdoc
Active Member
We had the same storm )IKE) run through here Saturday night starting at about 2 am. That was one heck of a hurricane. Good luck alix,
matt b
Active Member
Originally Posted by alix2.0
http:///forum/post/2757836
we lost power for about 20 minutes yesterday. the winds were crazy, we were outside just standing in them, it was crazy. lots of downed limbs & power lines, so we didnt have school today.
ALL the schools here are closed. It was crazy. I am sooo glad I did not lose power.
http:///forum/post/2757836
we lost power for about 20 minutes yesterday. the winds were crazy, we were outside just standing in them, it was crazy. lots of downed limbs & power lines, so we didnt have school today.
ALL the schools here are closed. It was crazy. I am sooo glad I did not lose power.