Shocking Powerhead! OUCH!

acekjd83

acekjd83

Member
I have learned my lesson! NEVER buy cheap, generic powerheads! There's a story here...
As I'm getting some water to test water quality, i feel sort of a sticking on my hands, but i dont really take much notice, because i thought it was just the salt getting into some scratches i had on my hands...
The next day as i put my hand in the water to put an algae sheet out for myLMB, I feel a jolt like touching electrified wire.

All of a sudden i just KNOW one of my STUPID *&%$#)*-^ powerheads is grounding in the water! Fortunately my fish are safe, because they can't be shocked, since they can't ground, but since i'm barefoot on carpet, i can.
I have 2 big powerheads in my tank, and i don't know if one or both of them are shorting, and i dont have a voltmeter to test the water to see which one shocks when plugged in so...
unplug powerhead 1... zap!

ok, so it's powerhead two! in my excitement i reach in tograb the %-#$! powerhead... zap!

I FORGOT TO UNPLUG THE FRIGGIN THING

so i unplug the offending powerhead, take it out (and I KNOW that damn lawnmower blenny is LAUGHING at my stupid ass...) take it outside and THROW IT DOWN ON A ROCK AND SMASH IT TO TINY BITS!!!!!
take that!
so, the moral of the story: don't buy cheap equipment, or it will bite you in the ass... or the hand.
 
acekjd83

acekjd83

Member
if i had a grounding probe, then it would conduct electricity out of the tank to a safe surface, correct?
but then you wouldn't know there WAS a short until something went REALLY wrong, would you? i dont know, but thats my first instinct. I've got everything on two 30 amp (I assume) surge suppressors, and i'd rather get a <30 amp shock once (or twice, in my case) instead of frying motors, blowing other things on the circuit or any number of other "worse" things... please correct me if im wrong, but that was sort of my rudimentary electrical knowledge assumption.:notsure:
 
fishnerd

fishnerd

Member
The grounding probe is more for the tank inhabitants. Stray voltage is one of the factors in HLLE.
For your own safety, get a GFCI outlet. It will trip the breaker if electricity is going where it shouldn't.
 
T

tizzo

Guest
So...What kinda powerhead was it, so I make sure I don't get one.
 
ryan115

ryan115

Member
i had a powerhead that had been out of the water while i was on vacation and had apparently burnt up. Dont worry no fish in the tank. When i went to test the water, (apparently there was some on the floor), I got a nice suprise, because we all know how well SW conducts electricity. That will wake you up in the morning
:scared:
:scared:
 
acekjd83

acekjd83

Member
powerhead was a C/A (california aquatics) 800... in fact, it was a store replacement for another one that had a motor that went bad after a week. i guess this whole thing was my fault for not recognizing a shoddy product.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top