So I was cleaning my tank today and all of a sudden..ZAP

jwhiteuwc

jwhiteuwc

Member
I've been in this hobby for about 7 years and I've yet to have this happen, but today was a different story. SO I was cleaning my tank with a siphon like I always do and I needed to get my hand further into the tank to clean it, I lifted up on the Coralife enclosed lamp fixture and when I stuck my hand back in the water, I got zapped. It was a little zap, so I tried to do the same thing again and ZAP... I gotter' again. I had everything off in my tank, execpt the lights and the heater. I turned off the heater and tried it again and zap... so I turned of the lights and this time nothing (shouldn't be cuz NOTHING was one). So 1 by 1 I strated to turn my equipment back on and right away was the lights and zap again. No here's the strange thing. If I removed the Siphon from the tank, I no longer get zapped now matter what I try and do, but if I put that siphon back, zap.. as soon as I touch the water.
Can anyone shed some light as to why this may have happened? Does this mean I have some stray current in my tank, or maybe just my lights are grounding the oustide of the encoluser?
Well, low and behold after I right this question, I'm going to install my GFI electrical outlet that has been sitting under my tank for months :)
Thank you for any "thoughts" on why this happened. I'm just glad I'm not belly up in my leaving room right now.
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
hmm, darwinism didnt work...
I'm assuming your syphon is plastic?
did you check for stray voltage, and weren't just getting static shocks?
 
jwhiteuwc

jwhiteuwc

Member
Yes, the siphon is plastic. And nope, not static, if I left my finger in the tank, I'd keep getting zapped until removed it.
I'm just scared for teh fish, they don't look distibed, but something must be going on with the tank to cause that.
 
keri

keri

Active Member
Originally Posted by NewtoReef_tank
if u have any kind of cuts on ur hand sometimes u get shocked to.

Is that his electricity leaking out then?
 
jwhiteuwc

jwhiteuwc

Member
Draining into a bathtub down the hall.
I do have some cuts on my hands, but I was only touching the water with my finger and getting shocked.
Thanks!
 
b bauer

b bauer

Member
if it went from the hose straight to the tub the tank was not grounded until the water went to the tub that has metal pipes.get a cheap GFIC and then turn everything on 1 at a time and you will find something bad
 
bgrae001

bgrae001

Member
You can always try a grounding probe.
I had the same problem and then my MH bulbs starting blowing every couple of days. I bought a new light fixture, I figured that my ballast was shot. It turned out to be my electronic timer that I have for my lights. It got splashed during a filter change and I didn't notice it. My wife was looking under my tank and she noticed that there was a small black mark down the side of the timer. We replaced the timer and the light is now fine. So I bought a new MH fixture for nothing.
Now I have an excuse to start another tank. I have the lights and a spare skimmer....
 
jwhiteuwc

jwhiteuwc

Member
Thanks I will look over all my timers and surge protectors too.
Now here's a good question. I own a older home that has the old "knob & tube" wiring, which I do not think is grounded (just 2 wires, hot and netural (white & black)) So can I actually run a GFIC or a grounding probe? Or BOTH?
Thanks again!
 
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