I set up a 29 galon Q tank yesterday. The tank has a power filter, a heater and power head. When I stuck my finger in this morning a got quite a shock from voltage in the water. I do not have a voltage meter yet but should have one this week to test the water. However, I tried to figure out what piece of equip was the problem by unplugging one piece at a time and touching the water. The only way the voltage was not in the water is if I unplugged all the equip. I added a probe and plugged the equip back in. I still feel a little charge in the water. Has anyone else every expeirenced a problem with stray volts that a probe could not fix?
Shocking Discovery
- Thread starter mikebern
- Start date
Bifferwine
I am a girl
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/aquariummaintenancecare/a/aastrayvoltage.htm
Is all the equipment plugged into the same single powerstrip? If you know there's a problem, it's not really a good idea to let things be as they are and hope that the probe takes care of it. It's got to be one or two pieces of equipment, but I doubt it's all of it.
Is all the equipment plugged into the same single powerstrip? If you know there's a problem, it's not really a good idea to let things be as they are and hope that the probe takes care of it. It's got to be one or two pieces of equipment, but I doubt it's all of it.
I had an elipse hood filter combo on it and replaced that with a Penguin power filter. I thought it was the power strip and replaced that too. I plugged the new power strip into a different outlet and still had the problem. I am going to get a voltage meter and do testing with that as I am not having fun shocking myself testing with my finger. If the voltage meter does not help I will replace the heater and power head as that is all thats left. Thanks.
ccCapt
Reef Hacker
Did you plug them in 1 at a time and check as you were plugging them in? Process of elimination.
Yep. Thats what I thought would be an easy way to figure it out. The voltage issue only stops when everything is unplugged. The shock from sticking my finger in the tank is much more intense when I do not have shoes on. I have freshwater tanks a few feet away and there are no issues with those. Now that I have been thinking about it, it must be something in the tank becase I plugged the power strip for this tank into the same outlet I have a freshwater setup plugged into and only the salt Q tank has the voltage issue.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Or maybe it's because saltwater is a much better conductor than freshwater is. And if you think it hurts barefoot, try it barefoot and with a cut on your finger!!
ccCapt
Reef Hacker
I hope everything is running thru a ground fault breaker or recepticle. Get enough voltage in there and touch the water, your in deep trouble if your not on a GFCI. Be careful.
Even if you don't have a GFCI breaker or recepticle, you can buy a GFCI Shock Buster to protect yourself. HD or Lowes probably carry something similar. Be careful. Saltwater and electricty is dangerous.
Even if you don't have a GFCI breaker or recepticle, you can buy a GFCI Shock Buster to protect yourself. HD or Lowes probably carry something similar. Be careful. Saltwater and electricty is dangerous.
ccCapt
Reef Hacker
You can tell if the recepticles are GFCI by looking at them. If they are, they will have off and reset buttons right between the plugs.
My hunch is they are not becasue there are no reset buttons. I had an electircian run a few dedicated lines for my 265 tank over the summer and thought he mentioned that the outlets were GFCI becasue of their proximity to the tank, but I do not think their are those little black/red reset buttons on them? I want to give him a call to find out exactly what he did. The basement outlets are definitely not. My wife works for a company (similair to the HD) that sells elect equip (hopefully they have something along the lines as the shock buster) and voltage testers and hope to have all this stuff by tonight. For now, I am going to add something like the shock buster to all my outlets just in case. Thanks for your advice, you probably saved me from my own stupidity.
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
because the gfci probably shut it off
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Glad you found the source to your problem! Heaters can easily get very small cracks that are invisible to the eye, and once this happens they start electrifying the tank.
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