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GoFish
11-06-2014, 01:41 AM
I posted a couple weeks ago about checking voltage in tank water here (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=109900&highlight=voltage). I had what i thought was i minor problem, got zapped with my hand in the water, checked with voltage meter got some readings, figured it out..It was a T5 light covered in salt creep and i bypassed the ground prong on the plug. plugged it into proper socket. Lesson learned. I installed a GFCI just after that happened and put a rid-volt in the tank. No more readings. Fast forward to last night. Zapped again :(. The rid-volt has a crappy suction cup and fell out. Put the grounding probe back in and still felt the zap.Tested the water THIS time on the proper voltmeter setting 0-200v AC (last time i was using 0-20v DC, oops) 54 volts!

Unplugged everything one by one and the voltage dropped bit by bit for every device. Its not one thing but everything?

With everything unplugged i get 2.7 volts (this is literally with NOTHING in the tank plugged into a power source)
with the lights plugged in it goes up to 4.5v
+ skimmer 21.6v
+ heater 32.4v
+ koralia powerhead 40.8v
+ aquaclear filter 54.0v
+ rid-volt and it drops to 4.0v

Theres more to the numbers but too much wiring stuff and i get a headache. Did i install the gfci wrong? ive tried 2 separate powerbars and get the same basic results. Its a super simple tank setup, if someone is good with this stuff and can fix it i'll pay in beer, frags, money, whatever. The fish and corals dont mind but i don't wanna get zapped again

Blah :redface:

GoFish
11-06-2014, 01:49 AM
One more thing. In the meantime until this is sorted should I leave the rid-volt out and subject the tank to 54 volts OR put the it in and ground the water to 4.0v. I don't know what's better

Wildechild_01
11-06-2014, 03:15 AM
With everything unplugged i get 2.7 volts (this is literally with NOTHING in the tank plugged into a power source)
with the lights plugged in it goes up to 4.5v
+ skimmer 21.6v
+ heater 32.4v
+ koralia powerhead 40.8v
+ aquaclear filter 54.0v
+ rid-volt and it drops to 4.0v



This is actually a very complex situation. I will assume that your GFCI is installed correctly as they are fairly straight forward. What you are dealing with is what we call Induced Voltage. Everything electrical generates an electro magnetic field. When this field interacts with something that conducts electricity (like salt water) a voltage is created. The Ballast in your light fixture, and the fluorescent lamps themselves cause this, as do all of the motors in your tank. Skimmer, powerhead, filter.. and even the power flowing through the heater all act to create a voltage in the tank. This does not cause the GFCI to trip because there is no loss of power by any of the items plugged in. The voltages you read are electrical potential differences between the water and your homes ground, providing that is where your other meter lead is. The 2v you read with nothing plugged in could be from any other nearby electrical device or could just be residual not quickly dissipated when you unplug everything, or other things.

As the tank sits without rid volt, there is a potential in the tank but with nowhere to flow there is no current flowing and no real risk to your tank inhabitants. You being shocked is another matter, when you touch the tank you become that path for electricity to flow, something as simple as wearing shoes while working in tank can actually eliminate this. Adding the rid-volt will give the voltages induced somewhere to go meaning you shouldn't get shocked, it does mean however that now your tank inhabitants constantly have electrical current running through their habitat.

Tricky decision. The 50v is not likely to cause any real harm to you, but if your standing bare foot on a metal drain in a puddle of water the potential is there, i generally only notice it if i have a small cut on the finger in the tank, and I'm touching the stand

As a read back through this i realize it may be more confusing than helpful. Short story I guess, unfortunately there is likely nothing you can do short of disconnecting everything electrical anywhere near your tank and then stirring the tank with a wooden spoon for flow and the sun for light. But I wouldn't stress out about it too much. If your worried about the zap put the rid volt in just keep an eye on your fish to see if it seems to affect them.

Hope that helps a bit, if not let me know and i will try again

gregzz4
11-06-2014, 03:56 AM
I have a skimmer, return and chiller pumps, 3 x 200w heaters, and 2 maxijets in my sump.
I only get 0.07 volts, so all my gear is still waterproof.
I have a crappy maxijet in my ato and it leaks 4.5v - no big deal.

Looking at your list I'd suggest you start replacing hardware as the units that are leaking voltage will eventually get worse and fail, probably blowing your gfci and turning the whole system off.

And I'd leave the probe out of the tank unless you plan on working in it.
I've never liked the idea of subjecting the critters to voltage with a probe, and only use probes in my tanks to protect me in case of a sudden failure.

Wheelman76
11-06-2014, 04:46 AM
I have a skimmer, return and chiller pumps, 3 x 200w heaters, and 2 maxijets in my sump.

I only get 0.07 volts, so all my gear is still waterproof.

I have a crappy maxijet in my ato and it leaks 4.5v - no big deal.



Looking at your list I'd suggest you start replacing hardware as the units that are leaking voltage will eventually get worse and fail, probably blowing your gfci and turning the whole system off.



And I'd leave the probe out of the tank unless you plan on working in it.

I've never liked the idea of subjecting the critters to voltage with a probe, and only use probes in my tanks to protect me in case of a sudden failure.


I thought having the probe in makes it so the fish are not affected by the voltage?

GoFish
11-06-2014, 05:34 AM
I will assume that your GFCI is installed correctly
Pretty sure, i left the yellow tape on an followed directions

The 50v is not likely to cause any real harm to you, but if your standing bare foot on a metal drain in a puddle of water the potential is there, i generally only notice it if i have a small cut on the finger in the tank
LOL had no plans on that

The voltages you read are electrical potential differences between the water and your homes ground, providing that is where your other meter lead is
Could you try explaining this part a bit more?

I really appreciate your reply! Its helped some :)

I'd suggest you start replacing hardware as the units that are leaking voltage will eventually get worse and fail, probably blowing your gfci and turning the whole system off.
Good idea, i will probably just shut this tank down and build something bigger and better. :) Really weird that all the equipment contributes, Skimmer is 3 m/o reef octopus, heater 1.5 y/o aqueon pro, koralia 6 m/o. The filter and lights are at least 3 years old though.

I've never liked the idea of subjecting the critters to voltage with a probe
I read this somewhere on RC last week, if its true the fish don't look to react any different with or w/o the probe

gregzz4
11-06-2014, 01:25 PM
I thought having the probe in makes it so the fish are not affected by the voltage?
The probe completes the circuit to ground, so it is now flowing through the water

gregzz4
11-06-2014, 01:28 PM
Bryant it does seem a bit odd that the newer equip is acting up ...

When you tested, you put the black/negative probe in the 'D' shaped socket in your outlet, and the red/positive probe in the water ?

Maybe try individually testing hardware without the lights

GoFish
11-06-2014, 02:36 PM
Yes, the red positive probe was submerged in tank water and the negative was in the 3rd D shaped hole in the wall, and also tried a power bar ground hole with no difference.
Not sure if this could be related but something strange I noticed was testing the GFCI wall plug I get 120 volts each, but if I test the power bar plugs (2 y/o Coralife digital power centre (http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/store_pages/product-info.php?product_ID=WM-ESUPCD)) and get 39-40 volts for each plug.

I will try each unit in its own when I have time this afternoon and post results

CM125
11-06-2014, 03:52 PM
Something still doesn't sound right here. Did you test the ground in the box before you installed the gfci?

Wildechild_01
11-06-2014, 06:51 PM
I still dont think there is an issue with the devices actually leaking power into the tank I will admit the induced levels seem a little hight but depending on the quality of the equipment and the materials used induced voltages can be pretty high, i will check my tank when i get home and see what my results are like. It is worth double checking the GFCI hookups to make sure your white and black are in the right place, even if they are without the ground probe in the tank the gfci will likely not trip since all of the power going out will eventually make its way back through that same gfci assuming all of the equipment is run through it.

gregzz4
11-06-2014, 07:01 PM
Those low voltages on your power bar are definitely messed up

CM125
11-06-2014, 07:53 PM
I would try a different plug (even on a different circuit if you can) see what the results are

Wildechild_01
11-06-2014, 11:16 PM
I just read the post about the voltages on the power strip. They seem to be way out to lunch there. What were you measuring between to get those? Also could try plugging individual items into gfci see how it reacts with those power bar readings there could be an issue internally there that messes with stuff in the tank but the bar as a whole still shows balanced to the gfci hence the not tripping. I am just heading home will go through all this again and probably post some more ideas


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wildechild_01
11-07-2014, 01:09 AM
http://theaquariumwiki.com/Stray_current hopefully that link works its a fairly good write up actually. My guess is we are dealing with the Magnetic Induction my tank reads at 60 volts but i get no real current flow reading. As a point of interest though i am going to keep an eye on this phenomenon in my tank for a while mostly as an academic exercise for myself.

The strange voltages on your power bar are still baffling, did you have your equipment still plugged into it when you tested it? Was the reading hot to neutral, the 2 slots of the plug, or were the measurements to the ground spot?

GoFish
11-07-2014, 01:52 AM
So just finished doing some tests. Followed THIS (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXlVVgsp64c) link checking my GFCI, and got the same results so it must be installed correctly.

Not sure what i was doing wrong last night but i tested the Coralife powerbar again with a lot less clutter around and was able to get proper readings, no issue with the powerbar. SORRY for the confusion, it puts out 120v 'ish. it has these turning child protectors on it and is real pain in the a$$ to get these little voltmeter probes in there/ got 40 a few more times and figured out the angle

First, with nothing plugged in. Positive probe in tank and negative probe of voltmeter in ground on socket still reads 2.7v, I put the ground probe in the water and it drops to 0, i figure with the probe it would release any stray voltage from the water, but nope, no matter how many times the rid-volt goes into the water it jumps back to 2.7, still with nothing plugged in. Tank water will not read 0 without Rid-volt

TEST #1
So + in tank, - in ground on GFCI (This time i plug in each device and then unplug and move to the next one)
2.7v w/nothing
T5 Lights = 4.6
Koralia = 15
Aquaclear = 9.5
Skimmer = 20.6
Heater = 22.0

Test #2
This time, same as above but the Rid-volt is now plugged in and in the tank.
0.0 w/ nothing
T5 Lights = 0.0
Koralia = 0.0
Aquaclear = 0.0
Skimmer = 0.0
Heater = 0.0

Now i try i different circuit from the kitchen via an extension cord

Test #3
So + in tank, - in ground on powerbar plugged into extension cord ( I only used the powerbar on this test cause i needed a ground from that circuit to use. Theres a 50 foot power cord being used now so that may explain the lower numbers from test #1
0.7v w/nothing
T5 Lights = 2.7
Koralia = 10.7
Aquaclear = 7.1
Skimmer = 18.2
Heater = 20.4

Test #4
Same as test #3 bu this time on the other circuit
0.0 w/ nothing
T5 Lights = 0.0
Koralia = 0.0
Aquaclear = 0.0
Skimmer = 0.0
Heater = 0.0

hmmm, all my equipment appears to be faulty now?? Is it at all possible that my un-grounded T5 issue from 2 weeks ago could have caused other equipment to slowly break down the ability to not release stray voltage?

GoFish
11-07-2014, 02:03 AM
Going out for drinks with some friends pretty quick, just had a glance at that article and you may have discovered the issue with one of Cardinal fish! HLLE?! I posted a while ago about it but never figured it out

Seen HERE (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=107815&highlight=sick+cardinal)

And just tested for current, 0 :)

Thanks again for help, i'll reply when i have more time later on

Cheers

gregzz4
11-07-2014, 02:15 AM
Going out for drinks with some friends pretty quick, just had a glance at that article and you may have discovered the issue with one of Cardinal fish! HLLE?! I posted a while ago about it but never figured it out

Seen HERE (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=107815&highlight=sick+cardinal)

And just tested for current, 0 :)

Thanks again for help, i'll reply when i have more time later on

Cheers
Gather this post was meant for a different site ? ...

gregzz4
11-07-2014, 02:20 AM
So just finished doing some tests
I'd say you're good to go now using the grounding probe, but only because your results are below 20VAC

As I posted previously, I have no voltage in my tank, so I'm comfortable using a grounding probe as I know my fish are not being subjected to a constant voltage

I've read (probably just in humor) that if your fish start swimming in one east/west or north/south direction you should check your voltage :smile:

So, again, I'd say you're good to go with the grounding probe, but it's too bad you can't get your numbers down to near single decimals

gregzz4
11-07-2014, 02:25 AM
Oops, wait a minute ...

Sorry, I'm reading too fast and not absorbing your info
I forgot to add up all your numbers

If it were me, I'd like to see the total voltage below 20ish

Inspect all your hardware cords for damage/salt intrusion etc and go from there

Wildechild_01
11-07-2014, 04:00 AM
TEST #1
So + in tank, - in ground on GFCI (This time i plug in each device and then unplug and move to the next one)
2.7v w/nothing
T5 Lights = 4.6
Koralia = 15
Aquaclear = 9.5
Skimmer = 20.6
Heater = 22.0

w/nothing = salt water is an electrolyte it gets used in batteries to generate electricity, depending on what else is physically in your tank this could be what is happening and would explain why as soon as you remove the rid-volt you read the small voltage being generated by the system itself

T5 Lights = Magnetic Ballasts and fluorescent lamps - generate magnetic fields, this will create an electrical charge when the magnetic fields interact with the salt water. Voltage is created but it is not "leaking" from the fixture into the water. Smallest offender (now that you have properly grounded the ballasts and fixture) because magnetic field needs to cross air gap before getting to water so weaker fields interacting with water. When the fixture was not properly grounded all metal parts of the fixture would have had some induced voltage in them as well now those induced voltages can go to ground safely rather than messing with the tank even more.

Koralia = Motor = spinning magnets. Spinning Magnets + salt water = more generated electrical charge again without actually leaking voltage from the equipment.

The above applies to everything with a motor so skipping to....

Heaters - This is probably the most likely to actually be leaking voltage, if it was actually leaking voltage though i would expect the GFCI to trip when you use the rid-volt. Heaters however operate by running electricity through a coil of wire designed to conduct a little poorly and heat up. Now you have a coil of wire with alternating current running through it, without getting too technical this also results in magnetic fields being generated they expand and contract moving across the conductor that is the salt water, again voltage will be generated.

Checking my tank I sit around 60v, a little higher than yours but if i remember correctly you said your set up is 90G, the water can only hold a certain amount of charge (like a battery) my 125G would then be able to hold a little more. adding a ground probe to my tank also drops the voltage to zero with no measurable current ... okay full disclosure i managed to get a 5 microAmp reading with my "i don't want to talk about what i paid for it" volt meter. with no measurable current flowing probably safe for fish to leave probe in.

hmmm, all my equipment appears to be faulty now?? Is it at all possible that my un-grounded T5 issue from 2 weeks ago could have caused other equipment to slowly break down the ability to not release stray voltage?
[/COLOR]

Nope.....

My Guess is that there is nothing wrong with any of your equipment. The voltages you are reading are a result of Magnetic Induction. If you are getting a zero on current measurements then i say toss the probe in and be done with it. If anything does break in anyway and starts to leak any power the probe will then let the GFCI trip.

Aaandd... Bed Time gotta go play electrician super early tomorrow.... :cry: at least its almost the weekend:biggrin::biggrin:

gregzz4
11-07-2014, 05:16 AM
I'm just going to throw this out there, and it's my opinion only, but I'll stand by it ....

My tank has no voltage in it at all (OK 0.07)
O volts with no probes tells me my equipment is good

Being told someone has 60volts and is OK with it is wrong :surprise:

No offence to whoever has this situation, but that's just messed up and will never be me

Wildechild_01
11-07-2014, 02:39 PM
I'm just going to throw this out there, and it's my opinion only, but I'll stand by it ....

My tank has no voltage in it at all (OK 0.07)
O volts with no probes tells me my equipment is good

Being told someone has 60volts and is OK with it is wrong :surprise:

No offence to whoever has this situation, but that's just messed up and will never be me

Haha no offence taken, I appreciate your position for sure.

Part of the purpose behind my posts is that now that I am observing the phenomenon I am intrigued by it and looking into what is happening and how/why. Knowing that you can induce a voltage into the water with a pump I can say that you can measure a voltage without your equipment being faulty. Just applying my knowledge to the situation, actually planning to replace some items, and try some other maintenance to see how it affect the situation. Really this has turned into a bit of an experimentation situation for me and I may be nerding out to it a little excessively since it combines my hobby and career :lol:

I guess the point I am making is that this is not a unique situation and that there are reasons for it and ways to deal with it that do not involve spending potentially hundreds of dollars only to end up in the same situation.

With older motors now fighting against some extra resistance as gunk builds up in the motor, or even just regular old wearing out.. these pumps pretty much run 24/7 for years, they will in theory now start to pull more power and potentially induce even more voltage into the tank and so replacing them will then theoretically reduce the voltages in your tank. I am running a 3 yr old Reef Octopus Skimmer and my return pump is also around the 3 yr mark. I also noted that all of the submerged pumps in my tank do not have grounded cords, they are all 2 prong not 3. This is allowed because the casings on the pumps and the majority of the components are plastic. Some higher end pumps would contain more metallic parts and will probably use the 3 prong cords. In that situation the metal parts of the pump exposed to the water will now be acting in place of the ground probes that we add to the tanks, so you are still inducing a voltage into the water your equipment is simply providing that ground path to dissipate it. Without actually seeing a setup I can not say for certain this is happening but it is definitely a real possibility when looking at the electrical theory.

For my own curiosity gregzz do you have grounded, 3 prong plug, equipment in your tank?

Aaaannny way.... Replacing old equipment with new may help, and making sure items with a ground are properly connected to a ground especially if the equipment is submerged. Don't panic and replace everything without thinking about it, but YES it is a good idea to aim for a low of a voltage reading and if replacing equipment helps then that is a good idea. I'm going to continue playing with my equipment and tank as time allows and as I learn more I will update my thoughts and oppinions, unless of course you don't want me to haha.

Wheelman76
11-07-2014, 06:48 PM
I'm just going to throw this out there, and it's my opinion only, but I'll stand by it ....



My tank has no voltage in it at all (OK 0.07)

O volts with no probes tells me my equipment is good



Being told someone has 60volts and is OK with it is wrong :surprise:



No offence to whoever has this situation, but that's just messed up and will never be me


This doesn't make sense to me , I think every tank has some voltage in it , even with brand new equipment. What setting are you using on the multi meter ?

For example if you had the multi meter set to 2V and had 28 volts in your tank it would read 0.07volts. If you had it set at 200V then obviously it would read the 28 volts.

GoFish
11-07-2014, 06:56 PM
So im getting the feeling that the grounding probe does absolutely nothing to protect the fish corals and other tank inhabitants from harm, it only prevents me from getting zapped (to a certain extent). With the grounding probe present in the tank if I stood in a puddle with bare feet on a metal drain cover that was earth grounded it would make sense that I could possibly absorb enough current to get harmed (if there was actual current in the tank). The probe seems more like a comfort thing. I swear that with a grounding probe in the tank and voltage showing 4.0 volts from my first post I still felt a tingle in a cut on a finger, but not uncomfortable. For a fish to actually feel the current or voltage wouldn't it have to jump out of the water and give a ground probe a high five with its tail in the water?! :lol: I haven't honestly seen any difference in any livestock in the tank with the probe or without. It's like they are in their own little world no matter what. If I drop a toaster in the water while in the bath tub, before the breaker trips I'm most likely dead, period. However if I'm swimming In the ocean or in a really big swimming pool not touching the beach or the edge of the pool and someone threw a toaster in the water would I even feel it?

I'll talk to J+L where I bought the skimmer and see if this could be a warranty issue, it continuously gives high voltage readings (20ish volts)

Wildechild, it's interesting you get nearly the same reading I do, I wonder how many people on the forum would get voltage readings.
The tank is only 20 gallons BtW

Let there be a poll! :mrgreen:

And back to something I previously mentioned. Is there any chance that my recent T5 light fixture issues caused my other equipment to do the same, leak voltage? If so maybe I should replace ALL my equipment at the same time, other wise I risk having the same thing snowball again...

GoFish
11-07-2014, 07:38 PM
Just had a read through this, Voltage in the aquarium (http://web.archive.org/web/20040624060942/http://www.aquarium.net/1298/1298_3.shtml) it was at the bottom of the page that Wildechild posted.
Something I found very interesting (as my head almost exploded from technicalities) was the part about bizarre powerhead measurements half way down the page. The plastic housing of his powerhead induces voltage, this has nothing to from what I can tell that there's anything physically or visually wrong with pump or wiring (well maybe internally) but nothing noted. It appears to be the same phenomenon that has been taking place with all my equipment. Sure, I can check the new'ish skimmer for signs of issues, but highly doubt I will find anything visibly wrong, therefore the pump of the skimmer is now leaking voltage by way of "some cause".

Find the answer and I'll call you genius! Or a good Googler

Wildechild_01
11-07-2014, 11:19 PM
So im getting the feeling that the grounding probe does absolutely nothing to protect the fish corals and other tank inhabitants from harm, it only prevents me from getting zapped (to a certain extent).

By George I think he's got it. Based on my personal results so far the article in the next quote i say put the ground probe in... extra safe for you, minimal extra risk to tank inhabitants.

Just had a read through this, Voltage in the aquarium (http://web.archive.org/web/20040624060942/http://www.aquarium.net/1298/1298_3.shtml) it was at the bottom of the page that Wildechild posted.
Something I found very interesting (as my head almost exploded from technicalities) was the part about bizarre powerhead measurements half way down the page. The plastic housing of his powerhead induces voltage, this has nothing to from what I can tell that there's anything physically or visually wrong with pump or wiring (well maybe internally) but nothing noted. It appears to be the same phenomenon that has been taking place with all my equipment. Sure, I can check the new'ish skimmer for signs of issues, but highly doubt I will find anything visibly wrong, therefore the pump of the skimmer is now leaking voltage by way of "some cause".

Find the answer and I'll call you genius! Or a good Googler

Yeah that is a bit of a brain melter of an article, but good.

The question with the power heads is a result of magnetic induction...

When the powerhead impeller spins or the impeller in your skimmer or return pump spins it is caused by magnetic fields. The electricity flows into the device which causes magnetic fields to grow and shrink along with the AC power. To keep it simple 120v AV power cycles from 120v down to -120v and back 60 times per second. This rise and fall in the electricity flowing is what causes the magnetic fields to grow and shrink. These magnetic fields are what make the impeller (spinning part) of the pump spin. These magnetic fields often travel farther that the equipment regardless of what the equipment is made of.

When we generate electricity we do it the other way around... we physically spin magnets close to coils of wire and the interaction of the magnetic fields moving across the wire cause electricity to be generated.

This happens anytime a magnetic field crosses something capable of conducting electricity. Including the salt water in your tank.

The motors in your tank are not leaking electricity. The magnetic fields moving through the water are creating it. With multiple pumps and magnetic fields a lot of power can potentially be created.

With no ground probe there is zero risk to the fish... yes we are generating a voltage but there is nowhere for it to go so no power actually flow anywhere (current) so nothing gets shocked. The danger is that now we can build up some more voltage or Potential for power to flow... my tank was at 80V when i got home.. it changes based on the speed of my powerheads. When you touch the water now the electricity stored in the tank has somewhere to go by going through you. You get shocked.

Electricity is lazy and will always take the easiest way out to ground. So if you properly install the ground probe that will ALWAYS be the easiest way for it to go and most of it will go that way... like water washing away dirt before wearing away rocks.

The downside to the probe is now that electricity being CREATED in your tank has somewhere to go so there will always be some electricity flowing through the tank. Since it is flowing electricity that can harm things electrical theory tells us this could harm your fish, the results in the article, and my own results agree, show such small ammounts of power flow that the risk to the inhabitants is actually quite minimal.

The article also points out that even with the ground probe in place, IF a cord became damaged dangerous amounts of available power will be present in the tank. This is the reason for using a GFCI. If the power leak was big enough it could eventually trip a breaker but that would be a pretty serious short and probably kill your tank. The GFCI will trip as soon as it sees some of the power it sends out not come back, at amounts small enough that no one gets hurt. The down side to the GFCI is that sometimes for no good reason pumps and motors will make them trip and now your tank has turned off. So no perfect solution.

Okay that last paragraph got slightly off topic, but still related topic???? Anyway great article you linked even if tough to get through. Google Electromagnetic Induction if my explanation on that didn't make sense, there are even some okay you tube vids about it.

POI - My Skimmer and Return pump seem to both generate around the 20V mark in my tank. My lights negligible (LED with drivers not in the housing) and my MP40's (no electrical components physically in the water) start to have an effect around 50% speed which makes sense as amount of interaction between water and magnetic fields increases as they spin faster.

gregzz4
11-07-2014, 11:53 PM
For my own curiosity gregzz do you have grounded, 3 prong plug, equipment in your tank?
I have both 2 and 3 prong equipment in the sump

This doesn't make sense to me
It's an auto-ranging meter, and reads 119~VAC in the outlets
Like I said, 0.07

Wildechild_01
11-08-2014, 12:42 AM
I have both 2 and 3 prong equipment in the sump


It's an auto-ranging meter, and reads 119~VAC in the outlets
Like I said, 0.07

I can't say 100% but my guess is that something else in your sump is acting as a ground for the tank, and that's awesome.

mike31154
11-08-2014, 01:42 AM
Get a new heater & skimmer pump. Clearly these 2 components have issues.

I read some voltage when making measurements in my tank (been a while, but IIRC, less than 10). 60+ volts is scary & unsafe. I don't use a ground probe. The wiki article sums it up pretty well. Use GFCI or multiple GFCI, keep electrical cords out of the water. Use as much low voltage DC equipment as possible, don't fully submerge any heater, no matter what the manufacturer claims.

DSlater
11-08-2014, 04:55 PM
I can't say 100% but my guess is that something else in your sump is acting as a ground for the tank, and that's awesome.

Just my observation here... But when I have had to troubleshoot electrical issues in the past I have found that induced voltage seldom gives much of a shock.
Like the red wire in a three conductor cable if it's isolated on each end will show a voltage on my volt tick because of the induced voltage. When I grab it with my bare fingers there is no shock because there is no actual power behind it.

Is the original poster able to tell us if the shock he receives is continuous or a one time hit? Might tell us something... A one time poke might lean more to induced, continuous would be voltage leak. I get a good continuous shock from the aluminum siding of my trailer when I plug it in with a 2 prong cord.

Other issues could be bad bond or neutral connections in the house or power bar wiring... really to many variables to troubleshoot over the internet. It did make me check my tank and I'm down to .1 or .2 volts with powerhead, skimmer pump, 2 submerged heaters, and a DC return pump.

GoFish
11-09-2014, 12:23 AM
Is the original poster able to tell us if the shock he receives is continuous or a one time hit?

Its a continuous shock. The heater is fully submerged so maybe I'll raise the dial above the waterline, the skimmer is gonna have to stay where it is for a bit. Im not super worried about this anymore, i don't really like the tank anyway

I'll be taking the fish out tonight and putting them in the other tank. hopefully the clowns can find a powerhead or some random coral to host.

Then off to Mexico for 5 days :biggrin: I'll check in while away
Thanks again for the replies

gregzz4
11-09-2014, 03:24 AM
Have a great Holiday !!! :smile:

We're planning one ourselves

Wildechild_01
11-09-2014, 03:53 AM
+1 on the have a great trip looking at my forecast here wishing i was headed south