Electrical?

[crispyreef]

Here is one for all electricians out there. I recently moved my tank in the garage(5monthsago). One night I was shocked when I put my hand in the tank with my shoes off. I never noticed it before since the tank has always been on carpet or wooden floors, or I had shoes on. This could have been going on for a while, I have no idea. I had my buddy come over and sure enough 30 volts are flowing through the water. I had him run two independent 20 amp circuits with six plug ins each just for the tank . Should be enough. So we started switching things over one at a time and taking volt readings. Sure enough, two of my modded maxi jets are leaking 1 volt each and the heater is leaking 10 volts. It doesn't add up to 30 volts like it did in the beginning, but maybe the heater was not on. I don't know. After I switched everything over the water had about 14 volts in it, that adds up. So maybe the heater constantly leaks 10 volts and then goes up when it kicks on. End result, I need a new heater.

 

[northbay-reefer]

The first thing I though off as soon as I started reading your message was "HEATER" lol, those things are notorious for leaking voltage, make sure to get a good one, I like Ebojager and never had problems with them so you might give those a try. get multiple smaller ones instead of one big one that way you can strategically place them in different locations of your tank or sump to distribute the heat more efficiently.

 

[crispyreef]

I like that idea of multiple heaters. The heater is only a few months old, I went and got the shatter proof one to be safe after watching my son throw my old glass heater in the garage. I guess it's not very safe.

 

[shaneh]

also get a ground probe...it is only 10$ and can save your life and fish...i had the same thing happen to me a few months ago. It was my fuge pump.

 

[Reef Bass]

+1 for multiple Jager heaters.

How did you measure the leaking voltage? On lead of the meter on a good ground and the other in the tank?

With the ground probe, while you will be safe from shock, how could you know that there was voltage leak? Eliminating the stray voltage source seems like a better idea long term than grounding it out.

 

[FreshReefer]

Voltage

Voltage

Yep I would say keep the volt meter on the tank and turn things off one by one until the voltage drops. This should lead you right to the source making the fix quite obvious. I had a Rio return pump leak voltage.

 

[crispyreef]

That is what I did. I had a voltage meter and put one lead in the water and the other to a metal bar on the ground. One by one I unpluged everything until I found the culprit.

 

[Reef Bass]

Good detective work. Thanks for the input. I may take a meter to my sump just to make sure I'm stray voltage free.

 

[crispyreef]

Actually I unpluged everything, then one by one pluged everything in to the independent circuit to see who was the culprit.

 

[CH]

Ok, anyone have a suggestion for this. I have a set up with the main tank in one room, and the sump and refugium (two separate tanks) in the back room. I have been getting mild shocks when I am standing on the concrete barefoot, nothing when I have shoes on. I don't ever remember this happening in the past. My first thought would be something is leaking some voltage. To track this down, I turned off the power strip and unplugged it completely, yet I was still getting a buzz. I proceded to take everything electrical out of the two tanks, yet would still get the shock. It doesnt' really seem to make sense to me at all, especially with nothing electric being in the tank. The other day I even get a shock when placing a piece of rock into the fuge. I wasn't even putting my hand in, just dropping it in, but it was wet, and so I got zapped as soon as the rock touched the water.

Another thought was maybe it is coming from the main tank, but could it possibly travel through that much water turbulence? (down the overflow, throught the sump, up into the fuge? However after unplugging everything in the back, the fuge is basically sitting there with no water coming in or out yet I still get a zap. At first I really didn't realize I was getting shocked, it felt more like a little sting, like when you have an open cut on your finger, but it has gotten worse over the last few months.

My only other thought, there are some stray currents running through the concrete slab or the bars in the slab, and because I am barefoot, and the floor is somewhat damp, that's causing it.

Anyone ever hear of this happening?

 

[northbay-reefer]

I think the leak is from your main tank, have you tried unplugging every thing from your main tank to see if the shock is still there. As long as their is water, electricity will travel through it very fast.

 

[CH]

I haven't tried that, but it's seems strange for it to happen when there is no direct path from the main tank to the fuge when the pumps are off.
Also, I don't get a shock in the main tank, I suppose since there is carpet I am standing on.

 

[FreshReefer]

electrical

electrical

The best way to find the voltage is to isolate things. Saltwater is especially conductive in a stream. Real water (distilled) is a very poor conductor. Use a voltmeter and turn everything off. If you still get any voltage there is something very strange happening. Turn things on one at a time as you watch the meter.

 

[crispyreef]

Just as FreshReefer said. You have to unplug everything in the tank, sump, fuge, everything. Once you have done that, take a volt reading. If it reads zero, you must then check everything individualy. If you still get volts, then something in the house is leaking and your ground needs to be looked at. Electricity can travel through anything conductive. I have been shocked five feet from my tank because my shoes were a little damp and the floor was wet(I had just worked in the tank so water was everywhere). Good luck.

 

[CH]

That's what I'm thinking is going on because there is absolutely nothing electrical in the fuge to begin with, and then even unplugging everything I still get a zap. It's usually barefeet on concrete.

 

[FreshReefer]

But unless the concrete is wet it should also be a terrible conductor. Surely you must have a return pump for your fuge or a heater. Both of these are culprits. Especially if your pump has a seal that requires regular replacement. You have to look at the path of the electricity. Your fuge must have a solid stream of water between the tanks or skimmer section. Best way is to unplug everything and I mean everything. Not just turn off the switch on the strip but physically disconnect it from the wall.

 

[crispyreef]

Yes, unplug everything!

 

[winereef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15114151#post15114151 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by CH
Ok, anyone have a suggestion for this. I have a set up with the main tank in one room, and the sump and refugium (two separate tanks) in the back room. I have been getting mild shocks when I am standing on the concrete barefoot, nothing when I have shoes on. I don't ever remember this happening in the past. My first thought would be something is leaking some voltage. To track this down, I turned off the power strip and unplugged it completely, yet I was still getting a buzz. I proceded to take everything electrical out of the two tanks, yet would still get the shock. It doesnt' really seem to make sense to me at all, especially with nothing electric being in the tank. The other day I even get a shock when placing a piece of rock into the fuge. I wasn't even putting my hand in, just dropping it in, but it was wet, and so I got zapped as soon as the rock touched the water.

Another thought was maybe it is coming from the main tank, but could it possibly travel through that much water turbulence? (down the overflow, throught the sump, up into the fuge? However after unplugging everything in the back, the fuge is basically sitting there with no water coming in or out yet I still get a zap. At first I really didn't realize I was getting shocked, it felt more like a little sting, like when you have an open cut on your finger, but it has gotten worse over the last few months.

My only other thought, there are some stray currents running through the concrete slab or the bars in the slab, and because I am barefoot, and the floor is somewhat damp, that's causing it.

Anyone ever hear of this happening?

I had a similar case (but I only have 1 tank with 2 sumps)
I was getting zapped and I also had nothing in the water and STILL got zapped.
after 4 months i figured it out!
you see that lamp on the right and that little white ziptie? yup... that's what was giving me volts!

[/IMG]

 

[northbay-reefer]

Thats a lot of lamps for a tiny fuge, you only need one maybe two lamps

 

[jkreefer]

Re: electrical

Re: electrical

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