Electricity in the Tank!

[Nitroq2]

I don't think this is just in my tank, my original thought and question was whether all tanks have stray voltage. I think most tanks will have this stray voltage. Thats why I ask folks to check their tanks. Some reading on the internet quickly answered my question that most if not all will have some stray voltage in the tank. The question then became what can be done to fix that? The quick answer was putting in a grounding rod, however articles stated that may not be such a good idea. I did intially have a heater giving me a large amount of voltage and quickly isolated that and removed it. But after that I done some checking and found that almost every pump or device in the tank bled a small amount voltage into the tank (about 1.5 volts each). I have drip loops on everything and wipe my stuff every few months so there isn't that much salt creep anywhere on my tank other than my return pipe, since it crosses the sump it does get a good bit also along the top of the sump it builds up but again I wipe those ever few months.

 

[stolaas]

Allen, Just wondering, when you tested the voltage of each pump, did you put the prong (s) next to the pump in the water? My question is does the voltage drop the farther away you place the prong? (tester)

 

[8BALL_99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10602300#post10602300 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stolaas
Allen, Just wondering, when you tested the voltage of each pump, did you put the prong (s) next to the pump in the water? My question is does the voltage drop the farther away you place the prong? (tester)

Shouldn't,, It didn't in mine. I read the same voltage in the display where I have No power heads or heaters as I did in the over flow and sump where all my equipment is.. The small voltage from your powerheads probably isn't from them leaking. Its probrably just from the magnetic feild from the power head creating voltage in the SW.

Will

 

[Shawnts106]

Its probrably just from the magnetic feild from the power head creating voltage in the SW.

I never thought of that before...

 

[Nitroq2]

What Will Said!~

 

[TOYTEK]

I was thinking the same thing as Will, induction current. I found my meter, it was in my truck. I'll try and check my tank tonight.

 

[TOYTEK]

Ok, with the red probe on my meter in my tank, ground probe out of the water, black probe attached to ground probe, meter set to 20 VAC scale, I got the following readings.
2.0v
unplugged stealth heater, dropped to 1.5V
unplugged MJ1200, dropped to 1.4V
u/p 2nd MJ, no change
u/p 3rd MJ, voltage went up??? to 2.0V
u/p skimmer (seaclone, another MJ) up to 2.9V
u/p the last component HOB filter, up to 3.3V
all I can figure is like someone said earlier, the current can follow the neg. of another component. So as I ran out of things plugged up, there was less room to escape. But that doesn't explain the 3.3V with everything unplugged. Unless I was picking up an induction current from the lights.
I did check the heater turning it on and off with it still plugged up. The drop in voltage was about the same with it on as it was with it unplugged. I was kind of expecting that. With it on, there is a path through the heater for the voltage to escape. Not sure what Allen's faulty heater would do if you checked it with it on.
I also observed a spike when I unplugged things, then it would drop down to the readings I posted. It would be interesting to see how many amps are flowing through the ground probe with everything plugged up.

 

[TOYTEK]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10605541#post10605541 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TOYTEK
It would be interesting to see how many amps are flowing through the ground probe with everything plugged up.

must've been thinking out loud when I typed that.
I got 85 micro Amps

 

[8BALL_99]

lol Thats odd. Yeah I guess the lights could cause that much, kewl....... So you max out at 3.3v.. Mine was 5.7v. I would bet that almost everyone has atleast a couple volts.

Will

 

[8BALL_99]

BTW Tim your PM box it full. Thursday is good for me. If some other time is better for you just let me know. Was you still thinking Hooters?

Will

 

[TOYTEK]

Re: Electricity in the Tank!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10578741#post10578741 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Nitroq2
... Another question for you guys and gals especially the ones with the grounding probes. If your tank is reading 0 volts now please disconnect the grounding rod and check it without it. I am curious as to whether that would essentially kill the 8 volts in my tank.

Yeah, it was zero with the ground probe/rod in the water.

 

[stolaas]

I tested my tanks today. The main display has 4.3 Volts but the QT tank which has nothing in it besides Saltwater read 7.1 Volts! I could actually feel the current in the tester probe as I touched it to the water.

 

[Nitroq2]

Hooters sounds like a good meeting place Man I wish I were a little closer to you guys.

 

[8BALL_99]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10610149#post10610149 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by stolaas
I tested my tanks today. The main display has 4.3 Volts but the QT tank which has nothing in it besides Saltwater read 7.1 Volts! I could actually feel the current in the tester probe as I touched it to the water.

Really? no powerheads or nothing? Were the lights on over the tank? Thats very strange.

lol Nitroq2

 

[stolaas]

Yup, Nothing in there, and I dont have have any lights around it except for my closet fluorescent on the ceiling which are about 8 feet away. I couldn't believe it either so I tested about ten times and always the same. Between 6.4 and 7.1.

I was running an air pump in there last week, I wonder if it could of built up some kind of static charge from the air bubbles. If so, I could try grounding the water then ungrounding and trying it again. If it was a static charge it should disapate after touching a ground to it.