Getting shocked while hands in tank...

[djian]

Okay, So my skimmer mag 12 pump is shocking the water.

Is there anything I can do so I dont have to purchase another pump?

Unfortunantly, I broke the impeller taking it appart last night and will have to purchase a new one before I can test it again. Is it even worth it to buy another impeller? What do you guys think?:hmm3:

 

[murfman]

impellers are pretty cheap. Hook up a grounding probe and you should be ok.

 

[djian]

How do grounding probes work?

 

[papagimp]

Ha, i get the same thing from my Power Compact lights, arm in tank, hair stand up on end. A grounding probe goes in the tank, hooked to , I'm assuming, a wall outlet and grounds any stray voltage in the tank. A ground is nice and all but you may want to isolate where the stray voltage is coming from and remove that componet.

 

[stugray]

Dont install a grounding probe without a GFCI on the power outlet. You should have both.

Stu

 

[reefsafe]

just bought a grounding probe from ebay for $15 shipped.

 

[Mustang394]

Gotta agree with papagimp, if your getting enough stray voltage to shock you when you touch the water you may have a more serious problem. I would find out for sure where its coming from ?
I have a mag pump in my sump and never get shocked and I don't use a grounding probe.

 

[Crit21]

You should never, EVER have stray voltage from a submersible device plugged into an external power source. If you can unplug the pump and the shock disappears, the pump is a serious electrical hazard; throw out the pump and get a new one. Either the cord or pump housing is shorted to the water. A grounding probe will not eliminate the hazard.

 

[Crit21]

BTW, the impellar is physically isolated from the windings, so you can test it for leaking current regardless of the presence of an impellar. The problem is inside the pump housing or the power cord.

 

[CastleRock]

What Crit21 said
DUMP IT NOW
100 bucks is not worth your life dude

 

[djian]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8263399#post8263399 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Crit21
BTW, the impellar is physically isolated from the windings, so you can test it for leaking current regardless of the presence of an impellar. The problem is inside the pump housing or the power cord.

Is there a safeway of testing without absorbing the voltage?

 

[CastleRock]

You have a multimeter?
If so you and turn it on to AC volts and test water(one prob in water and the other probe grounded to a good, known ground)
check reading remove prob from water
Unplug pump check reading again with meter

 

[CastleRock]

OH and
Grounding probes create a connection to ground.
when you stick your hand in, you create a path to ground, and current flows through the tank for a second you get schocked.

Now with a grounding probe installed and no GFCI its constantly flowing through the tank because its always grounded.
FIRE and ELECTROCUTION Hazard with that set up!
Grounding probes have 1 use AND ONE USE ONLY: To set off the GFCI before you set it off by sticking your hand in. If you're not running a GFCI on every piece of equipment, you should not be using a probe.

 

[tkeracer619]

I'm surprised no-one recomended putting your hands in there and unpluging things one by one. That reply always gets my lit up :lol: BTW: that would be the most wrong thing to do.

CastleRock is 100% right. A grounding probe is only to trip the gfci. They are to be used together or not at all.

Ground probe + gfci = standard reef hardware.

 

[reefsafe]

I have about three power strips running off of my GFCI. Am i still protected?

 

[tkeracer619]

yes. A gfci outlet will protect that chicken nest of power strips. =]

Also if it is installed inline with other outlets the outlets that follow will also be protected.

In my parents house if you pop the garage gfci you have to reset it in the upstairs bathroom or the doorbell won't work :lol:

 

[CastleRock]

mdrumm
If there plugged into the GFCI you should be fine

 

[mstewart]

I had the same issue with a mag 9 pump. Petsolutions stood by me and replaced it quickly under the 60 day warranty. The manufacturer may warrantee it longer. I was told that this implied a cracked housing and was indeed a dangerous situation.

 

[reefsafe]

thanks guys.

 

[Crit21]

I'm surprised no-one recomended putting your hands in there and unpluging things one by one.

LOL, no, I'd recommend the tongue test first. It's much more sensitive!

The multimeter test will help you determine whether it's really the pump though. Start at the max AC range, then adjust to lower ranges until the digital reading or analog needle starts to give a significant reading. The red probe will be in the water, and the black to a good ground.

Keep in mind just how many wires lead to your tank--the heater, power heads, pump for skimmer, etc. Any one of them can be the source of the current. I'd have only one plugged in at a time until you find the cause. Make sure to test them all though.