Got electrocuted !!

crlsvaldovinos

New member
TODAY I SERVICED MY TANK AND WHEN I WAS ABOUT DONE I STUCK MY HAND IN THE SUMP, AND ZAP. I GOT SHOCKED. NOT HARD , BUT HARD ENOUGH TO GIVE ME A GOOD SCARE . I THEN UNPLUGGED ALL MY SURGE PERTECTORS AND DID A PROCESS OF ELIMINATION. I NARROWED IT DOWN TO ONE POWER STRIP. THEN I DISCONNECTED EVERY THING IN THAT POWER STRIP AND ONE BY ONE I CONNECTED EACH ITEM ON THE STRIP. WELL AFTER A FEW MORE ZAPS . I CAME TO FIND OUT IT WAS MY SKIMMER PUMP. SO NOW IM WITH OUT A SKIMMER PUMP. FOR A DAY OR TWO. TILL I HAVE TIME TO PICK ONE UP. STUPID WAY TO ELIMINATE WHAT WAS SHORTING OUT. BUT I HAD TO DO IT. I FIGURED IF WAS GOING TO KILL ME , I WOULD HAVE DONE IT THE FIST TIME, I FELT IT.!!!:crazy1::wildone:
 
what an experience...


i had to test my friends tank with a DVOM to find out that his koralia pump was shorted out...
 
e·lec·tro·cute (-lktr-kyt)
tr.v. e·lec·tro·cut·ed, e·lec·tro·cut·ing, e·lec·tro·cutes
1. To kill with electricity: a worker who was electrocuted by a high-tension wire.
2. To execute (a condemned prisoner) by means of electricity.

Despite being electrocuted, I'm glad you're still alive ;)
 
volt meter would be a much better way to test versus hand in water with a known short. Only takes around 60 milliamps of 120V AC juice to stop your heart. Just fyi, 60 milliamps is about equal to 7.5 watts which is less than the draw on every skimmer on the market pretty much.
 
at least you survived the testing. lol

i got myself pretty good awhile back with my antic lighting. thought the ballast was unplug but it sure wasnt. had a nice four prong burn mark embeded in my fingers
 
You must have transferred all the extra energy to your keyboard and zapped the caps lock key. lol

I'm with Mark. My concern isn't getting shocked but preventing a fire. The GFI won't help there.

SteveU
 
I guess they only trip if the fault is enough to kill you...pretty much why I don't use em.

If you grab hold of the hot and neutral wire, a GFCI is not going to trip. It does not knwo the difference between YOU and a lighbulb :)

The only way the GFCI trips is if it sense that the current traveling down the HOT wire is NOT being returned up the neutral wire.
 
I had my refugium light fall in during maintenance. It felt like I had a stroke for a few hours but still came out pretty lucky.
 
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