grounding probe

I`ve used one for years and still do.


I remember a picture I saw somewhere of a man standing under those High Voltage lines we see cutting across the countryside. He was holding a 4 or 6' florescent bulb over his head with one arm and it was fully lit from all the stray voltage from the power lines above. Pretty crazy I know.
 
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These things are the type of things you wish you had when you don't . I been running my system w/o one for a year :s
 
only reason im thinking about it is when my hands go in the tank i can feal a slight tingle on my finger tip then when fully submerged its gone its only initial contact
 
You have to be careful when you use a grounding probe. Yes, they offer safety for the reefkeeper and the livestock. But they can also be deadly to the livestock. An example: You have a small reef tank with a sump, run off a powerstrip that is plugged into a GFI and a grounding probe is used, connected to the same ground the GFI uses. Lets say you have a submersible powerhead. It's a little old and the seal around the case starts leaking just the tiniest little bit. Not enough to hurt either the reefkeeper or the fish, but enough to trip the GFI right after you leave for work... Now the tank sits still, no heat, no light, no water flow all day long. By the time you get back, all your fish are gasping for air, corals are melting and the tank is either crashed or on the verge.

Long story short, be careful what devices you put on the GFI. If you take your whole tank down, it won't work out well for you...
 
I would strongly suggest not using one. They cause more problems than they solve, and if you are ever in a case where it is actually doing something good, it's only because something else is malfunctioning so IMHO you are better off just fixing the real problem.

At any rate if you have any direct drive pumps with grounded cases it is a moot point as that will provide the same function as a dedicated probe.
 
the pumps i have are a hydor 750gph pump in sump a small hydor pump in the sump 100gph the heator and 4 koralias in the tank. the tingly finger fealing is odd but its been like that since i set the tank up so i dont think its a short in anything just stray current from all the pumps
 
Stray current is bad and would be potentially dangerous to your livestock. The good news is, there is no stray current unless there is a conductive path (ground probe or your hand). In this case, adding a probe may be harmful, as it creates the path and lets current flow where you don't want it.

My advice? Unplug things one at a time until the problem goes away, then replace the culprit.
 
yeah will do tonight another thing i have small cuts on my hand just from doing manly things lol it could just be the salt stinging me and im just paranoid
 
I think having anything in your tank plugged into a GFCI is all of the protection you want/need. Those things trip in like 1/40th of a second, so you might feel a shock but it wont stop your heart. As was said before, the last thing you want to do is provide a stray voltage a path to ground and create a current.

Full disclosure: I'm not an electrician or electrical engineer, and this is JMO. Follow any and all electrical advice at your own discretion.
 
I've got one in each tank. I can still feel a little tingle with my hand in one of the tanks. Don't you hate when you test every piece of equipment and you still can't find the culprit...
 
Yup, the skin is actually quite resistive. When it's broken, your resistance goes down and you conduct electricity better.
 
they say just the pumps themselves running in water couses a charge so maybe its just that im feeling. i bought the probe just to see what it does
 
okay so i unplugged everything one by one and nothing changed. i did buy a grounding probe and as soon as i plugged it in the water shocked me like crazy. any input on what is going on
 
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