browning_boy20
New member
First of all, you will need a voltage meter. I prefer a digital meter over analog, because you can read the results precisely instead of watching a fluctuating needle. Such meters are available at your hardware store, Radio Shack or Harbor Freight. Wearing rubber-soled shoes during this test is important too, especially if the floor is damp or wet. Concrete floors, tile, wood, or carpeting all have the ability to conduct some electricity, and your safety comes first.
If your aquarium and/or your sump have grounding probes installed, you need to remove these prior to the test. The purpose of a grounding probe is to divert stray electricity from an object to the ground wiring of your place of residence. Once the probe has been removed, any electricity in the water will show up as a measurement on the meter.
Turn the meter on, and adjust the device to measure 200v AC power. One probe is inserted into the ground hole of a nearby outlet, the other into the water. The reading you want to see is 0. Do this test in the sump as well as the aquarium. Remember that water conducts electricity, so a leaking pump in the display tank will affect the water in the sump because the water in circulation between the two is still in movement. Common sources of electricity are going to be powerheads, heaters, and lighting. If any of these are failing or aren't grounded properly, they need to be repaired or replaced.
In speaking to one hobbyist, he told me that water had seeped under the floorboards of his home and into the house wiring beneath. He could feel the shock when simply feeding his tank, to the point that he would stand at a distance to toss the food in. Crazy, but true. Eventually he found out what was happening and had it repaired. In my own tank, I had a number of items leaking power to the combined amount of 48v. One was a still functioning powerhead in my refugium that was over 10 years old. Removing that pump dropped the reading on the meter to 16v. One by one these were all removed or replaced until the system was measuring 0 again.
If your aquarium and/or your sump have grounding probes installed, you need to remove these prior to the test. The purpose of a grounding probe is to divert stray electricity from an object to the ground wiring of your place of residence. Once the probe has been removed, any electricity in the water will show up as a measurement on the meter.
Turn the meter on, and adjust the device to measure 200v AC power. One probe is inserted into the ground hole of a nearby outlet, the other into the water. The reading you want to see is 0. Do this test in the sump as well as the aquarium. Remember that water conducts electricity, so a leaking pump in the display tank will affect the water in the sump because the water in circulation between the two is still in movement. Common sources of electricity are going to be powerheads, heaters, and lighting. If any of these are failing or aren't grounded properly, they need to be repaired or replaced.
In speaking to one hobbyist, he told me that water had seeped under the floorboards of his home and into the house wiring beneath. He could feel the shock when simply feeding his tank, to the point that he would stand at a distance to toss the food in. Crazy, but true. Eventually he found out what was happening and had it repaired. In my own tank, I had a number of items leaking power to the combined amount of 48v. One was a still functioning powerhead in my refugium that was over 10 years old. Removing that pump dropped the reading on the meter to 16v. One by one these were all removed or replaced until the system was measuring 0 again.
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