how to MEASURE stray voltage/current?

[crvz]

I stick my hand in the tank, and I feel the zap through a cut on my thumb. While I have a pretty complicated electrical system, everything is plugged into two separate outlets each on it's own dedicated breaker. I turn off one breaker, and I still feel the zap. I turn that one back on, and turn the other one off, I still feel the zap (and get really confused). I turn the both off, the zap is gone.

So as I continue to troubleshoot, I'm tired of paining myself as a test. How can I accurately test the flow of electrons in the tank? I tried dropping a lead in the tank and sticking one in the neutral of an outlet, but it didnt really help. I tried flipping my Fluke over to amps and drop both leads in the tank (one in the display and one in the sump), but it didnt really help either. What to do?

 

[downreef]

Do you have a voltmeter? if so put 1 lead to a ground( a screw on outlet or something metal) and the other put in water and measure the current, unplug one thing at a time until you find the item.

Good luck

 

[reefergeorge]

probe from neutral to tank should have worked. Did you have it set to AC volts?

You will get a few volts from each thing in your tank, including lights. Unless it's up around 75 vac i wouldn't worry about it. Mine holds around 36v. I won't get started with the GP debate, but even while using a GP the voltage is still there. Your testing method just isn't going to show it.

 

[dlterry85]

sometimes when you stick your hand in the tank with a cut, what you think is a zap, is merely the salt burn on the cut. you may not have any stray voltage, but worth checking.

 

[nsaskey]

I felt the same thing and it ended up being a short in my heater. I got a new heater and that fixed the problem.

 

[crvz]

not a salt burn, it went away when I cut all power to the tank. I measured some low level voltage (about 2VAC) when putting the multimeter between the neutral and the tank, but that wouldnt tell me anything about the current as you have to measure current in series. How do you accurately measure current going through the tank (I tried by sticking one probe in the display and one in the sump, but I was only getting about 65 microamps, not even measuring in milliamps).

 

[reefergeorge]

The only way i could think is to build a ground probe type setup with a resister in series. Measure voltage drop across it and do a little ohms law. ohms x V = amps

 

[redfishsc]

Get someone to unplug each item one by one.

I did the same thing, had the same problem, and tested everything with a digital multimeter.

Turns out that NOTHING was putting stray voltage into the tank except my Maxijet pumps, and when I turned them off one by one, the voltage dropped little by little.

I ignored the problem and it never caused a problem.



If you find the same problem, don't bother with a grounding probe, it will turn the voltage (which is just potential) into actual electrical current (which is potentially dangerous).

 

[crvz]

Indeed, I do not have a grounding probe. Thanks for the suggestions so far, and please keep them coming.