if my light is shocking me...

[SeeCrabRun]

Do I need to get a new one? Should I be worried about the tank? It only does it if my arm is wet when I touch it, though I would think it wouldn't do it at all?

I do have a grounding probe in the tank already.

 

[username in use]

You should at least investigate why the housing is charged.

 

[SeeCrabRun]

I've sent them an email about it.

 

[username in use]

Whose it made by? Model?

 

[SeeCrabRun]

You know what I just realized? And this is even more concerning.

I'm not certain if it was when my hand was out of the tank and touching the light or if my hand was both in the tank and touching the light.

If it was the latter it might be that something else inside my tank is shorting out and my probe isn't working!

First thing I do when I get home is try to figure out if it is the light or the tank.

But is there a meter specifically for checking voltage in a tank as I don't have one.

 

[username in use]

I think any hand held voltage meter should do it.

 

[SeeCrabRun]

I'll pick one up on my way home. Any specific instructions on how to test?

 

[username in use]

Unplug all the equipment. The plug each thing in individually and test.

 

[amber3k]

There are a lot of YouTube videos showing how to test for stray voltage. I would check out a few of those before using the meter.

 

[gone fishin]

Be careful checking this out and if it is the light get it fixed or a new one. Lights can cause fires.

 

[kurt_n]

More than likely, it's not the light that's the problem. Any of the electrical devices in your tank could be suspect. I had this exact same issue a while back. I got a shock (enough to trip my GFCI!! - hint hint) when one hand was in the tank and the other hand touched my light fixture. Nothing like a jolt coming in one hand and leaving through the other. :eek2:

Turns out... after testing with a volt meter and not my hands... it wasn't the light fixture itself but one of the screws on the light fixture that was serving as ground. I had a powerhead (cough cough will never buy another Koralia cough cough) whose potting around the coil was split, exposing the coil to saltwater. That put 120V in my tank and when I made contact with that screw, I grounded myself giving me the jolt.

Test with a volt meter, with one probe in the water and the other touching various areas of your light fixture. Focus on the screws. Then unplug things one by one until you find the culprit.

 

[coralsnaked]

Check heater first. Then any power heads in display and finally all pumps in sump Any lights in tubes below water line (underwater lights) And of course the main dt lights .

 

[SeeCrabRun]

Turns out the light is leaking.

The water tested at 0 with the grounding probe so I unplugged it and it tests at almost 1 ACV. Now it turned out I had a meter at home already but it's the cheapest one or came free in a kit so I'm not sure how accurate it is.

The probe is working to keep them safe though, but the light is leaking. So I need to figure out why or just get a new light.

 

[ca1ore]

You are sure it's not static buildup - it's dry in the winter.

Assuming not, get the fixture repaired (or replaced). It's unlikely to harm your tank, but it might harm you. BTW, there is a school of thought (which I subscribe to) that believes a grounding probe is not a good idea because it acts to complete a circuit in which your tank is the 'wire'.

 

[MysteryReef]

"Almost 1" volt of AC Voltage would be very hard to notice on a cheap meter, let alone feel a shock from. Unless your using a meter from a reputable manufacturer (e.g. Fluke) I wouldn't put any stock in a reading of less than one volt as being accurate.

 

[MysteryReef]

If you were getting shocked pretty good you should keep checking, there is something else going on....

 

[Khemul]

The water showing a small amount of voltage isn't really a concern. It should. It's the amount of voltage that is the concern. That amount seems perfectly normal and isn't a sign that something is wrong with the light.

 

[kurt_n]

If you were getting shocked pretty good you should keep checking, there is something else going on....

Agree. Not entirely sure how you had the voltmeter set up, but 1 Volt AC isn't going to be the "leaking" voltage you're looking for.

I'm guessing you don't have this tank on a GFCI outlet? If you do, it should've tripped when you were shocked. And if you have a ground probe plugged in to it and it's bleeding off the voltage "leak" to ground, the GFCI should be tripping constantly. If this is a GFCI outlet, it's not working correctly.

 

[SeeCrabRun]

The tank and the light voltage is different. The tank isn't what shocked me, it's the light.

The entire system is on a GFCI. The light is leaking volts from a certain area on the bottom of the housing.

I'm going to get a digital meter as this one was hard to use with its short wires and swing arm reading.

I'm not sure about not using a grounding probe, that doesn't make sense to me?

 

[SeeCrabRun]

So my GFCI might not be working right if my tank has 1V leaking and a grounding probe to suck it up and isn't tripping?