My concern about ground probes

[Tullsterx]

I'm thinking of installing a ground probe. However, if I have a ground probe and something fails in my tank and starts a voltage surge it will shut down everything in my tank. What if I'm away and can't it back to the tank for several hours? It would be a total freaking disaster! I'm not trying to start an argument, but isn't this a serious concern?

Isn't this a real concern? Why not?

Has this ever happened to anyone?

 

[outssider]

actually, everything in your tank should be plugged into a GFI outlet. In this case, nothing gets fried but if your gone at the time you'll have no circulation in the tank !!

 

[reefwiser]

If you have a live current in your tank you could cause a fire and burn down your home too. As well as killing all the animals in your aquarium.

 

[Tullsterx]

actually, everything in your tank should be plugged into a GFI outlet. In this case, nothing gets fried but it your gone at the time you'll have no circulation in the tank !!

Everything is plugged into a GFI. And it sound like your point is the same one I was making. So, you agree?

 

[Tullsterx]

If you have a live current in your tank you could cause a fire and burn down your home too. As well as killing all the animals in your aquarium.

I just had live current in my tank. I'm not sure for how long. And the only problem was that I got a little shock. If I had a ground probe, the everything would have shut down, perhaps when I wasn't home.

 

[RobbyG]

I just had live current in my tank. I'm not sure for how long. And the only problem was that I got a little shock. If I had a ground probe, the everything would have shut down, perhaps when I wasn't home.

Your lucky it was a little shock. You must have a GFI outlet for your tank or your risking having a serious injury at some point in time. If your worried about not knowing when the GFI trips you should get a controller and plug it into a non GFI outlet and let it alert you to a power outage at the tank. Even an older used controller can do the job.

 

[Plecosam]

If you have a live current in your tank you could cause a fire and burn down your home too. As well as killing all the animals in your aquarium.

Sorry, but you might have to explain how a live tank can cause a fire in your home, this is practically impossible.

 

[Tullsterx]

Your lucky it was a little shock. You must have a GFI outlet for your tank or your risking having a serious injury at some point in time. If your worried about not knowing when the GFI trips you should get a controller and plug it into a non GFI outlet and let it alert you to a power outage at the tank. Even an older used controller can do the job.

I think I'll look into getting several of those individual GFI adapters and have maybe one for each item, or put them into a couple of groups, then when one things goes it won't shut down everything. Then I could add the ground probe.

Think something like that will work?

 

[reefwiser]

Sorry, but you might have to explain how a live tank can cause a fire in your home, this is practically impossible.

As the wire of the device that has a live voltage heats up it will catch on fire then the fire moves down to the power bar that the wire is plugged into. With salt creep electric will travel to any other outlets or wiring.

Have had have many friends have this happen. An being a master electrician for 40 years saw it many times working in an industrial setting.

 

[OldReefGuy]

Sorry, but you might have to explain how a live tank can cause a fire in your home, this is practically impossible.

I have to agree with you on this.............unless you are running an industrial system, with 3 Phase wiring etc etc....ex-Industrial Electrician here.....

 

[Plecosam]

As the wire of the device that has a live voltage heats up it will catch on fire then the fire moves down to the power bar that the wire is plugged into. With salt creep electric will travel to any other outlets or wiring.

Have had have many friends have this happen. An being a master electrician for 40 years saw it many times working in an industrial setting.

All wires carries electricity, the earthing conductor the exception, also you have seen live tanks cause fires in industrial settings?

No offense this makes no sense, the most I will give you is an active to neutral fault shorted by water may cause enough fault current to heat up wiring. Breaker trip though, do you have breakers in the US?

I read a book once about electricity and I saw the Emperor in Star Wars use it.

 

[RobbyG]

I think I'll look into getting several of those individual GFI adapters and have maybe one for each item, or put them into a couple of groups, then when one things goes it won't shut down everything. Then I could add the ground probe.

Think something like that will work?

I don't think it would work because all of the individual outlets would still need to be connected to the single or multiple ground probes. If there is stray current in the water they are all going to trip anyway.

 

[RobbyG]

As the wire of the device that has a live voltage heats up it will catch on fire then the fire moves down to the power bar that the wire is plugged into. With salt creep electric will travel to any other outlets or wiring.

Have had have many friends have this happen. An being a master electrician for 40 years saw it many times working in an industrial setting.

Yea I will agree with this because I have seen pictures posted of it here on this forum years ago. The device was shorting into the water and it heated up the power connector and the outlet started to burn and smoke. Luckily I think the wires burned off and it stopped but the guys wall had a four foot high soot mark on it.

 

[bhazard1]

I found it was easier to replace the breaker with a GFI breaker than to do the outlet although more expensive. It also protected all outlets that were on the same circuit.

 

[pimp]

is 19.89v in stray current ok for a reef tank