Stray voltage, electricians needed

S

sandman12

New member
After I cleaned my koralia today I put it back in the tank and got a shock! I immediately unplugged it and threw it away. I decided to measure the stray voltage and got a reading of 103V!! I assume this is way to high and was caused by the korlia?

I want to make sure I measured correctly...I put both test leads on my meter in my power bar to verify 120v. I then took the hot lead and placed it in the tank while leaving the negative lead in the negative side on the power bar, the meter read 103! How do I bring this down, grounding probe? Does this mean that something else in my tank is still producing that 103v or does the electricity stay in the tank?

I have had a serious die off of SPS recently which I couldn't explain and I am now considering this as the culprit.
 
Update* I checked the voltage in my display which is connected to my frag tank (which is the tank reading 103v). The display tank reads only 5V, I assumed the voltage would travel through all of the water? So that can't be my sps problem but I do still need to get the 103V down. Grounding prose???
 
you have something else that is failed in the tank..
#1-Do not put your hands into the tank until you get this fixed..
#2-ALL SUBMERGED EQUIPMENT (that exposes the tank to line voltages) MUST BE ON A GFCI OUTLET/DEVICE..
#3-A grounding probe is NOT..the solution at all and will just make the problem worse.. A grounding probe is never needed in a tank and only has one real purpose.. Its only valid use is to trip the GFCI device immediately in the event of a failure before you become the path to ground and even then its not needed as the GFCI will/should protect you anyways. A ground probe just causes the GFCI to trip immediately after the failure occurs and not sitting there until a ground path is established.

Start unplugging equipment one by one until the voltage is gone.. Then throw that out too.. Then immediately proceed to the hardware store and get yourself a power strip with GFCI protection built in.. (not surge but specifically states GFCI)..
You can also go with a GFCI outlet (requires electrical knowledge to safety change ou the existing one) or a GFCI breaker for that whole branch circuit..
 
Voltage potential is different than stray voltage. If it is floating and not tied to anything then it could get pulled to a random voltage. It might be going through high resistance before it gets to that point. Since you tossed the powerhead we are not sure if that was the cause of the problem. You might want to retrieve that power head and test for sure

I would start by looking at the water. You were messing with the tank and must have stuck your hands in there. Figure out what got wet where that voltage could be coming from. Then look at what is touching the water/tank. Are your lights suspended or do they touch the tank? Is your heater bad? Pumps? Then isolate and test each piece one at a time. When you isolate the problem, remove and replace.

It might also be a good idea to ground the tank to a GFI outlet and see if it trips. If you do not have a GFI outlet, why not?
 
For one use the ground on your electrical outlet ( the round hole ) to measure the readings. Another way to do it is unplug everything around the tank. including sensors and float switches and lignting. Start powering things back up starting with the most critical devices first. measuring after each device. If you get a reading unplug that device and keep going with the rest untill all are checked.
 
Regarding the power head I threw away, when it was plugged in the water shocked me. When I unplugged it the water no longer shocked me. I just unplugged EVERYTHING that goes to my tank and the voltage stayed at 103V in the frag tank...very confused here.

I will be switching both outlets that power my tanks to GFCIs asap, no good excuse why I haven't already.
 
sandman12 said:
Regarding the power head I threw away, when it was plugged in the water shocked me. When I unplugged it the water no longer shocked me. I just unplugged EVERYTHING that goes to my tank and the voltage stayed at 103V in the frag tank...very confused here.

I will be switching both outlets that power my tanks to GFCIs asap, no good excuse why I haven't already.
Click to expand...
Do you have everything in and near the tank unplugged including probes, float switches and lighting? I am not sure how you can have 103v without anything in or near the tank unplugged. I could see 103mv.
 
On your duplex you have a U shaped slot (Grounding), Short slot (Ungrounded), Long slot (Grounded). To check voltage in your tank place one of the meter probes in the long slot and the other in the short slot. You should have 120v, then place one lead in the U slot and the other in the small slot and you should also have 120v. Then place one lead in the long slot and the U slot and you should have 0v. Then take one lead and place it in the U slot and the other in your tank and you could have 0 to 50+ volts of induced voltage which is worthless energy that comes from open lamps to the water and submersible pumps. As you unplug each item you will notice that voltage drop. Make sure you and your tank is protected by a GFCI receptacle. Make sure you are wearing rubber insulated gloves with leather protectors and safety glasses while doing this
 
With your method I get 5V in the tank. I was putting one lead in the short slot and one lead in my tank which got the 103v
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Reignfire
Stray current
2
Replies
31
Views
1K
griss
griss
Guygettnby
Maxpect gyre xf330?
Replies
8
Views
302
griss
griss
T
Stray Voltage - GFCI Question
Replies
12
Views
3K
Cruzersmith
C
S
Lighting Question - Glass penetration
Replies
7
Views
305
xabo
xabo
jeffrey_ropp
System Replacement - Lost in Eaton Fire in California
Replies
2
Views
276
albano
albano
Back
Top