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STRAY VOLTAGE HELP!! (1 Viewer)

openwaters

openwaters

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Jul 10, 2011
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Hi I am having a problem with stray voltage/current in the 250gallon system. I noticed it a few a few days ago. when I stick my one hand in the tank I get a shock not a bad one, it feels more like a constant static shock, but its not plesant. So I broke out the multimeter and found with everything on i have about 50 volts AC running loose so i started unpluging every thing one by one and volts dropped little by little until everything was unplugged. now is that much normal and i just need a ground prob or do i have bigger problems. i really dought that all the equpment is bad, but i dont know.

any help is apreceated thank guys and gals.
 
You have a bigger problem if everything is bad, plug in one piece check the volts, unplug it, and plug in the next. Write down the voltage for each and post it here. If you have a ground probe in the tank you NEED to have it plugged into a GFCI, and with this much current, you will trip the GFCI.
 
ok here goes everything with everything on i get a reading of 47.7 volts ac
and With every thing off and unpluged i get 1.81 volts ac

Reeflo dart - 2.3vac
Reef octo 3000ent skimmer-14.4vac
Heater one 300w - 18.5vac
Heater two 300w - 19.9vac
Heater three 250w - 18.4vac
korllia refuge power head-16.0vac
Lh small Korllia- 18.0vac
Lh big Korllia - 10.6vac
Rear maxi jet 900 - 16.0vac
rear Korllia - 19.2vac
right maxi jet 1200- 16.0vac
right korllia - 15.5vac

thats all I have pluged in when the tank is running. I know it all adds up to more than 47vac but these are the reading I am getting. I dont know if these are normall for these and its just because of alot of equipment running (not all pumps where running since starting the tank but i have been adding a few at a time untill current)
 
wow...ok, try reading amps now. In fact, do this, set your multimeter to the amp setting on AC, touch the negative lead to a known ground (a cold water pipe or, if you know the ground on your outlets are actually grounding stick it in the bottom ground hole in the socket) and put your positive lead in the water, then, do what you did before. Sorry I was drawing from my stupid reserve when I told you to check the volts. When you feel that shock, that's the amps you are feeling. do this with EVERYTHING in and around your tank, because some of the current you may see, can be induced current.

BTW, a link that boomer posted elsewhere on the WWW. http://www.reefs.org/library/aquarium_net/1298/1298_3.html
 
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ok so i test for current with all on i have 0.007ma is that too high
 
i had this same problem recently and couldnt figure out where it was coming from, ended up being a maxi jet, but my girlfriend thought I was crazy because she never felt the shock, turns out she only touched it when the controller turned the pump off.
 
If you still haven't figure it out, try plugging single unit and narrow down your field. Sure will get a good jolt though. I bought a ground cable to go with my sump just for insurance purpose.
 
well today i installed a gfci in most outlets and the others are protected by the gfci's i installed. plugged in all equipment and nothing tripped so i think i have alot of induced voltage/current from all the equipment and it just added up, so with the ground probe pluged in to the gfci all drops to zero and every thing seems ok and no tripped outlets....so i have no idea
 
Of course it all drops to zero. That's what a ground probe does. Now you have a current path.

A better question - are you still getting zapped without the ground probe?
 
That doesn't solve your problem, if you were feeling a tingle, you had too much current in your tank. Find the offending piece of gear or your livestock could suffer.
 
the probe is titanium and is made for reef tanks. I have have not been shocked since the other day so it may be something intermittent so if it does show up again it should pop a outlet and at least let me know what is the cause
 
Maybe, it was happening to my right pointer finger right at the cuticle, but it would come and go when putting the ground probe in and out
 
If it comes and goes when you put the ground probe in, you still have a faulty piece of equipment and now instead of a stray voltage, you have a current running through the tank.
 
Wouldn't that pop the gfci then and also wouldnt the live stock be afected visibly where you could see something is wrong like coarls not opening
 
Also I did find two small cuts where I felt/feel it could be me now I dont know..lol
 
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