Stray voltage in tank

[michaelg]

Last night something real weird happened.  When I put my hand in the tank to feed an anenome, I got a weird sensation at a cut on my finger- felt tingly though not "painful".  I only felt it in cuts (I have a few small ones from home remodelling as of late).  I did not feel it when I stuck my finger in the opposite side of the tank.  Would it be localized like this?  Or was I just sensative due to the cut.  FWIW, I have a grounding probe in the sump.  Should this clear anything up in the tank, or would a seperate one be needed there?  Anything else that would tell me if there was stray voltage?  All the animals look fine.

[eddi]

Michael,

 

I think it would have to be due to the cuts.  First, you have a grounding wire that should remove any stray voltage from the tank; second, if the wire stopped working you should feel the sensation on either side of the tank.  

 

Electricity does not discriminate!    ???

 

 

Eddi

[Guest Scott324]

Michael,

 

I have had the same thing happen.  Electricity takes the shortest path to ground and in my experience I had my hand near the overflow between the grounding probe and the faulty powerhead.  This is why I felt the shock there and not on the opposite side of the tank.  THat is why it is not that noticable as well.  You are not as good of a ground as the probe thus you do not get the majority of the voltage.  Was your hand between the probe and whatever?

[michaelg]

I suspect a powerhead located near the overflow (on left side of tank), that feeds down to the sump where the grounding probe is.  I did not feel it on the other side- did feel a little in the sump- again I was between the powerhead and the grounding probe.  I will pull the powerhead tonight and see if I still feel it.  Yikes!  Any potential cause, or do powerheads occassionally fail like this (it is a couple years old- maxijet).

 

What about the cut- was it just more sensative to feeling it, then uncut skin?  Glad I noticed it though.  Funny kept doing the finger test- shock, ow.  Hmmm let me try again- shock- ow.  Guess I never learned as a child- use to do stupid things like that all the time (knife in an electrical socket, playing with shorted TV nobs, etc).

 

Michael

[Guest Scott324]

The powerhead has some epoxy to seal the cord.  This may break down over time.  The plastic may break down,  who knows.  I bite my fingernails (i know) and I can feel it if I happen to go to far down.  Your skin acts as somewhat of an insulator.  THats why you didn't feel it before.  The cut just allows easier access to the nerves.  I would remove it before any future problems occur.

[Coral Hind]

If you have a meter you can find the problem.  There are different ways but one is to unplug your ground probe.  Then put one test lead to ground and put the other in the tank water.  If there is any stray voltage it will pick it up.  Turn the items off one at a time until you find the problem.

 

Is this GFCI protected?

[michaelg]

Well- either my hands were real sensative to salt the other day, or the problem stopped.  I can't detect anything anymore.  I was mixing mortor and stuff that day, (wearing gloves most of the time, but still had that polished glaze to my hands when done), so maybe that had something to do with it and the cuts.  As I mentioned, I have noticed no abnormalities in the tank, and the suspect powerhead, was near an anenome.  

 

Unfortunately, I don't have the tank on a GFCI line.

[pez]

There's a real risk with putting the entire tank on a single GFCI.  If it goes, so does your whole tank.  I always recommend putting a couple powerheads on a separate circuit in case the GFCI goes.  Then you at least have some circulation in the tank.

 

-Tom

[geofloors]

There's a real risk with putting the entire tank on a single GFCI.  If it goes, so does your whole tank.  I always recommend putting a couple powerheads on a separate circuit in case the GFCI goes.  Then you at least have some circulation in the tank.

 

-Tom

Absolutely, I run all my tanks this way.

 

 

George