Stray Voltage / Electric shock

Tufftey

Tufftey

Member
Hi guys
I wasn't sure where to put this but since I have a rsm Ive put it here. I'm getting an electric shock from my tank. It happened last week and through a process of elimination we thought it was the heater and replaced that with a new one. The tank has been fine (i haven't had any more shocks) until yesterday when it happened again

I should add im in the UK so our voltage is different and I've been reading as much as I can and not really understanding it all. it's also a bank holiday here in the uk so I can't get an electrician until Tuesday

I've bought a multiple metre, taken all equipment out of the tank, checked it visually and the put it into a salt water bucket to test. Each piece has a reading of 0 -1 so nothing is obvious. I then put everything into the bucket and have a reading of 12.

Depending who you listen to I should or shouldn't have a reading, but is 12 acceptable? And if it is why am I getting a shock? Could it be something else, lights,fan etc these are in the tank but not in the water? Or something else?

I don't want to turn my tank back on unless I know everything is ok, but I don't want to leave my tank off until I can get an electrician out either
 
carlfike

carlfike

Active Member
Check out marine depot and get a ground probe. It just plugs into and outlet. I had the same issue and this cleared it up. Being in uk you might have to try and find one that has then uk style plug. Good luck.
 
Tufftey

Tufftey

Member
There seem to be as much positive reporting as negative regarding probes I'd like to find out what is causing these shocks first since if I've tested my equipment and nothing seems faulty I shouldn't be getting shocks at all, but I am getting a reading and i don't know whether that is normal or not?
 
Tufftey

Tufftey

Member
Reefmack said:
See post #7

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...ub/62450-argh-stray-voltage-my-rsm-250-a.html
Click to expand...

Thanks I'd already read that report and several others all day trying to find out what to do and why it was happening. The 'good' news is I've found the culprit, one of my pumps must have a loose conection somewhere. First test was ok but I retested several times and on one of them when I 'waggled' the lead the reading shot up from 3 to 180/200. I've since done this again and again, some times the reading is low and then it shoots up. It also explains why the tank was fine one minute and then not the next.
I just hope all my fish and corals survive ok, I've had everything off since last night.
I would like to know if a low reading is normal though or if it's something that should be looked at still ,and I need to decide whether to get a probe and a gfci ( is that a circuit breaker in the UK? ) my extension lead already has one of them
 
Reefmack

Reefmack

NaClH2O Addicted
PREMIUM
I don't think a GFCI and a circuit breaker are really the same thing. Wish I could help more but I'm very poor with electrical knowledge!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top