I get shocked with grounding probe plugged in, nothing when unplugged.

[Radioheadx14]

I just did a water change and cleaned all my equipment... Once i got everything going again, i put my hand in the tank and felt a shock on an open cut. I unplugged everything and plugged things in one by one. I found that my hydor koralia nano was the culprit... I think. So i removed it. When the grounding probe was unplugged I got nothing. When it was plugged in, I got a nice zap.

I found a page online that said that grounding probes can make thing worse by turning stray voltages into currents.

I was going to run up to the hardware store and get a voltage meter thingy so I can pinpoint the problem. Maybe its my Koralia two since I have heard they have voltage leaks. The grounding probe is unplugged for now... any suggestions on what I should do or is my plan good?

[rbursek]

A buddy of mine just had a Koralia go bad either a 3 or 4, it is Martini time here, so my head is foggy! I would think just the opposite, if the probe was plugged in you should get nothing, or is the probe putting in the current????????????? Is it on a GFI?

[rbursek]

I do not run my GP to an outlet, they can and not be grounded, I run mine to the copper water supply to my house. If that is good enough for the electric utility, which grounds the breaker box it is good enough for me!

[rbursek]

Argois,
jump in here!!!!!!!!!!!

[Radioheadx14]

here is the article talking about grounding probes adding current:
http://avdil.gtri.gatech.edu/RCM/RCM/Aquarium/GroundingProbes.html

[biger]

hey Radio, u seen Stimpy lately? (not to detract from ur problem)

[Radioheadx14]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12160612#post12160612 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by biger
hey Radio, u seen Stimpy lately? (not to detract from ur problem)

Haha nope.

Anyways, I got a multitester, well it looks like I have some stray voltage. A little from my koralia, a little from my return pump, and some from my heater.

I plugged the grounding probe back in, and no voltage... and I didn't feel a shock?? I don't know what going on.

[Radioheadx14]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12160612#post12160612 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by biger
hey Radio, u seen Stimpy lately? (not to detract from ur problem)

Haha nope.

Anyways, I got a multitester, well it looks like I have some stray voltage. A little from my koralia, a little from my return pump, and some from my heater.

I plugged the grounding probe back in, and no voltage... and I didn't feel a shock?? I don't know what going on.

All in all, there was only about 2 stray volts... if I am reading this right.

[rbursek]

Stray voltage is going to ground!

[Radioheadx14]

Im still clueless why I was getting shocked before but not now... I wish I could figure what was going on so it doesn't happen again. thankfully, all of my animals seem unaffected.

[Radioheadx14]

Im still clueless why I was getting shocked before but not now... I wish I could figure what was going on so it doesn't happen again. thankfully, all of my animals seem unaffected.

[reefergeorge]

It was probably just from the salt water in your cut.
Don't worry about a few volts. If you read over 90 volts then you have real voltage. Anything less is just induced.

[Radioheadx14]

I don't think it was saltwater in my cut because once I removed the ground probe, it went away... when i plugged it back in... it came back.

Once I unplugged everything and replugged it in, its been fine. I'm wondering if it was my fuge light. It sits behind my solana tank and it has spiced wires with wire caps... not exactly water proof.

[Radioheadx14]

Welp, just stuck my hand in the tank... and its doing it again...Checked everything and still got a shock. unplugged the probe and all was fine but still read 1 volt in my tank...

[reefergeorge]

You will not feel 1 volt.
Put your volt meter on the ground probe and the other probe in the ground of the outlet, and see what that reads. Out of the water.

[Radioheadx14]

I'm not sure what you mean. I had the ground probe plugged in the circular outlet hole, out of the water. I had my multimeter set on ACV 10 and touched the black probe to the titanium grounding probe and the red probe to the outlet screw. There was no reading.

When the grounding probe is not in the aquarium i get a reading, on ACV 10 or .5-1v and do not feel anything. When I put the grounding probe into the tank, i have a reading of 0 volts... but I feel a shot in my little cut.

[Radioheadx14]

I found a good discussion about ground probes without using GFCI outlets (which I am not using.)

My grounding probe will remain out of my system for now.

[DarG]

I guess you didnt read about the member who got knocked on his arse the other day because he had no GFCI protection on his tank ... He touched his grounded light fixture with his hand in the tank. Problem was that his heater glass had broken without him knowing it. Crap happens, heaters break, chillers can leak water onto electrical parts, powerheads can leak voltage ...

Protect you aquarium circuits with GFCI outlets. A few bucks can literally save your life.

[Radioheadx14]

Yeah I'm going to install one, but I still cannot figure out what is causing this? It never happened before, and is occuring after my water change. my stray voltage is pretty low, and I get shocked intermittently (only since the water change) with the probe plugged in.

[jdieck]

Do the test again but while the probe is conected to the wall have the black terminal touching on the titanium probe (out of the water) and the red terminal in the water. Tke the reading in AC and DC Volts and Current What are the readings?
In any case my best recommendation is to install GFCIs

[Radioheadx14]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12162290#post12162290 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jdieck
Do the test again but while the probe is conected to the wall have the black terminal touching on the titanium probe (out of the water) and the red terminal in the water. Tke the reading in AC and DC Volts and Current What are the readings?
In any case my best recommendation is to install GFCIs

.6 on the ACV 10 scale. When I move it to the 250 and 500 scale, the reading stays the same... I'm not sure if that means anything.

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12162323#post12162323 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Radioheadx14
.6 on the ACV 10 scale. When I move it to the 250 and 500 scale, the reading stays the same... I'm not sure if that means anything.
That is just electrical or magnetic noise. That reading is not enough to cause a shock.
The only explanation I can rationale here is that potentially your house grounding system is not properly grounded at the main and some other applicance may have a short to the grounding system and the ground pole gets voltage only when that appliance is running.
You may need to call a professional electrician to check all your house system.

[Radioheadx14]

So you are saying that could be something shocking me thats not related to the aquarium?

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12162525#post12162525 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Radioheadx14
So you are saying that could be something shocking me thats not related to the aquarium?
By what you are describing it is probable. Because the tank does not shocks you when the probe is not connected. If the ground probe would be really grounded the tank would not be shocking you with the probe in unless the voltage is coming from the probe itself which makes me question your grounding on the wall.

So something is putting some voltage to that ground plug, either a neutral wire getting hot or the casing of an appliance getting a partial or intermittent short to ground.

[Radioheadx14]

Thanks for your help.. Atleast my tank is safe, for now. I'll have to look into what you said. Would it be the entire house's grounding is messed up or just the circuit the tanks on or either?

[jdieck]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12162652#post12162652 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Radioheadx14
Thanks for your help.. Atleast my tank is safe, for now. I'll have to look into what you said. Would it be the entire house's grounding is messed up or just the circuit the tanks on or either?
Hard to know. The electrician would find out exatly what it is and the extent of it.