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08/06/2018, 10:29 AM | #1 |
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Stray voltage?
Got zapped pretty good last night when I was standing on damp carpet (made a ATO booboo) and brushed against the metal light hangers. Felt like touching the spark plug on a running lawn mower. Doesn't happen if I stand on dry carpet.
The hangers are screwed onto the wooden backboard of the stand so I don't know how electricity is flowing into them. If I use a volt meter and test it across the hanger and tank water I get 12v AC. Things in the tank that are on AC is the return pump, heater and skimmer pump. |
08/06/2018, 11:59 AM | #2 |
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Heater is the most likely culprit, but it could be anything. Unplug each one while testing to see which device to replace.
GFCIs are a great invention, by the way.
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Pat Current Tank Info: 125 in-wall , 40b sump. 6 bulb T5. ASM G2 skimmer. LPS and leathers |
08/06/2018, 12:30 PM | #3 |
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Pumps or heater. It might be a shocking experience but you can pull one out at a time and see if you get zapped.
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If it was'nt for the sea I could not see or sing ( Jimmy Buffet ) I like to glue animals to rocks and put disturbing amounts of electricity and saltwater next to each other Reefing is'nt how long you been in it. It is how deep you get in it. Current Tank Info: 400g display build, 300g sump, 75g ATO, 75g refug and a few more. Close to a 1000g. 200g mixing station. |
08/07/2018, 04:43 AM | #4 | |
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08/07/2018, 05:44 AM | #5 |
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08/07/2018, 09:11 AM | #6 | |
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08/07/2018, 10:31 AM | #7 |
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Note: Do NOT use a ground probe without a GFCI..
And make sure that all submerged line powered equipment is on that GFCI.. With many devices being DC now the need for GFCI isn't what it was before.. There is no need to put DC powerheads or return pumps on GFCI.. Only direct line powered (120VAC/220VAC) devices need to be on the GFCI.. But it doesn't hurt to put them all on it.. Just not needed..
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08/07/2018, 01:24 PM | #8 |
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There is no reason to have stray voltage in your tank. Something is leaking voltage and you need to determine what it is and replace it.
I test periodically with a volt meter just to be sure.
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Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels |
08/07/2018, 02:25 PM | #9 | |
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08/07/2018, 02:29 PM | #10 | |
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08/07/2018, 02:38 PM | #11 | |
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Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels |
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08/07/2018, 03:44 PM | #12 |
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T5/MH fixture. There's 2 brackets that slide on and hung by plastic shielded metal wires. Light fixture casing looks to be powdered coated as well as the brackets but not really sure how thick the powder coating is. All plugs are 3 prong.
I'm going to do some more testing tonight with a volt meter. I was showing 12v when I tested across the hanger and tank water after I got shocked. |
08/08/2018, 05:02 AM | #13 | |
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In this case like many others, the light fixture / support wires just provided a great grounding path to complete the circuit. |
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08/08/2018, 08:41 AM | #14 | |
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This is a classic example of why metal enclosures are supposed to be grounded - so when there's a fault with the equipment inside them, current flows to ground instead of potentially flowing through a grounded human who happens to touch the enclosure. You aren't getting shocked when the carpet is dry because there's no path to ground then. Measuring voltage between the tank water and the light enclosure is essentially meaningless, by the way. In summary: your lights are faulty. And not properly grounded. And they should be on GFCI if they aren't.
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08/08/2018, 02:20 PM | #15 | |
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The carpet could have been the higher potential and the light the ground..
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08/08/2018, 02:31 PM | #16 |
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Okay, fine. Check the wiring in your carpet for any damage or frayed insulation. If you find nothing wrong, THEN check the light fixture.
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Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman) |
08/08/2018, 04:57 PM | #17 | |
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I usually only lurk around here anymore, but this made me physically laugh out loud. Thank you for that.
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08/09/2018, 04:54 AM | #18 | |
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I envision them having ato water poured on them and freaking out hitting the light and voila.. Could just be the ato pump is the faulty equipment.. The 12V potential measured between light and tank is probably just radiated from either the bulbs or pumps or whatever and not indicative of a fault.. A simple check from light enclosure to outlet ground will confirm any potential fault there..
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08/09/2018, 12:54 PM | #19 |
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The interesting parts of this for me are the reference to a spark plug and the mechanics of what’s going on.
Referring to a spark plug, makes me think it was the ballast leads that did the shocking and not the 120 feeding the fixture? I’m fortunate enough to have been hit by those three sources. 120 feels very different, much slower and a deeper feeling. The other part, is. Standing on carpet means a wood or concrete substrate Which, last time I checked doesn’t conduct electricity. So with it being wet.....where is that connecting to ground allowing the current to flow? They stated they can touch the fixture on dry carpet no problem. |
08/09/2018, 02:37 PM | #20 |
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It is amazing how many emails or post I have answered that started with my "Light is Shocking Me", when after investigation the light was only providing a grounding point of the circuit. And in this case where the sump had run over and now the carpet was wet, the current in the tank had the potential to make its way to the wet carpet with the padding still proving insulation. When the member touched the light it provided the ground he needed to get shocked. No different than if their hand was in the tank or sump when they touched the light. Hopefully we can get an update?
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