★I am ALIVE★ (PLEASE READ) ★Tank almost ★Electrocuted★ me★ ( GFCI never Tripped ...MISSING GROUND PROBE) Passing on Lesson to All Reefers

[samnaz]

I can’t plug my ground probe directly into the GFCI wall outlet that my tank runs on, I’m using both outlets for 2 ADJ power bars.

Can I plug the ground probe into a power bar?

Or should I use the round metal eye piece attached to the GFCI wall outlet screw or somehow?

I do have another GFCI wall outlet around the corner which I might be able to make room for it to be plugged directly into wall outlet, but I’d prefer not to if possible. What would be the safest most effective connection?

Every OUTLET in house, Deck, Bathroom (if wired Properly by a qualified Electrician) will go to same GROUND.
So every outlet will work with a Ground Probe.

But best to be safe and put your Ground Probe on the Same Outlet as your tank is running.
Best to not put into a power bar since that is just another point of unnecessary Failure.

I can't recommend what GFCI outlet to buy, but I will say, don't go buy something from Aliexpress China.
Buy Name brand like Levtron.


Most have LEDS' and some of the better ones "I read" constant Self Testing.

Best to Test yourself by pushing the TEST button.


GOOD QUESTION (Sump or Display)
I have probes in both, but not all 3 of my setups.
It's about protecting you and not fish.
So while yout tank id running and water flowing between tank and sump. Both are protected while water joins both.
If you turn off Return pump, and hose dries out a bit, they are disconnected, so the one with Probe is more protected.

And of course it matters where you have High Voltage AC.

If you have Low 12 volt DC pumps in tank. No need for probe unless your AC light fixture drops in.
Best to put the Probe where Heater is, since they are all AC, and they fail eventually, or can crack by mistake since glass..

 

[Brew12]

I can’t plug my ground probe directly into the GFCI wall outlet that my tank runs on, I’m using both outlets for 2 ADJ power bars.

Can I plug the ground probe into a power bar?

Or should I use the round metal eye piece attached to the GFCI wall outlet screw or somehow?

I do have another GFCI wall outlet around the corner which I might be able to make room for it to be plugged directly into wall outlet, but I’d prefer not to if possible. What would be the safest most effective connection?

You can plug it in anywhere. It doesn't have to be the same outlet. You could plug it into your neighbors house and it would still work.

 

[WallyB]

I can’t plug my ground probe directly into the GFCI wall outlet that my tank runs on, I’m using both outlets for 2 ADJ power bars.

Can I plug the ground probe into a power bar?

Or should I use the round metal eye piece attached to the GFCI wall outlet screw or somehow?

I do have another GFCI wall outlet around the corner which I might be able to make room for it to be plugged directly into wall outlet, but I’d prefer not to if possible. What would be the safest most effective connection?

Your GFCI outlet (all of them) should be connected to Ground. (Or else they don't work)

So your Ground Probe just needs to be connected to House Electrical Ground, which is the same Ground for all outlets in the house (if house is wired properly).

Ground probe plugged into Power Bar will work. Will also work for any other outlet that you have. (Power bar doesn't not have to be plugged into GFCI outlet to facilitate your ground probe. However better if it is)

If you want to use the Round Washer connected to your Ground probe (which I do for one of mine), it must be directly connected (SECURELY) to ground. Any ground. Inside any outlet in wall there will be a place to attach that round ring. (Just be careful to not electrocute yourself trying to get to the Ground Screw inside electrical box) ** So cut off power to that outlet (at the Circuit breaker Panel) *** (( ALSO MAKE SURE YOU Don't remove the ground wire inside the electrical box ))

In a nutshell. Your GROUND PROBE can be connected to any proper Ground point in your home electrical system.

All these things depend on Proper Electrical Wiring. So to be safe, ask a electrician, or someone who know 100% what they are doing, so they can double check things for you.
Nothing worse is to have the confidence of GFCI/Ground Probe to find out when you need it, it doesn't work).....So #1 Test your GFCI outlet (they fail over time), and I've already replaced two bad ones over the years.

 

[ponyboy96]

Glad I saw this post and thanks for sharing. Ordered the ground probe. $15 is cheap insurance. This post should be stickied.

 

[Tankkeepers]

Every OUTLET in house, Deck, Bathroom (if wired Properly by a qualified Electrician) will go to same GROUND.
So every outlet will work with a Ground Probe.

But best to be safe and put your Ground Probe on the Same Outlet as your tank is running.
Best to not put into a power bar since that is just another point of unnecessary Failure.

I can't recommend what GFCI outlet to buy, but I will say, don't go buy something from Aliexpress China.
Buy Name brand like Levtron.


Most have LEDS' and some of the better ones "I read" constant Self Testing.

Best to Test yourself by pushing the TEST button.


GOOD QUESTION (Sump or Display)
I have probes in both, but not all 3 of my setups.
It's about protecting you and not fish.
So while yout tank id running and water flowing between tank and sump. Both are protected while water joins both.
If you turn off Return pump, and hose dries out a bit, they are disconnected, so the one with Probe is more protected.

And of course it matters where you have High Voltage AC.

If you have Low 12 volt DC pumps in tank. No need for probe unless your AC light fixture drops in.
Best to put the Probe where Heater is, since they are all AC, and they fail eventually, or can crack by mistake since glass..

You are incorrect about a 12v pump

12v can and will kill you faster then a 110 or 120 or even a 220v

Voltage has 0 to do with how dangerous electric is

amps is what matters

Really it's amps at a set voltage that matters

10 Volts20 Watts2 Amps
10 Volts30 Watts3 Amps
10 Volts40 Watts4 Amps

As you see same voltage but a higher amp equals a higher wattage

So 100v at .2 amps is still just 20w the same as a 10v 2 amp circuit

High amp low voltage kills faster then high voltage and low amps

Same reason people survive being struck by lightning alot of volts very little amps

Also the same reason you can grab a smaller tesla coil at 1000v and feel very little in the way of a shock as long as the amp rating of the electrical device is low volts is not a problem

 

[M4sonic]

I live in belgium and a gfci outlet is not at thing here, we do however have mandatory gfci breakers in our breaker boxes, would this have the same effect as a gfci outlet?

 

[Bryant1991]

You are incorrect about a 12v pump

12v can and will kill you faster then a 110 or 120 or even a 220v

Voltage has 0 to do with how dangerous electric is

amps is what matters

Really it's amps at a set voltage that matters

10 Volts20 Watts2 Amps
10 Volts30 Watts3 Amps
10 Volts40 Watts4 Amps

As you see same voltage but a higher amp equals a higher wattage

So 100v at .2 amps is still just 20w the same as a 10v 2 amp circuit

High amp low voltage kills faster then high voltage and low amps

Same reason people survive being struck by lightning alot of volts very little amps

Also the same reason you can grab a smaller tesla coil at 1000v and feel very little in the way of a shock as long as the amp rating of the electrical device is low volts is not a problem

So why are there "high voltage" signs everywhere? I have never seen a "high amp" sign in my life. Been awhile since I took basic electricity but I remember voltage being the main factor when it comes to being electrocuted.

 

[WallyB]

You are incorrect about a 12v pump

12v can and will kill you faster then a 110 or 120 or even a 220v

Voltage has 0 to do with how dangerous electric is

amps is what matters

Really it's amps at a set voltage that matters

10 Volts20 Watts2 Amps
10 Volts30 Watts3 Amps
10 Volts40 Watts4 Amps

As you see same voltage but a higher amp equals a higher wattage

So 100v at .2 amps is still just 20w the same as a 10v 2 amp circuit

High amp low voltage kills faster then high voltage and low amps

Same reason people survive being struck by lightning alot of volts very little amps

Also the same reason you can grab a smaller tesla coil at 1000v and feel very little in the way of a shock as long as the amp rating of the electrical device is low volts is not a problem

I hear your points however what you state is a bit off. It's not the high current that is dangerous as you suggest. Low current is the heart-stopping killer. Takes high voltage (to overcome body resistance) to get that danger range current to your heart.

High Voltage has the potential to kill at low currents (100-200 milli-amp range).

High current (Power (heat) in watts = Voltage x Current) can burn you badly. HIgh amps don't stop the heart and kill you. High amps are very dangerous for burns/fires which can also kill you.

The overall discussion and facts is a broad and complex topic.

This explains things. There are more articles on this topic.

https://www.asc.ohio-state.edu/physics/p616/safety/fatal_current.html#:~:text=While any amount of current over 10 milliamps,death if the victim is given immediate attention.

Put it this way. A 12 Volt car battery is capable of a massive amount of current if shorted. If you touch a metal object between Positive and Negative terminal it will spark and heat up and melt into molten metal buring you, and possibly killing you. However, that massive amount of potential current won't harm you one bit if you touch the (+) (-) on the battery terminals. Your body or hand does have enough conductivity (high resistance) to pass dangerous levels of current through.

Watts do burn, and Watts are Power= Voltage x Current, Watts are heat and that's the danger.

So touching your 110V AC outlet is enough to voltage to overcome the high resistance in you body passing a current through and worse case getting to your heart (in the danger zone of current that your heart is driven by).

Your example of the tesla coil which can produce a voltage of 50,000 Volts can be safe if you are insulated from the ground or not touching both terminals. Being energized by only one terminal is the safe part and it may raise you hair. Similar to the feeling of electrons just before lighting strikes. You may not even die from touching both terminals but you will get a heck of a shock, and your muscles will convulse.

A low voltage AC/DC adapter even high current one are less of a concern as I stated. Again that's because your body's resistance do now allow current to flow through you.

The good news is GFCI outlet trigger at very low currents (6 milliamps) below the dangerous 100 -200 milliamps range. You may feel a tingle or a small shock but as the current get's to the trigger point things shut down and that's why GFIC's keeps you safe.

Regardless of these details, water and electricity is something that should be taken we the utmost degree of safety. Saltwater which is more conductive makes things more dangerous. Always proceed with caution when putting your hand in the tank. Quality GFCI outlets (that are tested frequently) keep you safe. Adding a ground probe as I showed in the video is an extra degree of safety when non-grounded appliances are running in your tank (ie heaters).

 

[WallyB]

So why are there "high voltage" signs everywhere? I have never seen a "high amp" sign in my life. Been awhile since I took basic electricity but I remember voltage being the main factor when it comes to being electrocuted.

See my reply above.

 

[WallyB]

I live in belgium and a gfci outlet is not at thing here, we do however have mandatory gfci breakers in our breaker boxes, would this have the same effect as a gfci outlet?

Both types of GFCI work just as well. Just make sure the wiring from Breaker to the outlet is proper (Including a proper ground connection), and of course, all GFCI outlets can fail over time so they should be regularity tested (I admit I don't test at all, and only replace them when they fail). Having a Breaker-GFCI just means more things will shut off on the circuit during testing. Local GFCI outlets are just more convenient.

 

[nereefpat]

I live in belgium and a gfci outlet is not at thing here, we do however have mandatory gfci breakers in our breaker boxes, would this have the same effect as a gfci outlet?

The outlets are called RCD in Europe instead of GFCI...if that helps.

 

[Higgs]

Similar question. I have the reefbreeders photon V2 on my tank with the metal legs. If my arm is in the tank and accidentally touches the metal leg I get a nice shock. My display only has two gyres, my skimmer is DC, my return pump is DC, and I do not need to run a heater or chiller on my system. Is there a possible fault in my lighting system or is this normal due to the metal legs holding up an electrical component? Would a ground probe work in this situation if I put it in the sump?

Have you sorted it out? I clearly get some shock via the legs in a similar lighting fixture when I stay barefoot on not completely dry floor. Disconnecting power supply from the light fix the problem. The lighting is fairly new and I have never had shocks without it.