Aquarium and electrical safety

[jonelder68]

Wow! This has been a horrible week. First loosing my dog and now after taking a few day break from here R2R only to return and find out the tragedy my friend Baruch/ @Miami Reef has been lost . Seems he has passed from an electrical incident while working in his tank. Unsure how this has happened!?!? He just had an electrician over several months ago to fix some issues and correct them. Regardless I think it’s important to discuss proper electrical safety with our glass boxes. At most maybe we can help prevent this from happening to someone else!

I’m am not a licensed electrician but am familiar with electricity. I’ve wired sub panels in for my tank amongst several other electrical projects.

**** A MUST FOR ANY TANK***

Please ensure your tank equipment is on a GFCI circuit! Weather it be an outlet or breaker in the panel. Our tanks must be installed on either! Safety, fire hazard, etc!

A standard GFCI outlet

Your equipment should be plugged into an outlet like this! It’s possible the circuit your tanks on has one further up the branch. These work by tripping the outlet and anything further down the circuit branch will be without power until it’s reset and the fault is corrected.

Another option is installing a GFCI breaker in the electrical panel. This option ensures the entire electrical circuit is protected by GFCI

(Photo from my subpanel in basement. The 20amp GFCI/arc fault breaker with the purple test button is my dedicated fish circuit for everything in the basement)

Even with a GFCI outlets they can wear out and fail! Luckily for $15 you buy a GFCI tester at your box stores or amazon. I recommend purchasing one and testing your GFCI circuits for proper operation.

To add onto the essentials of GFCI protections there’s several other things to take into considerations. Outlets that aren’t in use I like to install child proof plugs to help somewhat with moisture possibly. Might not do much but can’t hurt.

Other things to consider though much debate on though is grounding rods installed in your tank. A titanium heater with a 3 prong outlet can double as a grounding rod.

Between cord management and safe electrical set ups there’s many things we should all review and correct. Let’s let this be a lesson and hopefully learn from it so it doesn’t happen to someone else. If you’re unsure and not comfortable with electricity I’d recommend calling out an electrician to review your set up and insure it’s GFCI protected. If not, while over have them install one.

Feel free to add/correct anything I’ve mentioned. I just don’t want to see anything like this happen again. So let’s educate everyone on this subject to ensure we’re all safe in our tanks. Sorry I’m not the greatest at writing things like this but just trying my best to come to terms with loosing my friend.

RIP brother @Miami Reef

 

[NanoSteam]

RIP... I just ordered the GFCI plug, have a titanium heater and my tank is small enough with h few pieces of equipment that I'll just be hitting the switch on my surge protector when I have to put my hand in the tank which won't be often anyway.

I did some research on grounding probes and some folks said it makes it more dangerous for you though it will help with stray voltage for your fish and corals. I'm not sure what the reasoning is.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

Thank you for bringing this up! I use a Trippe lite surge protector! They are pricy compared to others, but a serious peace of mind! Yes gfci is indeed important! I had not heard about @Miami Reef ! This is such a preventable tragedy. So sorry to hear.

 

[exnisstech]

I did some research on grounding probes and some folks said it makes it more dangerous for you though it will help with stray voltage for your fish and corals. I'm not sure what the reasoning is.

Stray voltage does not harm tank inhabitants. Its a piece of fiction that has been repeated so many times its become an Internet fact. Its also one of the first things that gets blamed for unexplained deaths.

Stray voltage produced by induction of water pumps etc., will not harm your fish, it’s a literal red herring. Short circuits to ground can be dangerous for fish and yourself.

It’s possible/probable that there isn’t a common cause for these fish losses - that makes any diagnosis incomplete.

I’ve found the best thing to do in these cases is to carefully evaluate the remaining fish - look for scratching/flashing, rapid breathing, poor coloration, poor appetite, etc.

 

[redacted_]

Wow! This has been a horrible week. First loosing my dog and now after taking a few day break from here R2R only to return and find out the tragedy my friend Baruch/ @Miami Reef has been lost . Seems he has passed from an electrical incident while working in his tank. Unsure how this has happened!?!? He just had an electrician over several months ago to fix some issues and correct them. Regardless I think it’s important to discuss proper electrical safety with our glass boxes. At most maybe we can help prevent this from happening to someone else!

I’m am not a licensed electrician but am familiar with electricity. I’ve wired sub panels in for my tank amongst several other electrical projects.

**** A MUST FOR ANY TANK***

Please ensure your tank equipment is on a GFCI circuit! Weather it be an outlet or breaker in the panel. Our tanks must be installed on either! Safety, fire hazard, etc!

A standard GFCI outlet

Your equipment should be plugged into an outlet like this! It’s possible the circuit your tanks on has one further up the branch. These work by tripping the outlet and anything further down the circuit branch will be without power until it’s reset and the fault is corrected.

Another option is installing a GFCI breaker in the electrical panel. This option ensures the entire electrical circuit is protected by GFCI

(Photo from my subpanel in basement. The 20amp GFCI/arc fault breaker with the purple test button is my dedicated fish circuit for everything in the basement)

Even with a GFCI outlets they can wear out and fail! Luckily for $15 you buy a GFCI tester at your box stores or amazon. I recommend purchasing one and testing your GFCI circuits for proper operation.

To add onto the essentials of GFCI protections there’s several other things to take into considerations. Outlets that aren’t in use I like to install child proof plugs to help somewhat with moisture possibly. Might not do much but can’t hurt.

Other things to consider though much debate on though is grounding rods installed in your tank. A titanium heater with a 3 prong outlet can double as a grounding rod.

Between cord management and safe electrical set ups there’s many things we should all review and correct. Let’s let this be a lesson and hopefully learn from it so it doesn’t happen to someone else. If you’re unsure and not comfortable with electricity I’d recommend calling out an electrician to review your set up and insure it’s GFCI protected. If not, while over have them install one.

Feel free to add/correct anything I’ve mentioned. I just don’t want to see anything like this happen again. So let’s educate everyone on this subject to ensure we’re all safe in our tanks. Sorry I’m not the greatest at writing things like this but just trying my best to come to terms with loosing my friend.

RIP brother @Miami Reef

That is terrible to hear. Rest in peace @Miami Reef

This was a preventable tragedy that shouldn't have happened. You can never be too careful with electricity. The first thing I did was set up GFCIs for all the outlets near my tanks at my new place. I went the extra mile and added those outdoor weather proof boxes around them too.

 

[Gone Reefin’]

Hey all. Great post. Can someone chime in with the real story on these devices? I am not interested in the debate about stray voltage and inhabitants. I am much more concerned if this helps with HUMAN safety:

 

[jonelder68]

Hey all. Great post. Can someone chime in with the real story on these devices? I am not interested in the debate about stray voltage and inhabitants. I am much more concerned if this helps with HUMAN safety:

It gives electricity a direct path to ground/earth. Electricity is lazy in a sense and will take the easiest path. Humans have slight resistance to electricity and simple things as wearing rubber sole shoes while working in the tank can even help.

 

[Freenow54]

One of the important things is as I have mentioned is an ARC protection device.

Also I am a firm believer in wearing shoes when working on the tank. It is very easy to ground yourself with bare feet also bare skin

 

[jonelder68]

One of the important things is as I have mentioned is an ARC protection device.

Also I am a firm believer in wearing shoes when working on the tank. It is very easy to ground yourself with bare feet also bare skin

Agree! It’s super common to buy a dual function GFCI & Arc fault breaker. In my opinion this is the best option to install for our tank circuits.

 

[NanoSteam]

Are these any good for a temporary solution?

 

[Uncle99]

Are these any good for a temporary solution?

Fine.

 

[Uncle99]

Any circuit near a water source needs GFI plug, like bathrooms especially.

Is part of our Cities building code for decades.

If you don’t use GFI plug it’s only a matter of time.

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

A few months ago I was working on my tank and realized that I could feel a slight buzz. Seemed to be induced current from all the electronics. I didn’t think much of it until I had a thumbnail, stuck my hand in the tank and thought I’d been stabbed.

I decided to replace by plug in GFCI with a proper outlet and did all the work with the breaker off. Also bought a titanium ground rod, which I put in the back of my AIO. GFCI passed the self test and I felt much better.

Fast forward to recently: I was using a cheap refugium lamp with a standard two-prong light fixture. I went to do something in the stand and accidentally pulled the cord and heard a splash and then the sound of water boiling. Thankfully I had the presence of mind not to reach into the water but pulled it out by the cord and dropped it on the floor where it sizzled and then popped with a shower of sparks and a puff of acrid smoke.

I started shaking about half an hour later when I realized how close I came to a disaster. I also wondered why the %*#^ the GFCI didn’t trip. Turns out there’s an intermittent ground. If the ground had been working it may have electrocuted all the fish due to the ground rod, so I lucked out in more ways than one.

The lesson here is to periodically do a safety check and make sure everything is still working the way it should be.

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

I have been shocked so many times due to water spills and faulty equipment, probably lost count.
But in every case I was saved by grace of God and secondly thanks to GFI. If it wasn't for GFI tripping I probably won't be here talking about it.
Our hobby has everything to hurt/kill you. From zoa poisoning to fish that can poison you to faulty equipment and worse, water and electricity as a combination is a no no. So please stay safe.

 

[Freenow54]

A few months ago I was working on my tank and realized that I could feel a slight buzz. Seemed to be induced current from all the electronics. I didn’t think much of it until I had a thumbnail, stuck my hand in the tank and thought I’d been stabbed.

I decided to replace by plug in GFCI with a proper outlet and did all the work with the breaker off. Also bought a titanium ground rod, which I put in the back of my AIO. GFCI passed the self test and I felt much better.

Fast forward to recently: I was using a cheap refugium lamp with a standard two-prong light fixture. I went to do something in the stand and accidentally pulled the cord and heard a splash and then the sound of water boiling. Thankfully I had the presence of mind not to reach into the water but pulled it out by the cord and dropped it on the floor where it sizzled and then popped with a shower of sparks and a puff of acrid smoke.

I started shaking about half an hour later when I realized how close I came to a disaster. I also wondered why the %*#^ the GFCI didn’t trip. Turns out there’s an intermittent ground. If the ground had been working it may have electrocuted all the fish due to the ground rod, so I lucked out in more ways than one.

The lesson here is to periodically do a safety check and make sure everything is still working the way it should be.

The GFI did not pop because there was no leak to ground. Which is why an arc protector is needed it protects the wire in the circuit. I am glad you survived. I had a power bar burn

 

[Freenow54]

That is why I try to have as little as possible that is powered in the tank. No power heads external return pump

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I would also caution folks that a GFCI is not foolproof.

I’ve gotten some small shocks off of plugs in a GFCI outlet when handling wet plugs. Big no no.

If all of the electricity coming out of the GFCI outlet goes back into it through the other side of the outlet, it won’t trip, even if it passes through you in the meanwhile.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Stray voltage does not harm tank inhabitants. Its a piece of fiction that has been repeated so many times its become an Internet fact. Its also one of the first things that gets blamed for unexplained deaths.

I've been calling "stray voltage" "induced voltage" now - what I mean is a small voltage, usually less than 30 vac that is produced by the normal operation of electrical motors in the tank. That doesn't harm the fish, and I've never felt that "tingle" working around tanks that had it. A "short to ground" may not be the best term for the dangerous situation that can harm people and fish, but that stems from some failure of the equipment - a short, or electricity following salt incrustations on a power cord, etc. I wonder if current flowing to ground is even needed in some cases. When I was a kid, I was standing on a wooden chair and reached both hands into a tank that had a broken heater. The shock blew me off the chair onto my bed, and I clearly was not completing the circuit to ground....my late father, an electrical engineer told me, "just use one hand". To this date, I often "flick" the water with a finger on a suspect tank before putting my hand in (your mileage might vary).

 

[Dr. Reef Verified Sponsor]

I've been calling "stray voltage" "induced voltage" now - what I mean is a small voltage, usually less than 30 vac that is produced by the normal operation of electrical motors in the tank. That doesn't harm the fish, and I've never felt that "tingle" working around tanks that had it. A "short to ground" may not be the best term for the dangerous situation that can harm people and fish, but that stems from some failure of the equipment - a short, or electricity following salt incrustations on a power cord, etc. I wonder if current flowing to ground is even needed in some cases. When I was a kid, I was standing on a wooden chair and reached both hands into a tank that had a broken heater. The shock blew me off the chair onto my bed, and I clearly was not completing the circuit to ground....

How does that happen? For knowledge purposes...
You were on a wooden chair and touched the water in tank with faulty equipment.
How would that complete the circuit etc.

I was in a similar situation : I was also on a wooden stool and siphoning water for a water change. This was 25 to 27 yrs back
Tank had a broken/faulty heater.
As soon as I saw the water come down the tube towards my mouth, I was ready to pull the tube from mouth to drain, but in that micro second water touched my mouth and I felt a jolt.
It was like someone put a high powered massager to my head.
Stupid me I tried it again and same result
After 2 shocks I realized there was electricity flowing. Young dumb age. Lol.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

How does that happen? For knowledge purposes...
You were on a wooden chair and touched the water in tank with faulty equipment.
How would that complete the circuit etc.

I was in a similar situation : I was also on a wooden stool and siphoning water for a water change. This was 25 to 27 yrs back
Tank had a broken/faulty heater.
As soon as I saw the water come down the tube towards my mouth, I was ready to pull the tube from mouth to drain, but in that micro second water touched my mouth and I felt a jolt.
It was like someone put a high powered massager to my head.
Stupid me I tried it again and same result
After 2 shocks I realized there was electricity flowing. Young dumb age. Lol.

Ouch!

My father tried to explain it to me (to no avail) - that with both hands in the water, there is electrical potential across both hands and current flowed through my chest. If I had just put one hand in the water, he said I would have been o.k. In your case, the current flow would have been from one hand to your mouth.