Can we talk electricity…

[offthehook]

Let’s talk electricity. So in getting my equipment together for my tank build and reading the tragic event of a reef2reef member :(…. I don’t know the details but it got me thinking, my outlet is not grounded. Now mind you I had 180 gallon and 60gallon for years plugged into a non grounded outlet (didn’t realize it though until now) as it was not something I really ever thought about. However I have a mechanical aortic heart valve (2020) and I tend to put a little more thought into messing with electricity these days. I have a call into an electrician to see if we can ground it but until then is it safe to use if I add a gfci extension cord or is there something I can buy that will ground it aside of rewiring. I obviously don’t want to add any sort of grounding probe as that would be dangerous without a grounded outlet. Any electricians or members with experience with this? This is a picture of the test I did which showed open ground

 

[vetteguy53081]

Let’s talk electricity. So in getting my equipment together for my tank build and reading the tragic event of a reef2reef member :(…. I don’t know the details but it got me thinking, my outlet is not grounded. Now mind you I had 180 gallon and 60gallon for years plugged into a non grounded outlet (didn’t realize it though until now) as it was not something I really ever thought about. However I have a mechanical aortic heart valve (2020) and I tend to put a little more thought into messing with electricity these days. I have a call into an electrician to see if we can ground it but until then is it safe to use if I add a gfci extension cord or is there something I can buy that will ground it aside of rewiring. I obviously don’t want to add any sort of grounding probe as that would be dangerous without a grounded outlet. Any electricians or members with experience with this? This is a picture of the test I did which showed open ground

I recommend temporarily the GFCI cord and a ground probe

 

[tripdad]

Get the ground fixed asap. A good electician should make short work of it. The ground probe only works if it actually goes to ground. No ground in receptacle then no ground to probe.

 

[Sean Clark]

No gfci adapters are going to function if there is no ground. You need to address the grounding issue first. Then install a Ground fault circuit interrupter.

 

[offthehook]

No gfci adapters are going to function if there is no ground. You need to address the grounding issue first. Then install a Ground fault circuit interrupter.

That is what I was thinking but I know just enough to get me into trouble. I actually have a gfci extension but was hesitant to use it not knowing if it would really work. A friend is coming over tomorrow to help me sort through it l. He isn’t an electrician but he is an engineer and has wired his house and outside building so hoping he can sort it for me.

 

[tripdad]

How old is your house?

 

[Sean Clark]

That is what I was thinking but I know just enough to get me into trouble. I actually have a gfci extension but was hesitant to use it not knowing if it would really work. A friend is coming over tomorrow to help me sort through it l. He isn’t an electrician but he is an engineer and has wired his house and outside building so hoping he can sort it for me.

Odds are that once you plug in your extension, you won't even be able to reset it/turn it on due to the lack of grounding.

 

[Reefering1]

None of your outlets in the house have ground? Or just that one?

 

[jonelder68]

Yes a GFCI will work with no ground. As GFCI detects imbalances between power (hot) and neutral. Install one! Next get a grounded circuit to install a grounding probe.

 

[offthehook]

How old is your house?

Built in 1958 , just had a new electrical panel put in in July but never thought to check all outlets. I had a whole home surge installed at that time as well.

Odds are that once you plug in your extension, you won't even be able to reset it/turn it on due to the lack of grounding.

It does reset but not sure that means it works

None of your outlets in the house have ground? Or just that one?

Most don’t I’ve recently learned by using my grounding tester, there are a few but most don’t

Yes a GFCI will work with no ground. As GFCI detects imbalances between power (hot) and neutral. Install one! Next get a grounded circuit to install a grounding probe.

Thanks. Got a friend coming to look at it tomorrow to see if he can install a grounded outlet or ground the one I have. I have no idea how that works. I’m hoping the wire going to it has 3 wires if not I assume he can add a grounded pig tail.

 

[offthehook]

How old is your house?

1958 …She is old but has good bones, but obviously I need to update the outlets…..

 

[Reefering1]

Most don’t I’ve recently learned by using my grounding tester, there are a few but most don’t

You need a licensed electrician ASAP.
Forget the tank. If there is a widespread ground fault like that, every appliance is a hazard that a gfci can't fix. Think fridge, stove, microwave, the panel itself can shock you if there is a malfunction. And its not restricted to just the malfunctioning appliance.
Example- microwave,a/c, vacuum cleaner, etc. shorts to ground but your ground is not properly bonded, now the ground wire is hot throughout the building and somebody touches the fridge, fan, panel (or anything else with a grounded case) and can get shocked.

 

[offthehook]

You need a licensed electrician ASAP.
Forget the tank. If there is a widespread ground fault like that, every appliance is a hazard that a gfci can't fix. Think fridge, stove, microwave, the panel itself can shock you if there is a malfunction. And its not restricted to just the malfunctioning appliance.
Example- microwave,a/c, vacuum cleaner, etc. shorts to ground but your ground is not properly bonded, now the ground wire is hot throughout the building and somebody touches the fridge, fan, panel (or anything else with a grounded case) and can get shocked.

Thanks we just had an entire new electrical panel put in, in July as well as whole home surge protector installed into the panel, I would have thought he would have noticed that but maybe not. I have contacted one to come look just waiting to hear back.
Thanks

 

[Reefering1]

.

Thanks we just had an entire new electrical panel put in, in July as well as whole home surge protector installed into the panel, I would have thought he would have noticed that but maybe not. I have contacted one to come look just waiting to hear back.
Thanks

I understand. And there's a good chance the problem is in that recently installed panel...

 

[offthehook]

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I understand. And there's a good chance the problem is in that recently installed panel...

He did not change the wiring throughout the house, only the panel. So wondering if the wire is old wire without ground, but then there are some that the ground test shows as grounded so weird all the way around. gah makes me a bit sick to my stomach. We love this house but it’s been a headache when things need fixed. We are on a concrete slab and no attic, so nothing is easy….lol . We’ve been here 16 years and I’ve had numerous tanks in this house and never thought to check those things. Also as you mention aside from the tank the other things that could go wrong. Thanks again for everyone’s input.

 

[MisterE]

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I understand. And there's a good chance the problem is in that recently installed panel...

He did not change the wiring throughout the house, only the panel. So wondering if the wire is old wire without ground, but then there are some that the ground test shows as grounded so weird all the way around. gah makes me a bit sick to my stomach. We love this house but it’s been a headache when things need fixed. We are on a concrete slab and no attic, so nothing is easy….lol . We’ve been here 16 years and I’ve had numerous tanks in this house and never thought to check those things. Also as you mention aside from the tank the other things that could go wrong. Thanks again for everyone’s input.

I have an old house too. Almost all 2 prong outlets when we moved in. Several of the outlets were worn out and plugs would barely stay in. When I went to replace them i found all of the wire had 2 conductors + ground. You might flip a breaker, pull an outlet and check. Might be an easy fix.

 

[musselman]

I live in a 110 year old house with multiple generations of wiring, going back to knob and tube. The structure of the house makes runs back to the panel a challenge, so, in a few places where I couldn't easily do that, I ran ground lines from the outlets, through the floor, out to rods at the perimeter. It was the difference between running six feet of wire and more than 100 in some cases.

 

[fish_collector]

Perhaps some of the ground wires have loose lugs inside your panel, or maybe the bonding bar between the neutral and ground buses is loose. It might even be something as simple as a twist cap not tightened enough onto a group of ground wires inside of a box, or a screw not tight at the receptacle. I'm sure if you had the panel replaced it was brought up to current code. Smart move to have an electrician take a look at it.

My old man was a sparky at Disneyland for near 40 years, one of my life's biggest regrets was not paying more attention to electrical jobs he did around the house or for someone else, before he passed. Because you know when you're 20, one doesn't need any more education because you know everything already

 

[offthehook]

I have an old house too. Almost all 2 prong outlets when we moved in. Several of the outlets were worn out and plugs would barely stay in. When I went to replace them i found all of the wire had 2 conductors + ground. You might flip a breaker, pull an outlet and check. Might be an easy fix.

Thanks hoping that is the case , gonna have a friend that knows more about it than I do take a look today.

I live in a 110 year old house with multiple generations of wiring, going back to knob and tube. The structure of the house makes runs back to the panel a challenge, so, in a few places where I couldn't easily do that, I ran ground lines from the outlets, through the floor, out to rods at the perimeter. It was the difference between running six feet of wire and more than 100 in some cases.

Thanks! Nothing about our house is easy….from plumbing to electrical….lol

Perhaps some of the ground wires have loose lugs inside your panel, or maybe the bonding bar between the neutral and ground buses is loose. It might even be something as simple as a twist cap not tightened enough onto a group of ground wires inside of a box, or a screw not tight at the receptacle. I'm sure if you had the panel replaced it was brought up to current code. Smart move to have an electrician take a look at it.

My old man was a sparky at Disneyland for near 40 years, one of my life's biggest regrets was not paying more attention to electrical jobs he did around the house or for someone else, before he passed. Because you know when you're 20, one doesn't need any more education because you know everything already

Yeah I know the panel itself is grounded as we had to have a small line cut out of the back patio concrete so he could run the copper wire to the poles he buried and an inspector came out afterwards so I’m hoping it is more simple than complicated but one never knows. Waiting to hear back from electrician for this week. Fingers crossed.

 

[BeanAnimal]

No gfci adapters are going to function if there is no ground. You need to address the grounding issue first. Then install a Ground fault circuit interrupter.

That is a absolutely false.

A GFCI doesn’t reference “ground”, rather it senses current imbalance between the hot and neutral. It doesn’t know where the current leaked to, it just senses that it leaked.

Odds are that once you plug in your extension, you won't even be able to reset it/turn it on due to the lack of grounding.

This is not correct, see above. The GFCI receptacle or cord and plug GFCI is approved, and designed to add safety to circuits missing the grounding conductor.

@offthehook use a plug-in GFCI but be aware many plug-in models are manual reset. They have to be manually reset after a power outage.

Get your electrician out ASAP.