Electric shock from tank water

[Max1]

Hi, I am wanting peoples input on the following situation I have and if it is normal,
I have a pretty standard Red Sea 625 Reefer setup. The tank is in a room that has carpet, and I have had a leak from the ATO reservoir (now fixed) which resulted in the carpet being damp
When standing on the damp part of the carpet and having my hands inside the display water I notice a small electric shock. It feels like the same level of discomfort as a bug bite or paper cut, so nothing major. With testing by unplugging equipment to see what is causing it, the shock only occurs when the Red Sea reef mat is switched on, or the Red Sea ATO system. There is also possibly a small shock from my heater, which is an Eheim, but it seems like a lot smaller of a shock than the ato and reef may produce.

My question is, is this normal? I I know that both the reef mat and ato use a conductive water sensor, so is this what I am feeling?

Also I am in Australia, so my power is 240 volt 10 amp.
I have all my equipment running from a power board that is plugged into the wall.
Thanks

 

[Gumbies R Us]

No electric shock is normal. Last year, we had a tragic incident of losing one of our members due to electrical malfunctions. If you feel a zap, you need to unplug everything and figure out what could be causing the issue.

My guess is the heater, as you said, and if it is that, you need to get rid of it and get a new one. Electricity and water do not mix well, and after seeing what happened with our member, this is something I take seriously now.

@Troylee can provide more details on steps and what you need to do

 

[Max1]

No electric shock is normal. Last year, we had a tragic incident of losing one of our members due to electrical malfunctions. If you feel a zap, you need to unplug everything and figure out what could be causing the issue.

My guess is the heater, as you said, and if it is that, you need to get rid of it and get a new one. Electricity and water do not mix well, and after seeing what happened with our member, this is something I take seriously now.

@Troylee can provide more details on steps and what you need to do

Thanks, it might have been confusing the way I typed it before,
But I have unplugged and tested items individually, and the shock is present when 1 of 3 things are powered. The reef mat, the ATO, and also the heater but by less of a shock.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I'm still suspecting it is the heater. These are prone to breakdown, and a lot of the electrical issues I have seen in the past usually stem from a heater.

 

[Troylee]

Everything you listed is low voltage besides the heater I’m not sure how old or what kind it is but I’d start there. I’d replace it first and see what happens

 

[me & my baby]

There is nothing normal about getting an electrical shock or tingle from your tank . Like other have posted start with the heater .

 

[BeanAnimal]

Everything should be plugged into a GFCI. A true shock that results from a fault will trip it and differentiate that from a tingle caused by induced voltage, which is not typically dangerous or overly abnormal if there are slight nicks or cuts in your skin.

Please use GFCIs on everything connected to or near your aquarium.

 

[Max1]

I understand people saying that they think it is the heater, but I can completely remove the heater, like unplug it and remove it from the tank completely and the shock from the tank is still present. So there is no way that the shock is coming completely from the heater, the only way to have the shock not be present is to have the heater, reef mat, and ato all completely off. If just one of those three things is on, even just by itself with nothing else plugged in than the shock is present. The only difference is that the shock from the reef mat and ato seem to be more than that from the heater. If i remove all equipment and have just the heater in and plugged in than the shock is very minimal, like almost not noticable if you weren't actively trying to notice it or feel it when putting finger into tank. I'm not saying that the heater isn't an issue, but I don't belive that its the only problem based on the fact that the shock is still there even with the heater removed.

The red sea reef mat that I have uses a electrical continuity sensor to detect when the water level is at a high enough point to require it to advance the roll, when the water is low the sensor is out of the water, when it is high the sensor is in the water. When testing the reef mat as the only piece of equipment plugged in, the shock is only present when the water level is high enough to touch this sensor, which is another reason why I believe that it is causes by the sensor on both the reef mat, and the ato.

Everything should be plugged into a GFCI. A true shock that results from a fault will trip it and differentiate that from a tingle caused by induced voltage, which is not typically dangerous or overly abnormal if there are slight nicks or cuts in your skin.

Please use GFCIs on everything connected to or near your aquarium.

@BeanAnimal this is definitely a better way to describe what I was calling a shock. It is more like a tingle that is slightly discomforting, but I mainly feel it in small cuts on hands or under my fingernails. In your opinion, is what I have described typical of this equipment to do this? Is it any sory of problem or discomfort for livestock? and why do I only feel it when I have water on carpet under tank? Possibly coincidence that I had cuts on hand when ato leaked?

 

[BeanAnimal]

I can’t tell you if it is induced voltage or a fault. I can guess, but that doesn’t provide a safe answer. A GFCI will provide a significant level of protection if there is a fault.

All of your equipment and everything near the tank should be GFCI protected. That solves the issue. If there is a fault the tingle will cause a trip, if not it is induced voltage, but one way or the other it will ensure your safety.

 

[Max1]

I can’t tell you if it is induced voltage or a fault. I can guess, but that doesn’t provide a safe answer. A GFCI will provide a significant level of protection if there is a fault.

All of your equipment and everything near the tank should be GFCI protected. That solves the issue. If there is a fault the tingle will cause a trip, if not it is induced voltage, but one way or the other it will ensure your safety.

Copy, I'll check that. Is there any infromation I can get from testing with a multimeter?

 

[BeanAnimal]

Copy, I'll check that. Is there any infromation I can get from testing with a multimeter?

If you read over 90 or so volts AC between water and ground, it is likely a fault, anything less is inconclusive unless your meter has a low Z voltage setting. I don’t want to get into current measurement here.

The proper and safe thing to do is leave the meter in the drawer and use the GFCI.

 

[W31Olds]

Max, instead of using a Multimeter (difficult without training and experience) I would just purchase a GFCI Extension cord with an outlet center. You can quickly isolate any device that's causing issues because it will trip and you can use it to power your tank without getting an outlet intalled.
I have mutiple Trip-Lite units.

 

[W31Olds]

Max, sorry I didn't see you were in Australia but I'm positive there is a GFCI that it compatible with your AC Power Setup.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Max, sorry I didn't see you were in Australia but I'm positive there is a GFCI that it compatible with your AC Power Setup.

Good catch, I did not notice that either and the voltage is 230 nominal line to neutral. So my meter statement is not correct either. The meter could read near 180 volts AC and still be induced voltage, not a fault.

The advice here is unchanged, if not more important. Trying to use a meter to sort this out without training is not the best route, the GFCI is.

Please be safe.

 

[Max1]

I am already using a gfci board, I could be wrong but i think that legaly they are required in australian power boards. Testing it with multimeter going to ground, with all equipment running there is 30 volts present in the tank, and it drops depending on what is unplugged, it seems to vary the few different times I tested it but around 20 of those volts seem to come from the Red Sea skimmer 900 that I have. The remaining voltage is from wavemakers, return pump, ato and sometimes reef mat. Can the livestock feel this induced current in the water?

 

[BeanAnimal]

There is induced voltage. It has to have a path to lower potential to become current, thst path is the thin tender skin under your fingernail, through your body to ground. No the fish do not feel it because there is no current flowing through them.

If the system is GFCI protected, then it would trip if there was a fault that shocked you to ground. I don’t know Australian code standards, so I can’t tell if your system is protected or not or not.

 

[robn70]

Have you checked your pumps? I had a skimmer pump go bad and was getting shocked by it evert time i was working in the tank.

 

[Max1]

all equipment is around 6 months old or newer. Main pump is a red sea. If the pump went bad than how can I tell if its shock current or induced current?

 

[BeanAnimal]

I have given you what you need to know. Anything else is going to be a guess. If the system is GFCI protected, then your shocks would cause a trip. If the system is not GFCI protected, it should be. You read 30v, that is likely induced voltage. The GFCI is what helps you differentiate.