Electric shock help!

[Pistondog]

What type of wavemaker?

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

The damage is done
Whether it was the sand or electric
A gfi paired with a ground probe will protect you from the later

Can you help me understand why a ground probe would be needed? I thought that the GFCI outlet alone is supposed to detect the sudden change in current draw and trip in milliseconds?

 

[FinalMac]

I was looking through the comments and not sure if anybody said it or not, couldn't see, but if you bleached it and then did not soak in some kind of dechlorinator then you probably leached chlorine into the system. Chlorine will degas in open air over time as it dries. But if it's still wet, you have to use dechlorinator.

 

[Pistondog]

Can you help me understand why a ground probe would be needed? I thought that the GFCI outlet alone is supposed to detect the sudden change in current draw and trip in milliseconds?

Gfci works by sensing a difference in the current flowing thru hot and neutral legs at the outlet or breaker.
A ground probe grounds the tank water, providing a path for the hot leg, if exposed in the tank water. If there is no ground probe the hot leg 'floats' the aquarium at line potential.
When the hot leg conducts thru the ground probe, there is an imbalance between Hot and neutral at the gfci device, and it trips.

In the op's case we dont know if a gfci would trip since the exposed wires might be thru a wave controller, which might be dc and isolated from hot, line voltage.

 

[FinalMac]

Might not be electrical at all. Stray voltage shouldn't hurt anything in the tank.

 

[Paul B]

I doubt that tiny amount of copper would do anything and if your circuit breaker didn't trip, I also doubt you introduced enough electric into the water. I don't know if you have a GFI but it wouldn't matter anyway.

(Master Electrician 50 years.)

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I doubt that tiny amount of copper would do anything and if your circuit breaker didn't trip, I also doubt you introduced enough electric into the water. I don't know if you have a GFI but it wouldn't matter anyway.

(Master Electrician 50 years.)

For every electron leaving the wire, a copper ion is released. That can add up fast if current is flowing.

 

[Lasse]

I suppose the pump run on 12 or 24 V DC with a controller - in that case - is unlikely that the GFI would trip. If both + and - wire was in contact with saltwater and power was on - you had a good working electrolysis in the tank. - as @Randy Holmes-Farley state both copper and chlorine gas was released

Sincerely Lasse

 

[theMeat]

Can you help me understand why a ground probe would be needed? I thought that the GFCI outlet alone is supposed to detect the sudden change in current draw and trip in milliseconds?

A gfi (ground fault interrupter), despite its name, does not work with ground at all. It measures current out (positive), against current returned (neutral). If/when there’s a difference it trips.
If you have stray voltage without a ground the gfi may not trip because it returns through neutral.
If you’re in a house built in late 40s to early 50s you may have wires/outlets that are not grounded. In that case a gfi is your best bet.
Either way $10 ground probe could save your life. Or certainly rule out stray voltage that long term will probably cause problems that go undetected and lead you to try doing all sorts of stuff to try to remedy

Tank you very much

 

[_chiefxr33f]

At times like this, it’s important to ground yourself and stay positive. This is a shocking development, to be sure, but you’ll get through it if you charge ahead full steam.

I’m sorry about what happened—I don’t have anything more productive to offer but hope a little humor can help lighten your mood.

Literally ground yourself (your tank) so this doesn't happen again.

 

[TankYouVeryMuch]

A gfi (ground fault interrupter), despite its name, does not work with ground at all. It measures current out (positive), against current returned (neutral). If/when there’s a difference it trips.
If you have stray voltage without a ground the gfi may not trip because it returns through neutral.
If you’re in a house built in late 40s to early 50s you may have wires/outlets that are not grounded. In that case a gfi is your best bet.
Either way $10 ground probe could save your life. Or certainly rule out stray voltage that long term will probably cause problems that go undetected and lead you to try doing all sorts of stuff to try to remedy

Tank you very much

Those ground leads should have a resistor and LED or something so that you can visually tell if there’s leaking current.

 

[KrisReef]

This thread is more fun to read than a thread about an electrical fire. I hope the replacement electrician provides a proper and thrifty solution so that the power and lights burn brightly without any additional complications.

 

[MTReefer69]

Immediate help needed please! Long story short, on Saturday one of my double headed wavemakers fell for the umpteenth time blowing sand everywhere and burying corals, so I replaced it with a magnetic one that I had. It recently took it out of the tank that I broke down, cleaned with bleach, rinsed and let soak in rodi for 2 days before putting it in the tank. I switch them out, go to lfs to get some blue legged hermits, came home and ALL of my corals were closed. Realized the wavemaker head was no longer connected to the cord. I immediately unplugged it. My corals aren't looking good at all! Already lost 1 torch, the others aren't looking great. None of my goni have opened up since neither have my duncan corals, hammers, frogspawn frammer, or other torches. My mushroom corals, blasto and acans seem to have opened back up, but not completely. My SPS are all completely bleached.

HELP!!!

If you had a live wire it would have blown a fuse or at least your bar. It would also have killed the fish. I’d say corals are annoyed with the blow job. Give it time.

 

[theMeat]

Those ground leads should have a resistor and LED or something so that you can visually tell if there’s leaking current.

If there is a ground, with a gfi, there won’t be, can’t be, any stray voltage. The gfi will trip

 

[littlefoxx]

Typically stray voltage does not harm tank I habitants.

No but it causes some fish to jump ship… lost two because of the heater exploding and having voltage in the sump

Op how are the fish? The corals may just be ticked off with the changes and may not have been a voltage issue

 

[DeSoDo]

If you had a live wire it would have blown a fuse or at least your bar. It would also have killed the fish. I’d say corals are annoyed with the blow job. Give it time.

Hoping the rest will recover, but all of my acro have completely bleached, lost one of my torches (the smallest one I have, but been in the tank the longest while the others have thrived), and my frogspawn and octospawn aren't looking good either.

 

[Lasse]

@ DeSoDo

Was it a 12/24 V DC or a 110/240 V AC pump you use?
Do you have a ground probe or a grounded titanium heater in your system?
Do you have a GFI in your electrical system?
Was both parts of the power wire in the water?
Did your fuse or your GFI (if there was one) trip?

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Crabs+Shrimps-69]

A bare line cord may have put some copper into the tank? That could be a problem for corals. If this is what has happened, perhaps some Cuprasorb could improve water quality issues?

It's unlikely it was copper since he said his inverts were fine.

 

[Lasse]

It's unlikely it was copper since he said his inverts were fine.

FYI the coral animal is an invertebrate and more sensitive to copper compared with snails, shrimps and hermits - IME. The best way to kill off the freshwater animal hydra - a close relative of the coral animal among the cnidarians - is two copper wires and a 4.5 V battery.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Paul B]

For every electron leaving the wire, a copper ion is released. That can add up fast if current is flowing.

Yes it would. But if it was bare copper in the tank and line current went through it, especially in salt water, that is a dead short and the breaker would trip instantly. If it were just a tiny bit of bare copper, (most likely) not enough copper would enter the tank to cause anything. Just my opinion of course