Electric Shock

[Reef GE]

yikes.
when you say your reef rock will die, do you mean bacteria from cycling or do you have actual livestock. Either way, its not worth the risk, but if you have livestock, you might need to take some steps to keep it going. If you are just worried about the cycle, I would not. It will cycle again just fine. And it will cycle a little many times over its life. So don't take risks just to avoid re-cycling.
I think many extension cord GFCI's trip are more likely than wall-mounted units to false trip. I don't know why I think that. I've had plenty of both. But you need to know if your outlet is grounded - a plug in style won't work any more than an outlet style if there is no ground.
I'm glad you brought this up as an emergency, but my suggestion is to take a step back, and accept that it may take a few days or even a little bit longer to resolve this, and then worry about your cycle.

How to know if my wall outlet is grounded? It’s a “ground outlet” but is the house itself grounded? When I bought the house, there was no ground from electric company to house. An electrician rigged something up with welded metal and buried it in the yard, poured salt water over it, etc. I’m no electrician but protested it. They assured me that it was fine.

 

[fishguy242]

normal here for ground rod 7 foot into ground tied directly to main box ground/neutral bar #8 size wire

 

[slojim]

I'm NOT an electrician, so don't treat this as gospel - but
what are you checking specifically? One voltmeter probe in the water and one on the ground of the outlet? A break in insulation somewhere could show full line voltage.
a buried copper rod is part of a grounding (or earthing in some places) procedure - this is covered under code, and while the US and Georgia likely have different codes, the US ones for residential work are based on a theoretically international standard (with varying local adoption)
strange that just about everything gives you a signal - that's why I asked how you are testing. But if you feel a jolt, surely there is something there. Do you get a jolt in your FW tank? (don't try it please, just wondering if you know already)

 

[Reef GE]

I'm NOT an electrician, so don't treat this as gospel - but
what are you checking specifically? One voltmeter probe in the water and one on the ground of the outlet? A break in insulation somewhere could show full line voltage.
a buried copper rod is part of a grounding (or earthing in some places) procedure - this is covered under code, and while the US and Georgia likely have different codes, the US ones for residential work are based on a theoretically international standard (with varying local adoption)
strange that just about everything gives you a signal - that's why I asked how you are testing. But if you feel a jolt, surely there is something there. Do you get a jolt in your FW tank? (don't try it please, just wondering if you know already)

I’m not electrician either but learning that codes here are not same as in States! I was checking alternating current by putting metal probe of AC tester into water. No, no jolt in freshwater tank, but reading 55-110V consistently. Tomorrow I will check conductivity from hot at outlet to neutral bar at breaker box. Should register close to zero ohms. That will tell me if this outlet is grounded properly. Then I will check alternate current from hot at outlet to ground. Also to see if any lugs in box are loose . Are there any crossed wires? etc

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Odds are pump is slightly shorted to the water and if you had that pump plugged into a gcfi outlet it would pop right away. Try another pump on same circuit. Replace pump

 

[fishguy242]

cut power to check for loose lugs!!! careful, pics of box and outside ground would also be helpful

 

[slojim]

Hot at outlet to neutral at box? Wouldn't that be high ohms? If you have a path, that would be a problem.
Make sure all the power is off if you do this. Frankly, I'm not very comfortable giving advice on this, but I'd hate for you to get hurt.
I wonder if the fw tank doesn't zap you because the water is not as good a conductor as salt water.
Can you take your pump somewhere else, put it in a bucket of water, and test for stray voltage on a different electrical system?

 

[Flippers4pups]

one of our #MODS is an electrical guru..sorry i do not know who,thanks all

@Brew12

 

[MightyMO]

So I set up my tank today and filled with live rock to start bacteria cycle. Somewhere along the way I felt a small shock (110 level), this repeated self when I touched overflow to sump. Later I touched finger to the water to and got a BIG shock.

Measured voltage with an indicator and it registered somewhere around 220 (I live in Europe).

Unplugged all equipment and gradually turned on equipment one at a time to see what caused the problem. It appears to be an pump. When the pump is plugged into extension cord, AC measures 220V. When the pump is plugged into alternate extension cord there was little current showing. When plugged into wall the charge registers again at 220. Is this a grounding issue or pump issue?

(The plug on extension cord has slight electrical smell.) but no visible damage when I opened it)

I’m not an electrician and have some questions:

1. Is it safe to use pump if using new extension cord and no voltage registers?

2. Is it safe to run tank temporarily as long as I don’t touch anything and keep everyone away? Its a reef setup that I bought and I dont want to lose bacteria cycle progress as I wait for another pump?

3. Can I buy a GFCI extensiom cord or plug that plugs into wall? Where I live overseas house outlets aren’t necessarily guaranteed to be grounded?

4. When I got shocked what happened to my live rock, bacteria, small invertebrates, anemones which were on the matured live rock. Did the current from tank to ground when I touched it kill it all? No coral or fish were in the tank yet.

5. What else can I do to be extra safe? Fastest method would be to use a GFCI extension cord if such a cord exists and can handle multiple sockets. If so please post link here.

I am an electrician and if an outlet should only be 110-120v is reading 220, that means you have voltage on your neutral wire somehow... And no, the pump would not be safe to use if it's a 110 pump in a 220v application as it could catch your house/apartment on fire...

 

[WallyB]

This may help. I wrote a thread and people contributed including @Brew12 so lot of info.

I-am-alive**-please-read-*tank-almost-**electrocuted*-me*-gfci-never-tripped-missing-ground-probe-passing-on-lesson-to-all-reefers



If you don't have a GFCI you must get one. Some Seal is breached causing Current/Voltage in your tank (Dangerous)
GFCI will probably trip, or may not if nothing is grounded in your tank.

If you had a GFCI and All running on it.
You could plug things in one at a time till it trips

 

[MightyMO]

And stop electricuting yourself, it only takes a milli amp to kill a person, add water to that and I'm telling you that you are lucky to be alive!

 

[WallyB]

I am an electrician and if an outlet should only be 110-120v is reading 220, that means you have voltage on your neutral wire somehow... And no, the pump would not be safe to use if it's a 110 pump in a 220v application as it could catch your house/apartment on fire...

He is in Europe. Voltage is 220.

 

[WallyB]

4. When I got shocked what happened to my live rock, bacteria, small invertebrates, anemones which were on the matured live rock. Did the current from tank to ground when I touched it kill it all? No coral or fish were in the tank yet.

5. What else can I do to be extra safe? Fastest method would be to use a GFCI extension cord if such a cord exists and can handle multiple sockets. If so please post link here.

No worries. The Rock and Bacteria are fine.
You can be killed is most important.
You got to find the faulty piece of equipment. Getting a GFCI extension will help if you plug things into it one by one and the faulty one will trip ((((((( IF THE TANK is GROUNDED )))) If TANK IS not GROUNDED by Ground Probe, or something that is 3 Prong Grounded equipement, it may not trip till something does provide a ground. (like you, which you don't want to do)))

 

[fishguy242]

thanks guys i've been here over 9 hrs ,treating like life and death situation,i know my US elec not there!

 

[Here we go again..]

Im in the states, and an electrician. Dont know much about Europe electrical, but it sounds like you have multiple issues, being bad pump and a non existing grounding system. You need to have an electrician ( good qualified) look into your grounding system. I know here in the states they sell plug in style gfci devices just don't know about your side of the world. But even if they do, with out a proper ground and or bond it still wouldn't work properly. Long story short, dont run the tank and seek electrical help. It only takes .7 amps to kill a person.

 

[fishguy242]

@Andrew D hope poss info here

 

[vetteguy53081]

ALWAYS run a grounding probe in your tank and/or sump
Unplug each component until you have verfied the source.

 

[fishguy242]

ALWAYS run a grounding probe in your tank and/or sump
Unplug each component until you have verfied the source.

it is unclear if home is properly grounded at all..!!

 

[WallyB]

ALWAYS run a grounding probe in your tank and/or sump
Unplug each component until you have verfied the source.

Yes, you need A GFCI (extension, or outlet) and a GROUND PROBE to properly test things.

I show in this video.


GFCI alone isn't enough, but safer.

GROUND PROBE alone (is no safety)

 

[WallyB]

ALWAYS run a grounding probe in your tank and/or sump
Unplug each component until you have verfied the source.

It's reversed to test and find the Faulty equipment (don't plug all in, and then unplug one by one)

1) UNPLUG EVERYTHING before your start.

2A) Ground Probe is Plugged or wired into GFCI (outlet or Extension Cord)
------> You can plug a Power Bar into it (GFCI outlet or Extension Cord) to get more outlets.
2B) Put in your Ground Probe into water where equiptment is or will be tested (no power yet)

If you are testing a heater in Tank. Put the Ground Probe in the Tank.
If you are testing a heater in Sump. Put Ground Probe in Sump.

3A) One by one Plug one thing at a time (INTO GFCI outlet). ** NOTHING ELSE ** Nothing in Tank Plugged into another NON-GFCI OUTLET !! ***
3B) After testing. Unplug the Equipement and move on to next Piece of Equipement to test.
3C) Repeat till you find the faultly equiptment (that trips the GFCI).

As in the video above.
Without the Ground Probe, GFCI may not Trip if Tank has no grounding to the GFCI which is what the Ground probe does. (NOTE: Anthing that is a grounded device will have 3 Prongs)

If you don't have a ground probe, or no grounded equipment..... but YOU DO HAVE A GFCI, you can use Volt Meter like I did in video.
BUT IT's DANGEOUS to touch the Water with your bare hand/body parts. (GFCI will protect but let's take no risks)