Electrical issue

[BullfrogWrangler212]

Hello,

Just to start this is a new account, but I've actually browsed the forums since I got my first saltwater aquarium almost eight years ago. I've found lots of useful information on here in that time so wanted to say it's really appreciated and I've learnt alot.

I'm making this thread because I'm having issues with electricals in my aquarium and I'm not really sure what to do. In the last couple weeks I've had my ReefMat motor burn out and stop working, a less than year old Eheim e250 heater which broke two days ago and since then with my replacement heater which is fairly old I've been getting some zaps when touching the aquarium, either the water or the metal frame of my mesh lid. I've since disconnected this heater and I think the stray voltage has stopped.

With the Eheim heater there is a wire that looks like copper which runs all the down the middle of the glass housing which I guess is the heating element, that is snapped cleanly in half. There also looks to be a little water that had seeped inside the heater.

The setup for the plugs is a double wall socket, I have a 6-way extension plugged into each socket, I have 12 bits of equipment so all sockets on both extensions are used. I have seen sparks in the socket sometimes when disconnecting plugs. If what I've read is correct, there should be enough capacity for about 3kW, all my equipment if running at max power should use less than 900w. I have a feeling the extensions are the problem, but I haven't replaced them because I don't know how to be sure they are. On top of that what would I replace them with? Buying the same type/brand of extension again seems like a bad idea.

So the gist of this is I have equipment dying and strong stray voltage occurring which I think I have now stopped, but this seems like it could possibly be a coincidence because I know ReefMat motors burn out over time, I suspect the Eheim heater broke because it looked to have water get inside somehow and the stray voltage seems to have been from my replacement heater, which is years old.

If anyone could give me some advice on what I could do to find out what the problem is here, I would appreciate it alot. I'm afraid to buy new equipment in case it fails quickly. We all know these things aren't cheap!

Thanks

 

[blaxsun]

I suspect the problem either is with your extensions and/or the amount of electricity you're drawing. ReefMat motors don't just "burn out" (mine has been fine for well over a year and a half). Eheim heater failures are also fairly rare.

 

[o2manyfish]

It's not your extensions unless at the connecting points they are crusted in salt creep all the way back to the water of the tank. To get a shock you have to have electricity and water in contact with one another. And extension cord doesn't leak electricity - But at it's connection points if you have a conductor - salt or water - then you would have a point of contact.

From your description it sounds like it might a set of coincidences. On the roller mat - motors do burn out. Unless it received an high over voltage or a brown out under voltage to force a failure, they do fail on their own. Regardless of one off the assembly line lasting 5 years, does not mean the next one will do the same - it's supposed to but it doesn't guarantee it.

If you broke one heater and had a really old one with a bad seal then you might have 2 another coincidence. But lots of heaters have moisture in them. There would have to be a solid stream of water from the heating element to outside the heater for you to complete a circuit. If this were the case then you would see the heater filling with water.

You should look for a power transformer sitting in salt creep, or a ballast sitting on the top of the tank. If this isn't an easy solution then it's time to get to zapping. A smart person would use a multi-meter to measure the stray voltage. One probe goes into the tank water the other probe goes into one plug on the outlet or the other - depending which leg is leaking. Then you will get a voltage reading in the water. Then you unplug your 12 items on your tank one at a time to see where the voltage is leaking from. Unplug each one and leave it unplugged till you have nothing plugged in if you need to.

Dave B

 

[BullfrogWrangler212]

Thank you blaxsun and Dave for the replies. Looks as though it was just a coincidence after all, I got a brand new e250 heater today and it didn't have bubbles seeping out from inside like the first one. It's also been much more accurate holding the temperature stable so seems the first one must've just been faulty, maybe because of a bad seal.

 

[Simon_M]

I had a ReefMat 500 and I upgraded and bought a ReefMat 1200.

The Motor in the ReefMat 1200 failed after a month or two and Red Sea Support arranged for a replacement. I fitted the new Motor and Gearbox) and all is OK.

The same Motor and Gearbox is used by the ReefMat 500 and ReefMat 1200. The ReefMat 1200 is a bigger unit and probably places more strain on the Motor?

The Filter Roll is in contact with the sides of the ReefMat - so it is important to keep these clean e.g. when changing the Roll. There are also the Rollers and the lower parts that also need to be maintained.

Is the Eheim e250 also known as the Eheim ThermoControl e250 Electronic Heater? Did it fail open circuit (heating coil burnt out) or electronics failed, or did it fail and continue to heat indefinitely?

I was thinking of using an Eheim e400 set at a high 27.5C with my D&D Controller that is set for 25.5C as an extra level of redundancy. I have a D&D Titanium 650W Heater that has already been replaced twice within the Warranty Period. The Heater burns out - supposed to be fixed but I'm not so sure.

My Titanium Heater is earthed but a glass two pin Heater isn't earthed. The earthed connection also prevents getting zapped by stray voltages in the tank.

Simon