Electricity in water?

[xyousefb]

Hello.

I’m having an issue and I have no idea what might be causing it. So when I put my finger into the water, I don’t feel anything. However, when I put the tip of my finger that’s slightly cut, I can feel some electricity passing through it. When I wear my flip flops and dip my finger back in, I don’t feel anything anymore.

I tried switching off the electronics in the tank one at a time but it seemed like there was a shared contribution to this electricity from both the Jebao return pump and my 2 Gyre wavemakers.

I have read so many forum posts about this but I still don’t have an answer to my question: will this affect the health of the livestock in my tank? (Both fish and corals).

Devices in the tank:
- Jebao return pump
- 2 Gyre wavemakers
- Deltec skimmer
- Scheggo heater
- Semigrow light fixture

 

[Freenow54]

Just the salt caused by the cut. If you are want to be sure check with a meter one probe in the water the other put into a neutral in the wall

 

[dedragon]

yea you would notice it with or without the cut, IME, cuts just get a bit of a tingly pain feeling sometimes if you have a very small like paper cut or similar for some reason

 

[xyousefb]

Just the salt caused by the cut. If you are want to be sure check with a meter one probe in the water the other put into a neutral in the wall

I don't think it's salt because when I turn off the electricity or wear flip flops, it doesn't happen. Do you mean to test using a multimeter?

 

[xyousefb]

yea you would notice it with or without the cut, IME, cuts just get a bit of a tingly pain feeling sometimes if you have a very small like paper cut or similar for some reason

Does that happen in your tank too? I'd like to know if this phenomenon exists in all tanks or if it's just mine. And if it's just mine, is it a point of worry?

 

[WVNed]

No it isn't. It doesn't happen in everyone's tank. It happens in mine. Adding a ground probe may make it stop.

Try reading this for a better understanding. The modern environment is full of magnetic fields created by electrical wires and devices. Sometimes those fields create voltages in things.

https://www.electrical-online.com/stray-and-induced-voltage/

Sticking your finger in the water with no cut is like testing with a meter on the normal scale and it reads zero, Your finger with the cut is like using the very fine scale on the meter and there is a voltage detected.

 

[xyousefb]

No it isn't. It doesn't happen in everyone's tank. It happens in mine. Adding a ground probe may make it stop.

Try reading this for a better understanding. The modern environment is full of magnetic fields created by electrical wires and devices. Sometimes those fields create voltages in things.

https://www.electrical-online.com/stray-and-induced-voltage/

Sticking your finger in the water with no cut is like testing with a meter on the normal scale and it reads zero, Your finger with the cut is like using the very fine scale on the meter and there is a voltage detected.

Thank you for your reply.

When you say "No it isn't", is that in answer to my question: "is it a point of worry"?

I have a read a lot about the grounding probe and I am very hesitant about it. Do you think that the livestock will be affected by adding a ground probe? Because this will enable a current through the tank's stray/induced voltage to the ground. Is my way of thinking inaccurate scientifically?

 

[WVNed]

Sorry, No It isn't should have been no it wont, hurt your animals. There are special cases with a few animals where it is a problem because they use electrical fields to hunt with. We don't keep those kinds though public aquariums sometimes do.

The ground probe brings the contents of the tank to ground potential which is zero or close to it. Tiny electrical currents and voltages are all around us. A ground probe acts in a fish tank like the 3rd prong on an electric plug that grounds the case on an appliance.

Think of your tank as a capacitor that is charged by coupling to the electrical fields in and around it. The ground probe prevents that capacitor from ever becoming charged to a high value by constantly draining it.

 

[geckoejon]

I agree with testing for voltage with a multi meter. I had a tank that started to lose corals. I tested to ground & had 37 volts… Ended up being a faulty power head!

Ground probe in tank & a gfi outlet… If you have stray voltage, the gfi pops = investigate…

 

[xyousefb]

I agree with testing for voltage with a multi meter. I had a tank that started to lose corals. I tested to ground & had 37 volts… Ended up being a faulty power head!

Ground probe in tank & a gfi outlet… If you have stray voltage, the gfi pops = investigate…

I just tested my water using a multimeter, and it read 60V AC. It seemed that all components in the tank were contributing to it because as I turned off 1 component at a time, this reading would drop 10-15 V until I turned the entire system off which read 10V AC at the end. I also tested the alternating current, and it read 0.12 mA.

Please let me know what these values mean, and if it's dangerous in any way.

 

[xyousefb]

Sorry, No It isn't should have been no it wont, hurt your animals. There are special cases with a few animals where it is a problem because they use electrical fields to hunt with. We don't keep those kinds though public aquariums sometimes do.

The ground probe brings the contents of the tank to ground potential which is zero or close to it. Tiny electrical currents and voltages are all around us. A ground probe acts in a fish tank like the 3rd prong on an electric plug that grounds the case on an appliance.

Think of your tank as a capacitor that is charged by coupling to the electrical fields in and around it. The ground probe prevents that capacitor from ever becoming charged to a high value by constantly draining it.

It's not a worry even if the measured AC voltage is 60V?

 

[Freenow54]

Does that happen in your tank too? I'd like to know if this phenomenon exists in all tanks or if it's just mine. And if it's just mine, is it a point of worry?

It did but with no ill effect to coral, or fish. My powerhead was the issue it put 47V in my water. Quit a shock ( pun ) when I stuck my hand in felt it go up my arm and down the other one fingers were tingling luckily not grounded. So to answer not normal to have the condition.

 

[Guy317]

Test with a multi meter your not grounded when sticking your finger in so you won’t feel the electrical shock since nothing we use has a ground unless we put one in separately

 

[WVNed]

That is high. Do you use 120 or 240 volt there? An energized tank reads the supply voltage. You don't have that.
5mA trips a GFI. you are reading only 0.12mA

The highest I have ever seen in my system is 48V.

 

[xyousefb]

That is high. Do you use 120 or 240 volt there? An energized tank reads the supply voltage. You don't have that.
5mA trips a GFI. you are reading only 0.12mA

The highest I have ever seen in my system is 48V.

I use 240V here. And can you explain what you mean by energized tank? Do you mean if there was a fault in one of the devices in the tank?

 

[Freenow54]

Test with a multi meter your not grounded when sticking your finger in so you won’t feel the electrical shock since nothing we use has a ground unless we put one in separately

bad advice. You can certainly ground your body then you become the load

 

[Freenow54]

That is high. Do you use 120 or 240 volt there? An energized tank reads the supply voltage. You don't have that.
5mA trips a GFI. you are reading only 0.12mA

The highest I have ever seen in my system is 48V.

More bad advice. A GFI only measures amp difference going to a load and back. Stray Voltage is not a factor unless it has a route to ground. Also don't know where you say .12 MA you are wrong there as well

bad advice. You can certainly ground your body then you become the load

I use 240V here. And can you explain what you mean by energized tank? Do you mean if there was a fault in one of the devices in the tank?

I use 240V here. And can you explain what you mean by energized tank? Do you mean if there was a fault in one of the devices in the tank?

You are getting very dangerous advice quit talking here. Phone an electrician. Good luck

 

[WVNed]

How much current is needed to trip a GFCI?


It takes only 5 mA (0.005 A) of current leakage from the hot wire to the ground to cause a GFCI to trip. A small amount of leakage current may be difficult to avoid in some normal circuits.

It's not like you cant look this stuff up.

5 is a lot more than 0.12. Except in Canada I guess.

and free advice on the internet is just that.
Call an electrician. I do not have any experience with induced voltages in 240v systems since I live where 120 is used.

an energized tank is where you have a live conductor exposed to tank water

 

[xyousefb]

That is high. Do you use 120 or 240 volt there? An energized tank reads the supply voltage. You don't have that.
5mA trips a GFI. you are reading only 0.12mA

The highest I have ever seen in my system is 48V.

How did you end up dealing with the 48V in your tank?

 

[WVNed]

I added a ground probe. What is dangerous is how many amps you measure. That tells you how much power is available through the system to source a ground fault through your body. Watts = Volts times Amps
60V x 0.12mA = 7 mW in your case. Not much there.

I was serious in that I am ignorant how 240V changes what you are dealing with. I am only educated about 120V systems here.