Poll: Do You Use Ground Probes

[Livinlocal]

One think I want to ask that maybe someone can answer...

Ok so say I ’m standing on a wood chair and not touching the ground. If I get shocked when I touch the water in my display and my ATI fixture at the same time, is this normal or would that mean I have stray voltage in my tank and it’s passing through me and into the fixture as the frame is the ground ? Even if I only have .31-.40 readable volts in my water column ?

 

[pecan2phat]

Question:
I am using a GFCI power bar for all the aquarium's electrical because the wall outlet is not a GFCI, do I plug the ground probe into the power bar or the wall outlet?

TIA

 

[Livinlocal]

You may have something else going on if you are only getting 1.1V with no ground probe and the heater unplugged. You may have some salt creep or something else in your tank acting like a ground probe. I would expect to see at least 15V and likely 25V+.

This is exactly what my friend said when he came over and tested the volts. He said his small tank has much more then mine and said he has to use a grounding probe in his system. We pulled all the probes out of my system so nothing could have acted as a grounding probe. We even unplugged my chiller. I only have 5 things that can possibly transfer stray voltage. My return pump, skimmer, heater, chiller, and calcium reactor pump. All my powerheads are vortechs. With the chiller unplugged, heater unplugged and the probe out of the water, it reads 1.1

 

[Brew12]

One think I want to ask that maybe someone can answer...

Ok so say I ’m standing on a wood chair and not touching the ground. If I get shocked when I touch the water in my display and my ATI fixture at the same time, is this normal or would that mean I have stray voltage in my tank and it’s passing through me and into the fixture as the frame is the ground ? Even if I only have .31-.40 readable volts in my water column ?

Tough to say. The ATI fixture should be grounded. If you only have 0.3V in your water column it would indicate that it is also grounded. In this situation you shouldn't get shocked. I would take a voltage reading from the ATI fixture to ground and see what you get. Its possible the ground wire has come loose from your light fixture.

 

[Livinlocal]

Question:
I am using a GFCI power bar for all the aquarium's electrical because the wall outlet is not a GFCI, do I plug the ground probe into the power bar or the wall outlet?

TIA

The wall will be a direct source to the ground

 

[Livinlocal]

Tough to say. The ATI fixture should be grounded. If you only have 0.3V in your water column it would indicate that it is also grounded. In this situation you shouldn't get shocked. I would take a voltage reading from the ATI fixture to ground and see what you get. Its possible the ground wire has come loose from your light fixture.

Thank you, I will have to try this.

 

[Brew12]

This is exactly what my friend said when he came over and tested the volts. He said his small tank has much more then mine and said he has to use a grounding probe in his system. We pulled all the probes out of my system so nothing could have acted as a grounding probe. We even unplugged my chiller. I only have 5 things that can possibly transfer stray voltage. My return pump, skimmer, heater, chiller, and calcium reactor pump. All my powerheads are vortechs. With the chiller unplugged, heater unplugged and the probe out of the water, it reads 1.1

I am worried that you have something wrong with your home wiring. Is it an older home?

Do you have any incandescent lighting in your house, and if so, do some of them get brighter when a large electric load like your HVAC system turns on?

 

[Livinlocal]

I am worried that you have something wrong with your home wiring. Is it an older home?

Do you have any incandescent lighting in your house, and if so, do some of them get brighter when a large electric load like your HVAC system turns on?

Actually I believe it may be something with the wiring after you mention this and that would make sense for the low readings but I don’t know enough to catch that. Yes my house gets a flicker when a heavy load turns on like the AC, or microwave. And yes it’s a older home But was remolded with new wiring and a new panel

Something else to throw out there now that I think about it, my apex indicates a voltage error warning with incoming power.

 

[Brew12]

Actually I believe it may be something with the wiring after you mention this and that would make sense for the low readings but I don’t know enough to catch that. Yes my house gets a flicker when a heavy load turns on like the AC, or microwave. And yes it’s a older home But was remolded with new wiring and a new panel

My biggest fear is that your homes neutral has become disconnected from ground. There are a few tests you can run using a voltmeter. I would take a voltage from the ground to the neutral in the same outlet. It should read 0V. You can also take a voltage reading from hot to ground and it should be in the 110V to 120V range and be very steady. If it is bouncing around that be an indication of a problem.

 

[CoralReefer1019]

I just run a APC UPC Backup off a standard outlet. I currently run a standard National Geographic 150W heater that has 3 prongs. Not sure if it’s Titanium or not. My question is I’m I safe? I currently don’t have a grounding probe. Or should I just get a finnex heater because they are also grounding probes?

 

[Livinlocal]

I just run a APC UPC Backup off a standard outlet. I currently run a standard National Geographic 150W heater that has 3 prongs. Not sure if it’s Titanium or not. My question is I’m I safe? I currently don’t have a grounding probe. Or should I just get a finnex heater because they are also grounding probes?

If your heater is glass, you may as well kill 2 birds with one stone and get a finnex. I personally don’t trust glass heaters one bit.

 

[Livinlocal]

My biggest fear is that your homes neutral has become disconnected from ground. There are a few tests you can run using a voltmeter. I would take a voltage from the ground to the neutral in the same outlet. It should read 0V. You can also take a voltage reading from hot to ground and it should be in the 110V to 120V range and be very steady. If it is bouncing around that be an indication of a problem.

Thank you so much for the help. I’m going to run these tests and get back to you.

 

[Brew12]

I just run a APC UPC Backup off a standard outlet. I currently run a standard National Geographic 150W heater that has 3 prongs. Not sure if it’s Titanium or not. My question is I’m I safe? I currently don’t have a grounding probe. Or should I just get a finnex heater because they are also grounding probes?

In order for a heater to work as a ground probe it needs to have 3 prongs and a conductive outer layer. Normally, the plug would only have 2 prongs if there wasn't anything conductive that would touch the water but it isn't a heater design I am familiar with so I can't say one way or another. If you have an mulitmeter you can take a resistance reading from the outside of the heater to the ground prong to test it.

 

[DangerDave]

The circuits for my system include gfci outlets. I have no cords going into the display. Should I be using one in my sump?

Dave

 

[Brew12]

The circuits for my system include gfci outlets. I have no cords going into the display. Should I be using one in my sump?

Dave

I would. As an example, my old system used to run a pair of MP40's in the DT and with just those running I would get over 20V in my tank. Since salt water is so conductive, having a probe in the sump also covers the DT as long as the return pump is running. And, in a mature system, the biological growth lining the pipes will provide some protection when the return pump is off. So, I almost never recommend putting a probe in the DT when a sump is an option. Especially when you have a GFCI in play.

 

[Fritzhamer]

My tank plugs into GFCI receptacles.

 

[Brew12]

I hope no one at @Bulk Reef Supply minds but I felt this was worth sharing. Its a product review from the Finnex TH Delux heater.

This is a case where I am 90% sure he had a failed piece of equipment in his system and didn't use a ground probe. When he put the Finnex heater in, it created a path to ground causing the current flow. He likely switched to an ungrounded heater from a different brand so the "problem" went away.

The scary part of this is that he left the faulted electrical equipment in his system where it likely leached copper and/or other toxins into his aquarium. Not to mention that he likely also had high voltages and a potentially dangerous situation.

 

[Livinlocal]

I would. As an example, my old system used to run a pair of MP40's in the DT and with just those running I would get over 20V in my tank. Since salt water is so conductive, having a probe in the sump also covers the DT as long as the return pump is running. And, in a mature system, the biological growth lining the pipes will provide some protection when the return pump is off. So, I almost never recommend putting a probe in the DT when a sump is an option. Especially when you have a GFCI in play.

I thought it wasn’t possible for vortechs to transfer stray voltage since the motors aren’t in the water ?

 

[Brew12]

I thought it wasn’t possible for vortechs to transfer stray voltage since the motors aren’t in the water ?

It can't put a fault voltage into the water. It can induce a voltage in the water.

 

[Heliarc19]

Thanks to you brew I now have grounding probes in dt,sump, even my little pico on the kitchen counter. And yes all are on multiple gfci as well. Thanks