Stray voltage and wife rage - help a guy out?

[theMeat]

If you had a GFCI outlet like you do in your bathrooms and kitchen.... you'd know immediately which device plugged in is faulty bc the GFCI would trip almost immediately upon plugging it in

Not necessarily. As an example, if light only shorts once hot enough. If pump only shorts on start up sometimes, etc. it may take time to figure which the culprit is, but gfci paired with a ground probe cheap insurance

 

[theMeat]

If your surge protected power strip already have the 3 pronged plug in your outlet aren't you already grounded?

Not if that surge protector is plugged into an outlet with no or faulty ground

 

[Lavey29]

Not if that surge protector is plugged into an outlet with no or faulty ground

But for us non electrical types, the round pin is the ground connection in the outlet correct? So no external ground probe is needed in the sump?

Assuming your residential outlet is working properly.

 

[ZoWhat]

Not necessarily. As an example, if light only shorts once hot enough. If pump only shorts on start up sometimes, etc. it may take time to figure which the culprit is, but gfci paired with a ground probe cheap insurance

Stray voltage is almost always a submersible device where micro cracks in the green glass electrical seal has formed and the SW is contacting the electricity through the micro cracks

 

[frankieg2293]

You should have the tank plugged into a gfci protected outlet, and a ground probe in the tank. Guessing you have an external skimmer? Ime it’s a flood waiting to happen.

I do not like this idea what if the gfci goes bad or trips when your not home for a wile. as an electrician see it all the time. Then what?

 

[theMeat]

Stray voltage is almost always a submersible device where micro cracks in the green glass electrical seal has formed and the SW is contacting the electricity through the micro cracks

Op stated it happens randomly, so maybe not the case here

 

[theMeat]

I do not like this idea what if the gfci goes bad or trips when your not home for a wile. as an electrician see it all the time. Then what?

Think it’s a better option than getting electrocuted.

 

[theMeat]

But for us non electrical types, the round pin is the ground connection in the outlet correct? So no external ground probe is needed in the sump?

Assuming your residential outlet is working properly.

In theory, yes. A ground in the receptacle could get interrupted. A gfci could fail. For 10 bucks for a probe, cheap insurance. A gfci doesn’t trip because of loss of ground. It trips when the returning power to neutral is interrupted, another words it senses a short. As a matter of fact you could use a gfci on a circuit that has no ground. A gfci also doesn’t trip from load, as a circuit breaker does.

 

[Sean Clark]

The OP has a meter. This should be a simple process of elimination. Start with everything unplugged. Plug things in one by one. Measure in-between. Eventually you will find your culprit. No electrocution required.

 

[Rob3D2018]

Waiting for the OP to report back…

 

[frankieg2293]

Think it’s a better option than getting electrocuted.

Eh I get shocked all the time. They’ll be fine. Lol JK it’s most likely a heater that went bad. Unplug the heater and take your volt meter from water to ground (neutral) prong on the receptacle outlet, normally left bigger hole on the outlet. If you get no voltage that means you need a new heater.

 

[frankieg2293]

Only use AC volts on meter when checking for voltage DC is mostly used for battery type voltages. Some volt meters will read up to 7 Volts AC which is still a safe voltage AC.

 

[edd59]

Only use AC volts on meter when checking for voltage DC is mostly used for battery type voltages. Some volt meters will read up to 7 Volts AC which is still a safe voltage AC.

a lot of people use DC return pumps and power heads. not sure if DC will shock you, i know 12v DC wont

 

[WVNed]

The OP has a meter. This should be a simple process of elimination. Start with everything unplugged. Plug things in one by one. Measure in-between. Eventually you will find your culprit. No electrocution required.

How do you unplug a wood floor?

The unplug method is fine if you are measuring the voltage in the tank only. This person is seeing it other places outside of the tank.

If you are seeing 110V then you are dealing with an exposed live electric wire. Be careful. This isn't the commons stray voltage most often posted about.

If you don't have an excellent understanding of electricity and wiring get professional heIp.

 

[Melanie D]

I was getting shocked by my tank and the fish seemed fine about a month ago. I unplugged everything one at a time and it was the power head. I got a new one and problem solved. I hope it works out quickly for you.

 

[frankieg2293]

a lot of people use DC return pumps and power heads. not sure if DC will shock you, i know 12v DC won’t

Not tru dc 12 volts can shock you it depends on the current (amps), for example a car battery can kill you depending on the path the current takes. As for dc pumps they are all being fed by 120 vAC in the USA and has a transformer or inverter to transform voltage down to 12vDC

 

[frankieg2293]

How do you unplug a wood floor?

The unplug method is fine if you are measuring the voltage in the tank only. This person is seeing it other places outside of the tank.

If you are seeing 110V then you are dealing with an exposed live electric wire. Be careful. This isn't the commons stray voltage most often posted about.

If you don't have an excellent understanding of electricity and wiring get professional heIp.

The wood floor is probably wet and grounded so when they take the reading from salt water that has potential to the wet wood floor they are getting a reading so the floor is not plugged in but more like the common wire rather than the feed wire. Either that or the meter is shot.

 

[frankieg2293]

I was getting shocked by my tank and the fish seemed fine about a month ago. I unplugged everything one at a time and it was the power head. I got a new one and problem solved. I hope it works out quickly for you.

The fish are not grounded and have no path to ground .. you were probably grounded at some point. For example when birds that sit on a live wires outside on utility poles. They have the same potential

 

[edd59]

Not tru dc 12 volts can shock you it depends on the current (amps), for example a car battery can kill you depending on the path the current takes. As for dc pumps they are all being fed by 120 vAC in the USA and has a transformer or inverter to transform voltage down to 12vDC

i worked with cars and heavy equipment that have 4 12v batteries, so plenty of amps for over 30 years and never got shocked, so id have to disagree

 

[WVNed]

The wood floor is probably wet and grounded so when they take the reading from salt water that has potential to the wet wood floor they are getting a reading so the floor is not plugged in but more like the common wire rather than the feed wire. Either that or the meter is shot.

The OP measured 80 volts from the floor to the ground in the electric outlet.

Tank water to socket ground = 7,6-9,3v Normal
Wood floor to socket ground = 80,5v not normal
Tank water to wood floor = 110v very not normal, something is energized

So either the floor or the outlet has voltage where it shouldn't be.