Stray voltage and wife rage - help a guy out?

[WVNed]

Yes DC can shock you. Touch the terminals of a 9 volt battery to your tongue.
Dry skin has enough resistance that car battery terminals can be safely touched.

The OP is dealing with something. It could be extremely dangerous or the OP could be taking the readings incorrectly
but in both of those cases the OP needs help from someone with electrical knowledge.

Posting stuff based on common myths about electricity untrained people believe is not helping and is just noise.

 

[frankieg2293]

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.

Call an electrician to come diagnose this something is not right. It’s better to be safe than sorry. I have to physically be there with my own meter to see what’s going on

 

[Jonas Bergkvist]

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.

yeah i will see if i can get that fixed by an electrician. No, actually it’s a skimmer in first compartment but i had the hose out and down a coca cola bottle. I was tired of having to empty the cup every fourth day or so

For some reason skimmer overflowed and i ruined my floor.

 

[Jonas Bergkvist]

Do a process of elimination.2
Unplug powerheads and check. If gone, you know the source. If not, leave unplugged then . . .
unplug heater- if gone- heater. if not leave unplugged and unplug next component- you get the drift.

A grounding probe will also help alleviate until you correct issue :

Thanks! Never seen one of those before! Will check for one. Seems like a really good thing to have.

 

[Jonas Bergkvist]

No doubt a ground issue

I agree. Will check with an electrician. Sometimes i see sockets that do look like they are grounded - but if you would open them up there is no ground cable connected on the inside. And that is really bad.

 

[Jonas Bergkvist]

@WVNed pointed out the main issue.....voltage between the ground and wood floor.....ouch!

I'd start by picking up or borrowing an outlet tester. If you need to buy, they are relatively inexpensive. Will test that outlet and let you know if that is the issue. The one problem I see is if that comes back normal I don't know were to start with an energized floor????

Thanks! Yeah if its the floor…. how do i fix that?
I saw something similar in the shops here and ill probably get one. Good to have not only for my aquarium

 

[Jonas Bergkvist]

Probably a good idea to wear rubber sole shoes and rubber gloves if you are testing it or making adjustments.

I am wearing gloves and boots

 

[vetteguy53081]

@Brew12

 

[theMeat]

I agree. Will check with an electrician. Sometimes i see sockets that do look like they are grounded - but if you would open them up there is no ground cable connected on the inside. And that is really bad.

On older homes with bx cable there is no ground wire. The metal armor on the cable is connected to a metal receptacle box, then the outlet is screwed to that which completes the ground. I.e. no ground wire doesn’t always mean the outlet isn’t grounded. The outlet tester op posted above will tell you if an outlet is grounded simply by plugging it in, and a gfci outlet with arc protection is a good work around if in fact an outlet is not grounded

 

[3429810]

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

Well if you disagree go take a wrench and touch it to both terminals on a 12 v battery and if you wake up tell me how it felt. How in the world do you really think 12v batteries do not shock you?

 

[Paul B]

No doubt you need a electrician

What? I'm an electrician.

 

[WVNed]

If you can really read voltage from the floor to an grounded outlet in the third hole.
Read that voltage while someone turns the breakers off one at a time in the breaker box until it goes away.
Once you make things safe you will need to find where the wiring in that circuit is damaged and touching the floor.
Most likely under the floor.

 

[WVNed]

What? I'm an electrician.

An energized wood floor

 

[edd59]

Well if you disagree go take a wrench and touch it to both terminals on a 12 v battery and if you wake up tell me how it felt. How in the world do you really think 12v batteries do not shock you?

i have shorted a wrench to ground many time, by accindent of course and never got shocked. speaking from 30 years expreriance not what you read on the internet.

 

[3429810]

i have shorted a wrench to ground many time, by accindent of course and never got shocked. speaking from 30 years expreriance not what you read on the internet.

And speaking from experience I have seen peoples muscles tense up and get stuck holding onto the wrench. I have also seen wrenches get welded to batteries and some wild arcs before. It’s is irresponsible and dangerous to say a car battery will not shock you. It can shock you and is dangerous. You clearly have just been very lucky and luck runs out eventually. Be more careful in the future.

 

[Paul B]

An energized wood floor

Maybe. I am old but not old enough to see energized wood floors. Not dry floors anyway. Maybe if it has a 9/16th wrench stuck to it while resting on a 12 volt battery being held by an electric eel ;Bucktooth

 

[theMeat]

The wood floor is not the source of electric. The electric is coming from somewhere, possibly the tank, and the wet floor is acting as ground. Salt creep can also conduct electric

 

[WVNed]

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.

Maybe. I am old but not old enough to see energized wood floors. Not dry floors anyway. Maybe if it has a 9/16th wrench stuck to it while resting on a 12 volt battery being held by an electric eel ;Bucktooth

I am thinking they maybe hit a wire with a nail while laying the floor and then the floor got a dose of saltwater.

Part of pole climbing school was checking for voltage to make sure it was safe to climb. We all failed because no one checked the pole itself. It's wood.
The green salt treated poles will conduct enough to read voltage if they are even slightly damp.

 

[theMeat]

I am thinking they maybe hit a wire with a nail while laying the floor and then the floor got a dose of saltwater.

Part of pole climbing school was checking for voltage to make sure it was safe to climb. We all failed because no one checked the pole itself. It's wood.
The green salt treated poles will conduct enough to read voltage if they are even slightly damp.

Anything is possible but the floor being nailed into electric not likely. Many other more possible causes. Like wet insulation in wall and/or floor. Hope op shares his findings to put this mystery to bed

 

[snorklr]

considering the OP is from sweden... do you guys use 110 or 230 for household current there? you're talking to US folks here and our suggestions may not apply to your situation