Blog Comments

btw should have added most readings were neg charge

I got some milli volt ac and dc though i saw 18v ac once but couldnt get it read that again. Static from water movement, humidity between the water and the ballast could give you some readings. The chemical reaction between the prob and the sw may give you the reading in the bucket or maybe holding charge like a capacitor. The mag drive of pumps may be adding to this as well. I just rewired my place few years ago so i know i dont have any service problems

Thanks DJ i will keep the extra ground rod in mind for the spring as i may have some issues with the ground being frozen and the 4 feet of snow on it.

In coming voltage from the pole could be anywhere from 105 to 125 depending on your transformer on the pole and how many people are on it. 121v is a good reading most us devices are set to run between 110 and 120 at 6ohz. I would get a copper ground rod and drive it in the ground outside and run another ground wire to it you should have two according to the nec and grounding to plumbing isnt aloud anymore. Im going to go test my tanks and see what I get I will let ya know

Thanks all for your input. I have been a bit busy the last few days but I have done a few more test as recommend and some where done prior to my post but neglected to share them.

1. I have tested my tanks for amps and I get 0.0. This is good

2. The ground for my house is done by way of a ground wire run from my panel to my main water entrance to the house.

3. Tested the ground and there no electricity there.

4. Picked up one of the testers that Marc and I were talking about and all my plugs are good except for a couple up stairs that are to be fixed ASAP. But should have no bearing on my issue as they are on different circuits.

5. Jml I am not sure why you sate I should get 115vac as I thought all home wiring was 120vac. Although this is one of the tests that I had done with my father in-law and I get 121vac.

6. I also tested a plastic bucket with saltwater in it and get 0.6vac not 0.0vac

7. Now what I am finding strange and if someone can offer an explanation I think we will be on the right track. Why are all of my tanks (2 SW and 2 FW) showing anywhere from 13-30vac and 5 different tanks at my LFS showing similar readings?

Hmm I am looking back at dread’s post and thinking maybe it is just the magnetic field that is causing me all the confusion but why then is Marc (and others I assume) able to read 0 when I am not.

Is anyone else out there in the same boat as me?

FYI I was bare foot on cement with hands in the tank again tonight and no zap. Oh and I am not trying to start a War here as to who is right I just want to make sure I am safe.

Thanks all for your continued help.

check in your circuit box to see where your ground and commons are hooked in at some older boxes ran both to the same bar check also to see how your box is grounded should have to 2 places it goes to ground/dirt not plumbing. Doubt this is where your problem is but worth a look to make sure things are right. Salt water is funny with electric you defiantly need to have a good ground probe in your system. Also remember you can get a reading from a potato

If you switch your multimeter to AC, and measure between the hot (small side) and the ground, you should read 115VAC. Otherwise your ground isn't properly tied in. I would do this at the power strip you're using, and then again directly at the wall which it's tied to.

Interesting you mention about having a small cut and feeling a tingle. Even a wet human hand, intact, has a significantly high resistance such that we are generally protected. However, once you pierce through the skin, our internal resistance is magnitudes lower, and will conduct with much greater current. That's why dread240 is able to jack himself with the 1000v insulation tester, dry, and be ok. But if he were to puncture his skin with the leads, outcome would not be so good.

Here's a couple of testers I saw at Walmart tonight.

Have you checked to see if there is any current (amperage) flowing to ground? Potential voltage is the minor problem, current is your biggest issue that can cause serious harm.

Pretty much anything with a magnetic drive is going to put voltage into your tank. It's a simple fact of how power is made. Water is a conductor, not an insulator, so as any magnetic field moves through it a small amount of electricity is generated. Water is not stable at holding energy though, and it does dissipate, but it wouldn't be instant by any means.

Voltage is not the killer though, never has, never will be. I'll even take a video of hitting myself with 1000v if ya want from my insulation tester It's only at like 2 milliamps so nowhere near enough current to harm you (Hell I get shocked with it almost everytime I'm using it).

Now a current leak from a device into the tank is a different story. Basically this would be a portion of your houses electrical circuit open to the tank. There is no ground path for it to go inside the tank, so sitting there it does nothing until it is provided a path to ground (which is generally you). Furthermore, since there is no path for the current, there would be no prior signs to an issue or anything to give you a 'oh shit' that would tip you off. That's why ground probes are important. Electricity is very crude, and doesn't LIKE to work. It always takes the path of least resistance... otherwise every crow in the world would have already cooked itself when it lands on a line.

Yes, that is what you could try before hiring an electrician.

Ya i think this is what you are referring to. http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/2/Electrical/ElectricalTesters/PRDOVR~0520027P/Gardner-Bender%252BGFI-3501%252BGFCI%252Band%252BReceptacle%252BTester.js p?locale=en

It might be called an Electrical Inspector Tester - it looks for neutral polarity, basically. I hope that helps.

Looks like I misspoke. Looking at your image again, those are indeed the ground holes.

Perhaps it would be wise to have an electrician look at the power in your house to make sure the wiring to the breakers and to your outlets are installed correctly. If you have any crossed wires, this can happen. Seven years ago, I was building a power center for my reef, and I had a friend help me wire in the outlets. Inadvertently, he reversed the wires in two out of the 15 outlets, but I didn't know this until later. I had to take the whole thing apart and verify every single one of them to make sure there were no other mistakes. I have a feeling that you are dealing with black & white wires reversed somewhere. Odds are there is a nifty tool at Home Depot that you can insert into outlets to make sure the circuits are clean.

Oh and the red probe's where in the sump.

Sorry Marc i think the pic is just not clear as i just used the power bar for ease of use. I am putting the black probes in the ground as you show in your pic just using the power bar rather then an outlet. Any other ideas?

From looking at your method of testing, it appears you are putting power in the tank. You need to put one probe in the water, and the other probe in the GROUND.

Hey guys thanks for the input. The Manufacture suggest that it should be in 9.5-11 inches of water so for now i am going leave it at 10 but like Marc said it may lead to an overflow so i will watch it close and will probably try it at 8 at some point. It collected a bit more overnight but it was still wet and the bubbles are just below the rim now so i will be patient and wait for it to break-in. I should also mention that i am still running the 2 canister filters (fluval 404 and a 405) I plan to remove them soon one at time. I am thinking they may also be holding the skimmer back a bit so i will wait until i have time to watch the skimmer when i do to avoided an overflow. I also hope to be replacing the sump by the end of the week with a 55gal tall tank with 3 sections as this sump was a quick fix to get the skimmer running. Thanks again all.

It definitely appears to be too deep in the water. I wouild put a small stand underneath it to the point that is 8" in the water and see what results you get. I prefer to have the foam bubbling at the top of the neck or the base of the cup. That avoids the skimmer going crazy and overflowing like crazy. Bubbling too high like you have it now could lead to a very fast overflow, which would certainly happen if you were using some 2-part putty to secure a couple of frags in your tank.

You will pull out more crud by skimming wet, however, you also are taking out more good water. it is a bit of a balance and personal preference. some skimmers are meant for as little as six inches so definitely consult the manufacturer as the will know the optimum depth.

they all call for different depth of water but most seem to be around 9in. most of the time a new skimmer will have a break in where it will not pull much if anything. the finer/drier the foam the better usually but all pull different. If there is no dom in the water you will not see much skim if it never backs off and pulls out the same all the time the skimmer is prob undersized. You should be able to check the mfg site for the proper depth and go from there