daleroller Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I setup up a used Biocube 29 HQI in my bedroom this weekend. Under the tank stand I have an external canister filter and my electrical cords. Yesterday while sorting out my power cords a hose came off the filter and squirted my cables and outlets. There was a bit of a crackling sound and I shut down my electrics really quick. I tried to dry everything as well as I could and left the system unplugged overnight. Today I plugged everything back in and put hose clamps on the canister filter. The carpet is still a bit damp and so is my cabinet. While on the damp I kept feeling an electrical shock. I then put my hand in the tank and got a bigger jolt. I only have one fish in the tank, a royal damsel and I haven't seen him all day. Also the hermit crabs are looking annoyed. What do I need to do to stop the shock? Just let everything dry out completely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchell Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 If you don't already have one, you should install a GFCI outlet. It takes about 5 minutes to swap the outlets and it could keep you from being electrocuted. If you have a power strip with all your cords in it I recommend getting a new power strip since the spill could have damaged it. I also recommend grounding your tank, so you don't have to worry about stray voltage in the aquarium; you can use a product like this: http://www.marinedepot.com/miscellaneous_titanium_grounding_probe-ap.html Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mohaynow Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Get a titanium grounding probe, we sell em at the premium aquarium for like $10. Cheap and extremely effective. Also installing a GFCI outlet like mitchell said is a good idea, and to be safe get a new powerstrip with a built in surge protector. Mount it to the wall in your stand to avoid the ease of spilling stuff on it, and making drip loops for your electrical goodies a lot easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVPaquatics Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Warning about gfci. You leave for work, it trips as you walk out the door. Power is off all day. You get home to death. Now that little zap that they could have dealt with and wasnt deadly now is. I hate gfci, they false trip too much. They need to make one a little less sensitive, in water there is voltage fluctuation, a small amount is a matter of life, and i dont trust them to make the right decision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVPaquatics Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Also, 99% of the time its either your heater or a light is arcing (salt creep) clean and or replace. Make sure you test each piece of equipment with a volt meter. Unplug everything. Put volt meter in the tank. Turn each thing on and watch for a spike. When doing heater, make sure its plugged in AND on. The use of grounding probes seems to be as hot a topic as what salt is best lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Warning about gfci. You leave for work, it trips as you walk out the door. Power is off all day. You get home to death. Now that little zap that they could have dealt with and wasnt deadly now is. I hate gfci, they false trip too much. They need to make one a little less sensitive, in water there is voltage fluctuation, a small amount is a matter of life, and i dont trust them to make the right decision Really!? What if that zap turned out to be a deadly current and you just created the ground by touching the water? There are ways to alert tripped GFCI's using controllers these days, IMO you should NEVER operate a tank without GFCI outlets on everything! If they are tripping you either have a bad GFCI (rarely) or a bad piece of equipment that needs to be changed out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVPaquatics Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Maybe, but everything in the tank is such low wattage it shouldnt be deadly. How often do you hear of someone dying touching their tanks. If its deadly it should trip the breaker (like a light falling in or heater absolutely shattering) and i have mistakenly grabbed lights that fell in many.a times in my retail days...i am very much alive. I have had many electricians agree. They do it for code, but i have had 3 replaced in hopsitals that were faulty. They are too sensitive for water. They are meant to be a precaution for things falling in water....but what about things SUPPOSED to be in water Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Val Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 I'm going to get a probe and a voltage meter from the info you guys provided. I felt a tingling shock one day reaching into my sump and it was SCARY. Now I think it is probably the heater that is in there. How do you set up the probe? If you have multiple tanks that are plumbed together, can you just put the probe in the sump or would you need a probe in each tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MVPaquatics Posted February 9, 2012 Share Posted February 9, 2012 Most will have a little probe you put into the tank and another that goes into the grounding hole in the outlet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daleroller Posted February 9, 2012 Author Share Posted February 9, 2012 Thanks, I am going to pick up that probe thingy. I talked to the guys at Saltwater Fantasea earlier and they said that it may be my heater. I am inclined to agree. When I was messing around with it the other day I thought I heard a bit of crackling and saw a spark. I didn't want to believe it because the heater is a fancy titanium one and I though those were expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefsickness Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 How old is your Home ? Some old homes did not Ground the electrical plugs or panels correctly. you can buy a GFI Breaker for that curcuit. If your filling a tengle from the floor (DONT PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE WATER) 120V AC will kill you faster then 277v since current is close to your own heart rate. Check your electrical with a volt meter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richmckee Posted February 10, 2012 Share Posted February 10, 2012 "I hate gfci, they false trip too much." +1 I had two that kept tripping all the time for no reason. First time it happened it cost me about 800 bucks and after that I didn't use them for anything important. Circuit breakers have always worked exactly the same and have never tripped for no reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daleroller Posted February 10, 2012 Author Share Posted February 10, 2012 How old is your Home ? Some old homes did not Ground the electrical plugs or panels correctly. you can buy a GFI Breaker for that curcuit. If your filling a tengle from the floor (DONT PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE WATER) 120V AC will kill you faster then 277v since current is close to your own heart rate. Check your electrical with a volt meter My home is pretty old and rickety. I don't have a working light in my living room and the wiring in the attic is just bundles of wire and cables evrywhere. It is a bit scary to look at. But that is why I only pay $275 a month for a 4 bedroom house. it would not suprise me that I do not have proper grounding. i took the heater out of the tank today and stuck my hand in the water. No more shock, but i still don't know eher that Damesl is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefboy Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I recommend GFCI to all my clients and I know the chance of actually dieing may be low but burning your house down isnt and I know my tanks are not worth that or my clients and they have good quality GFCI now so just not worth the risk if you can put one in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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