Leaking Voltage or Current

[detz15]

Is there any way to test and see if you have any leaking voltage or current?

Chris

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Leaking current will usually trip a GFCI unless the current is very low or the current goes back down the same two wires (hot and neutral) on the GFCI outlet.

You can measure the voltage of the tank water relative to a ground with a multimeter, but those tests are not usually especially valuable, IMO.

I do ground my aquarium.

[Ree4]

How do you ground your aquarium??

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

With a commercial grounding probe (2 actually, one in the tank and one in the sump).

Many outfits sell them, such as ESV:

http://www.esvco.com/prod4.html

[Phillycsi]

I used one of these voltage detectors on my tank (you just hold it up to the glass) and got a reading (it just beeps). Once I put a grounding probe in my HOB refugium, a reading was no longer detected

[CaliforniaDreamer]

As Randy Holmes-Farley says testing between ground and your tank water with a voltmeter is not especially valuable. All of our tanks should be protected with a GFCI on all power sources and grounding probes as specified by Randy Holmes-Farley. There is a real problem in you tank if you are "leaking" current into your tank (voltage is like pressure and current is like flow so "leaking" voltage doesn’t really happen). This current would trip your GFCI if it is from a "primary source". In other words, if the leak is from the wall power source i.e. windings from a motor, heater, lighting ballast INPUT ... it would trip a GFCI. However (depending on the unit) "secondary" current leaks will not trip a GFCI. This is usually the secondary of a transformer (like the output of a ballast). This is often not a shock hazard but as mentioned on a number of other threads the GFCI cannot protect these units’ secondary coils from shorting and potentially starting a fire.
To complicate matters there are a number of items we use that "induce" voltage into the tank. Pump motors, lighting ballasts and the lights themselves are the most frequent culprits. These voltages are not a shock hazard but a high input impedance (read as reasonably good quality) voltage meter will read a voltage sometimes a very high voltage. This voltage cannot support a current that is dangerous to us but how this voltage affects our livestock is not yet known. Sometimes a grounding probe will eliminate this voltage and sometimes it won't. In any case the determination of "stray" voltages and currents in our tanks is problematic at best and extremely complex.

[rspar]

I'm reading between 10-12 volts in my tank and like another thread if I have a nick or cut I feel a shock or almost a burn when I touch the water. I've narrowed it down to my old quiet one 4000. I'm really bummed about replacing it it's absolutely silent. Right now I have it off is this replacement time or ...don't put your hand in the water with the CL pump on?

[Screamer]

First of all just to clairify what Californisdreamer said, voltage can leak into an aquarium. It could be an open seal on a motor, small crack in a heater, or are you touching your light fixture when you put your hands in the tank?

Lights IMO are a culprit alot of the time, a loose wireing connection or bad grounding. I have built lights fo 50 to 1000 gallon tanks and grounding is essential. (just a note to checkyour light fixture)

Are you running a GFI? If so so sometimes it takes more than 24 volts to trip them. (depending on the age and manufacturer) GFI does not measure between the hot (power wire) and ground, it measures between the hot and neutral (return wire). A noticeable increase in return voltage causes the GFI to trip.

Figure out what the problem is and fix it, no need to put your life in danger.

Good Luck

[KevinM]

Originally posted by Screamer
Are you running a GFI? If so so sometimes it takes more than 24 volts to trip them. (depending on the age and manufacturer) GFI does not measure between the hot (power wire) and ground, it measures between the hot and neutral (return wire). A noticeable increase in return voltage causes the GFI to trip.

Let's just clarify some things. We can't be spreading misinformation about something as potentially lethal as electricity around saltwater.
GFCI's do not sense voltage in any way. Rather, they sense the current that is being drawn off the hot conductor and compare that to the current returning down the neutral conductor. As long as the currents match on the hot (feed path) and neutral (return path), the GFCI does nothing. When something interposes itself into that path, and some of the current is shunted away from the neutral and onto the ground (we're talking milliamps here), the GFCI does its thing. The voltage that a given current is at is irrelevent to the sensing mechanism, it could be 24v, or 24Kv.

Aside from the little test button on a GFCI, there is another good way to test them. If your GFCI has a ground wire attached in the outlet box, you can use almost any voltage tester to perform this. Apply the leads to the hot and neutral slots on the outlet, it will read the voltage. Now....apply the leads to the hot slot, and the ground prong....BLAM!!...the GFCI trips. This is because when you applied the leads to the hot and neutral, the sensing mechanism reads the same load on the two conductors. When you apply the leads to the hot/ground, there is a current flowing on the hot that is not mirrored onto the neutral (however miniscule, testers do draw a load), activating the sensing circuitry and tripping the outlet.

Thanks for listening, and PLAY IT SAFE AROUND ELECTRICITY! And, please...please, if you are unsure about anything electrical, PLEASE ask someone who knows, not just any armchair electrician. Remember, this stuff can kill you dead, and there's nothing more final than that. (This statement is in no way a jab at anyone personally, only at all those who would spread misinfo about something so dangerous from lack of knowledge)

Kev

[Screamer]

I apologize to all about miswording my original post. Sensing an imbalance between the hot and neutral conductors is correct.

Was just waking up when i posted .

[Fitz]

I was experiencing the same thing in my tank last week. I could tell that a small amount of current was leaking into my tank since every time I put a finger into it I could feel a tingle. After using the "poor man's" leakage test (i.e. unplugged each pump successively and stuck my finger into the water after each try to see what was leeching current), I found that my magdrive 1200 that runs my skimmer was the culprit.

However, I figured that since both the skimmer pump and sump return pump were the same age (around 5 years old), I'd rather replace both and not have to worry about a short/fire or jolting myself in the future. Everything fails at some point-these pumps, the GFCIs that I use for my tank's electrical supply-everything.

Listen to the electrician above. It doesn't take much current to induce a lethal cardiac arrythmia-believe me-I've seen it happen. Either spend the money now to replace your pump or possibly spend a lot more later. It's just not worth the risk, IMO-

Fitz