Interesting stray voltage issue- long

[poppin_fresh]

I just finished plumbing my new 180 to my basement sump that is shared with my 72 bow and noticed something odd. Once the water reached a steady stream from the overflow I noticed the sump water "tingled". I thought this was very odd since I have had my hands in the the 72 and 180 seperately many times and never noticed this.

I immediately stopped the flow from the 180 and checked the sump again... no tingle. Resume flow...tingle comes back. I then start unplugging devices one at a time on the 180 to see what stops the voltage. There is only a Tunze 6060 a little Eheim and a heater in there, so it didn't take long. Its not until I unplug the Tunze that the tingle stops. Ahh haa...I got the culprit! So I think.

I placed the Tunze in bucket and check it to ground with a meter, it reads nothing. I then check the system water to ground and I get 11 volts! By sytematically removing devices I have determined that all the devices in my tank put out a stray volt or two, especially heaters (I've got 5!).

Roger from Tunze confirmed that my older 6060 has a graphite cylinder that can act as a ground probe. Obviously my tank has had some stray voltage, but I have never noticed it. If I couldn't feel it, I find it hard to believe that my live stock were affected. I would think that if I added a ground probe I would always get zapped reaching in the tank.

Sorry for the long post...any one have any ideas?

[Mike O'Brien]

Just birds on a wire.

[barbra]

There is some articles around about the uselessness, even potential harmfulness, of using grounding probes.

Look here:

http://avdil.gtri.gatech.edu/RCM/RCM...ingProbes.html

[poppin_fresh]

Thanks Barbra, thats kind of what I was thinking. If I couldn't feel the current before, how could the fish? It was only once it had a path to ground that I could feel it. Unfortunately I coudn't observe the tank to see if it caused stress to any inhabitants.

[m2434]

good article, nice to finally see some common sense on the subject.

[poppin_fresh]

I guess I could try using one of those plugs with no ground pin on the pump and see if it stops current from jumping to ground.

[Finaddictfred]

We need to get this article stickied somewhere.

[poppin_fresh]

Thats kind of what I was thinking why hopelessly researching this topic.

[poppin_fresh]

UPDATE:

I found my issue! It was not the pump and the ground eliminator plug did not help.

I removed the powerstrip I had a few things (including the Tunze) plugged into and I noticed that the ground prong was missing. It had somehow snapped off in the outlet rendering the strip ungrounded. Once I removed it and plugged the pump directly into the wall I no longer got bit.

Mabey someone with more electrical knowlege can explain what was going on?

[Icefire]

Well if you tested the pump in a bucket but not connected to the same defective strip, the pump was grounded.

Fish can only sense the voltage if there is a grounding probe or get very near of the source (a leaking wire per ex.)