Do you keep a Voltmeter handy?

revhtree · Dec 28, 2017

I was reading about stray voltage, GFCI’s, heaters and pumps failing etc. and I am wondering how many of you keep a Voltmeter handy to test current in the water?

Basically if my GFCI trips then I want to be able to test the water before I put my hands in there and get a shocking result!

Is there a better way than a Voltmeter?

What do you recommend?

Ocelaris · Dec 28, 2017

I have a few around for other purposes, but the problem is that I don't think most/any people are qualified to really test with these. If you're worried about stray voltage you need to test from the water to your ground in your house system, and I'm fairly confident that 99% of people are not going to be capable of doing that properly on a volt meter. I'm not saying it can't be done, it's easy, but no, nobody does this because they don't probably have the fundamental understanding of electricity to test.

Maybe if we have an EE lying around they could do a concise write up. I've designed enough circuits and soldered my way through dozens of rolls of solder, but I wouldn't probably put my name on something that includes people putting a volt meter in a fish tank and an outlet at the same time. But that's my understanding what you need to do, test the differential between the water's potential and your house's ground.

Velcro · Dec 28, 2017

I have one that I use for everything BUT stray voltage.

I think stray voltage is a scapegoat for other issues

revhtree · Dec 28, 2017

I just read where a guy used one on an aquarium and the voltage in the water would have fried him had he not tested.

Paul B · Dec 28, 2017

I am an electrician so I have voltmeters all over the place, even in my sock drawer. If you have "stray voltage" and you put your hand in the water, no meter is needed because stray voltage would be 120 volts and if you don't have a GFI in there it will knock you across the room and if you keep an electric eel it may make him very happy. (I wonder if you can electrocute an electric eel)
If you have "induced voltage or current" don't worry about it, go out to dinner and have a nice glass of Merlot. That may read anything under 110 volts but won't shock you. It may however give your fish PTSD.
Anything under 110 volts or so will be induced and will not hurt you or trip your GFI or GFCI as you guys call them. (as an electrician who installed thousands of them we call them GFIs)

If you walk under power lines, your head will get a dose of induced current. If you are one of those people with a purple mohawk, you may have walked under too many power lines.

WWIII · Dec 28, 2017

I have one, but rarely use it on my tank water. I've always wondered why aquarium controllers don't have a voltage meter as an option? I have been shocked a couple times, from "broken" heaters, but breaking out the multimeter every time I need to stick my hand in the sump probably will never happen. Hoping my gfci will save me if it ever comes to that!

BoomCorals · Dec 28, 2017

I have one around, but it gets more use in my RC hobby, flying helis, planes, and drones.

dansreef · Dec 28, 2017

This is a GOOD topic. A couple of years ago, I had an electrician do some work to ready the room where my 180 display is as well as an area in my unfinished basement for the tank's sump. He started looking at various outlets.... and I noticed him scratching his head. There were anomalies in the wiring that he could not explain... voltage irregularities if you will. We decided to set up an entirely new circuit.... dedicated solely to the aquariums... plural as I had another tank in my home office nearby. The plan... isolate the fish tanks on their own circuit. That plan actually expanded to a total of three circuits... one for my office, one for the fish tanks.... and one for the outlets in the front of the house.

What the electrician found was incorrect grounding, circuit mapping that didn't make sense... ie.... an outlet tied to a circuit on the other side of the house.... etc. The builder must have used a really poor electrician. We have since had the wiring also checked and double checked through out the house.

Since then, I have periodically tested for stray voltage. I have seen where pumps, reactors, heaters....etc... as they have gotten older have leaked voltage into the tanks. I have even at times felt that very uncomfortable tingling sensation at times while my hands were in the tanks. I have since added grounding probes to all of my tanks....

As a previous poster said, it would be interesting to have some sort of device tied to the controllers, an Apex in my situation, that could monitor voltage within the tank. This could be something that potentially could save someone from having a shocking experience not to mention be a tool to monitor the health and well being of the equipment we have in our systems as well as the live stock.

CoralCache · Dec 28, 2017

You mean like your fish jumping out of the tank?
Yes you should have a covered tank but that only bounces them back in to what they are trying to get away from. Replaced the bad pump and no more jumping fish.

I use a multimeter every day at work so I always have one at home too.

QUOTE="Velcro, post: 4316265, member: 64312"]I have one that I use for everything BUT stray voltage.

I think stray voltage is a scapegoat for other issues

[/QUOTE]

4FordFamily · Dec 28, 2017

I received one last Christmas per my request for testing automotive stuff and didn’t know until
this thread I could test my tank. Makes sense!! LOL

siggy · Dec 28, 2017

Ocelaris said:
I don't think most/any people are qualified to really test with these.

This is a simple to use tester that will automatically tell you if its AC or DC volts or current, as you can see it does all this without touching the wires in most cases,just place the wire in the front recess and it will
display the true value depending on what you selected Voltage or Current, now you will need to use the leads to check wall outlets, terminals and multi conductor cables.
I encourage everyone to learn to use one, a simple one not a cheap one! lots of Horror stories of exploding meters due to wrong settings and cheap manufacture.

https://www.fluke-direct.com/produc...DE6U0L71LNBVOfXZwxnsQGdWjvS8WU9YaAg6xEALw_wcB

TheLadyCrash · Dec 28, 2017

When my husband upgraded to a Fluke multimeter, he gave me his “old” one to use on my tank. I only test periodically since I have anything physically in the water on GFCI outlets but for the few seconds it takes to test, I figure it’s worth checking every couple of months just to make sure nothing is causing stray voltage in the tank.

JimFuller · Dec 29, 2017

As a "Ham Radio Operator", I have a bunch of Multi-meters laying around. But in the 1981, I had a heater go out and leak 60 Volts into the tank. While it tickled when I went to work in the tank and blew the GFI, it did not kill me. Ever since then I just wire a voltmeter between ground and a titanium probe in my sump. If I see anything over a couple of volts, I go looking for the cause.

Ranjib · Dec 29, 2017

I have couple of them. But never used one in the aquarium. Is this very common? Should controllers have some sort of probes to check this?

Ranjib · Dec 29, 2017

dansreef said:
This is a GOOD topic. A couple of years ago, I had an electrician do some work to ready the room where my 180 display is as well as an area in my unfinished basement for the tank's sump. He started looking at various outlets.... and I noticed him scratching his head. There were anomalies in the wiring that he could not explain... voltage irregularities if you will. We decided to set up an entirely new circuit.... dedicated solely to the aquariums... plural as I had another tank in my home office nearby. The plan... isolate the fish tanks on their own circuit. That plan actually expanded to a total of three circuits... one for my office, one for the fish tanks.... and one for the outlets in the front of the house.

What the electrician found was incorrect grounding, circuit mapping that didn't make sense... ie.... an outlet tied to a circuit on the other side of the house.... etc. The builder must have used a really poor electrician. We have since had the wiring also checked and double checked through out the house.

Since then, I have periodically tested for stray voltage. I have seen where pumps, reactors, heaters....etc... as they have gotten older have leaked voltage into the tanks. I have even at times felt that very uncomfortable tingling sensation at times while my hands were in the tanks. I have since added grounding probes to all of my tanks....

As a previous poster said, it would be interesting to have some sort of device tied to the controllers, an Apex in my situation, that could monitor voltage within the tank. This could be something that potentially could save someone from having a shocking experience not to mention be a tool to monitor the health and well being of the equipment we have in our systems as well as the live stock.

Oops, I responded too early. I think this possible, let me cross check

drawman · Dec 29, 2017

I must say if an electrician/engineer could demo how to correctly do this I would be interested.

Paul B · Dec 30, 2017

If you want to check for stray current/ voltage take your voltmeter, set it for AC. voltage. Set the scale to 120 or higher as that is the highest reading you will get. Stick one probe in the water and the other probe on something grounded like that third hole in a receptacle. NOT the slot, but the round hole.
If it doesn't read anything set the meter on a lower setting, like fifty volts. If it doesn't read anything set it lower, like 20 volts. If it doesn't read anything, go out to dinner and have a nice glass of Pino Nior. Maybe try the clams.
If your meter reads 30, 40 or anything under 100 or so volts, take a friend with you because that is normal also. If it reads 108-120 volts, don't put your hand in the water. Un plug everything until the voltage goes way down below 108. Throw out that defective item and go out to dinner.