Electricity + Saltwater = Please Help!

[Stege_saurus]

So I was doing some tank maintenance today, and after I finished I stuck my hand in the display and noticed a small shock. I went out and bought a multimeter just to be sure, and sure enough (if I'm doing it correct) there's a small 5v current running through the water. Now I have had this happen before and it turned out to be the pump for the skimmer but that has since been replaced.

I frantically tried to figure out where the current was coming from by unplugging pieces of equipment one by one, but after I unplugged everything, there was still a current going through the water...

I'm confused and don't know what to, so I came here looking for help.

What I do know:
-Skimmer pump was replaced by a brand new one a few weeks ago.
-The way I am testing it is putting the Positive/Red probe in the water and putting the Negative/Black wire on a separate metallic piece such as a hinge or screw.
-My lights (T5/LED hybrid) could be producing the electricity but I'm not sure. Reason: when I first set them up they would shock me. My brother who is an electrician came over to help me fix those lights and to my knowledge have since been fixed because they no longer shock me when I touch them.
-I am not the most knowledgeable when it comes to electricity...

Any help or advice is appreciated!

 

[Kryptonian]

Did you try powering everything off and powering one device at a time and checking water for current? Make sure to ground water between tests to reset. When you turned everything off, did you ground water then test for current?

 

[Webslinger]

do you have an electric eel?.... i would remove, equipment one by one till you find it. just because it's turned off doesn't mean it wont leech

 

[HuduVudu]

Put your multimeter back on and turn each electrical item of one at a time. Should be able to find the culprit quickly.

 

[Stege_saurus]

Gonna try and plug each one in individually and see what happens!

 

[xiholdtruex]

I had this happen to me before and now run grounding probes in my tank. It was not a piece of equipment but build up voltage in the water.

 

[Reefer Reboot]

Try putting the black probe into the ground of a wall socket. Your stand might not be grounded, giving an erroneous reading of the true voltage.

 

[Stege_saurus]

Try putting the black probe into the ground of a wall socket. Your stand might not be grounded, giving an erroneous reading of the true voltage.

The only thing is my stand is wood, and to my knowledge wood doesn't conduct electricity. I should have mentioned that..my bad

 

[Joeg]

The others above already have you on the right path. You need to narrow down the culprit.

Assuming your GFCI is working I'd suggest you splurge on a pair of grounding probes, one for the tank and the other for the sump. You're looking at 20 bucks or so for two of them but the peace of mind is worth much more.

Good luck finding the source.

Edit: My money's on the heater.

 

[Stege_saurus]

The only thing I have seen to find is that two of my T5s are producing .5-.9V each. Should I go with a grounding probe? And is there a diy way to do it?

 

[bsn_rn_cen]

amazon aquarium grounding probe
With all the money we spend in the hobby 14 bucks is nothing.

 

[Stege_saurus]

amazon aquarium grounding probe
With all the money we spend in the hobby 14 bucks is nothing.

I just like doing diy things. It gives me a sense of pride knowing I made it. I'm not against buying things at all, just like to make things when possible.

 

[Reefer Reboot]

The only thing is my stand is wood, and to my knowledge wood doesn't conduct electricity. I should have mentioned that..my bad

LOL, I though of the same thing later on. DOH! Mine is metal so I just think that way at first. But it still applies. If whatever equipment you are touching the black probe to isn't properly grounded it may still give an erroneous reading. Wood is a great insulator and most pumps have rubber feet which could effect your readings. You said you had a 5v current and felt a shock. That is such low voltage it would be hard to feel. That's why I was thinking that you may want to check it again. (PS, current is measured in amperage, voltage is a different measurement. In layman's terms you could compare electricity to water where voltage equals pressure and current equals flow.) If you want to DIY, you will need to find a piece of titanium to use as a conductor into the water with a copper wire connected to it (connection point outside of the water) which is then plugged into the ground of the wall socket. Being a DIYer myself, I have to agree that it is most likely cheaper and easier to just buy one. Hope this helps you. Let us know what you find.

 

[Stege_saurus]

LOL, I though of the same thing later on. DOH! Mine is metal so I just think that way at first. But it still applies. If whatever equipment you are touching the black probe to isn't properly grounded it may still give an erroneous reading. Wood is a great insulator and most pumps have rubber feet which could effect your readings. You said you had a 5v current and felt a shock. That is such low voltage it would be hard to feel. That's why I was thinking that you may want to check it again. (PS, current is measured in amperage, voltage is a different measurement. In layman's terms you could compare electricity to water where voltage equals pressure and current equals flow.) If you want to DIY, you will need to find a piece of titanium to use as a conductor into the water with a copper wire connected to it (connection point outside of the water) which is then plugged into the ground of the wall socket. Being a DIYer myself, I have to agree that it is most likely cheaper and easier to just buy one. Hope this helps you. Let us know what you find.

Hmm that's interesting. I may have to measure in amps just to be sure. I have titanium in my leg, I'll just take it out and use it! Lol just kidding! That would be painful. I'll get a reading when I get home and post the results.

 

[Reefer Reboot]

Ditto, Knee and shoulder!;Hilarious

 

[Stege_saurus]

Ditto, Knee and shoulder!;Hilarious

Just ankle for me! Unfortunately I have enough hardware to build a dresser in there. Lol

 

[Reefer Reboot]

Well if you do go in there and dig it out, how about a metal stand now?

 

[K7BMG]

Electrician here.
It is not uncommon for your T5 ballasts to produce eddy current voltage to ground.
That said I don't see that stray voltage getting into your tank unless your grounding system is not adequate overall.

I also doubt that a 5V reading could be felt but in the world of electricity I have found anything is possible.

I will agree with everyone else that you should unplug ONE thing at a time until it goes away. So unplug and test, plug back in and move to the next repeat.
If you unplug something that is NOT in direct contact with the water like your lights and the voltage goes away then your total grounding system has a serious fault and needs a professional to check it out.

 

[Cory]

Try your heater but make sure its on (heating)

 

[iambenfields]

I had 12-24v. Did the same thing, unplugged everything... Its induced voltage and you wont get rid of it without sending it back to the grid - as others have said, get a grounding probe - solved the issue for me (but I'm paying for 24v that I dont get to use!!!).