Full 110 Voltage...

[Frantz]

Any electrician reading this is saying "yep, this is why I have a well paid job"

I'll be going back over this front room. It had been an "extra" for far too long and now I have it cleaned up and want to have the reef be a focal point.

 

[nereefpat]

Actually, sticking a wire between ground and neutral shouldn't trip a GFCI. The ground and neutral should be bonded together in the panel at a point past the breaker.

I disagree. Try it in your kitchen or bathroom this evening.

Load side neutral crosses with the ground will trip it.

 

[nereefpat]

Any electrician reading this is saying "yep, this is why I have a well paid job"

I'll be going back over this front room. It had been an "extra" for far too long and now I have it cleaned up and want to have the reef be a focal point.

I'm, too, glad you figured it out.

It would have financially made more sense for me to stick with it, but I decided that I didn't want to be 50 years old and working in attics and crawlspaces like my dad.

 

[robbyg]

I disagree. Try it in your kitchen or bathroom this evening.

Load side neutral crosses with the ground will trip it.

Well I am late to the party but yes the Neutral and Ground are bonded at the panel box. If your seeing your GFI trip it could be that the ground wire or the Neutral wire for that plug are not making 100% proper contact at that panel box.

 

[Brew12]

I disagree. Try it in your kitchen or bathroom this evening.

Load side neutral crosses with the ground will trip it.

That is an interesting trick! I'll have to remember that one. It worked on my bathroom GFCI so I pulled out my fluke and sure enough, just enough of a voltage drop to cause a trip. It doesn't take much of a voltage drop to get 5mA to flow.
I suspect that in new construction with no loads running that it may not trip, but it is a useful tip for almost every other situation.
I always love learning something new!

 

[Frantz]

I'm, too, glad you figured it out.

It would have financially made more sense for me to stick with it, but I decided that I didn't want to be 50 years old and working in attics and crawlspaces like my dad.

If I keep the DIY route I won't make it to 50 anyhow, my family can use the life insurance to get it done right. But seriously, it's way safer than it had been when we moved in. I had 1950s romex spliced into 1920s knob and tube with no J-box, just buried in the walls. The indoor rated breaker box was on the front porch, sorta protected from the elements. The only old wire in the house now is a porch light. Actually the need for grounded outlets for the aquarium is the only reason I discovered how bad the wiring was, so +1 for the fish tank!

 

[Brew12]

Well I am late to the party but yes the Neutral and Ground are bonded at the panel box. If your seeing your GFI trip it could be that the ground wire or the Neutral wire for that plug are not making 100% proper contact at that panel box.

In my perfect world engineering mind this is exactly what I was thinking. I had to test it for myself and the real world begged to differ.

0.58ohms neutral at the outlet to ground.
0.06V between ground and neutral
That allows 0.1A to flow, more than enough to trip a GFCI.

 

[nereefpat]

Well I am late to the party but yes the Neutral and Ground are bonded at the panel box. If your seeing your GFI trip it could be that the ground wire or the Neutral wire for that plug are not making 100% proper contact at that panel box.

I was shown this by more than one lifelong electrician, and it trips every gfci I've ever tried it on.

I would argue that, if it doesn't work, something is wrong, like your ground plug isn't tied back to panel.

 

[nereefpat]

I suspect that in new construction with no loads running that it may not trip, but it is a useful tip for almost every other situation.
I always love learning something new!

My two guesses would be:
as you suggest, the neutral is carrying just enough to show some voltage.

Or, the recep itself draws a tiny bit so the sensor works.

 

[robbyg]

I was shown this by more than one lifelong electrician, and it trips every gfci I've ever tried it on.

I would argue that, if it doesn't work, something is wrong, like your ground plug isn't tied back to panel.

In theory it should not trip but I don’t doubt what your saying. I have to test this out one day and see if mine does the same thing.
Thanks for the info.

 

[ReeftankNi]

Hey just found this. I have had this problem in the past where voltage leak in my tank reached 75v and ended up killing my fish. Im an electrician by trade, what i done was got a bit of titanium rod from ebay and connected it to sum 1.5mm wire i had and then to the earth pin of a plug. This has earthed my main display as it where all the livestock is. It droped my stray voltage to 0v and dose not trip the hosue as the trip is looking for an imbalance. Hope this helps.

 

[nereefpat]

Hey just found this. I have had this problem in the past where voltage leak in my tank reached 75v and ended up killing my fish. Im an electrician by trade, what i done was got a bit of titanium rod from ebay and connected it to sum 1.5mm wire i had and then to the earth pin of a plug. This has earthed my main display as it where all the livestock is. It droped my stray voltage to 0v and dose not trip the hosue as the trip is looking for an imbalance. Hope this helps.

Hopefully you replaced the faulty equipment as well.

And also, hopefully you are using a GFCI with your homemade ground probe. A ground probe without a GFCI is really dangerous.