Static Electricity?

[briand7878]

I’ve been racking my brain with some electricity issues in my tank. My acro, monti, and hammer corals bleached and I assume are dead. This happened very quickly. The acro started slow and completely bleached over night. The monti went over about two weeks. I noticed that for the last month I have been getting shocked when I stick my finger in the tank. I have used a volt meter and don’t get any readings. Started unplugging one device at a time and waiting and I was still getting shocked. I eventually unplugged every device waited a couple hours and still get shocked. It’s not every time but if I walk around, and stick my finger in I get a mild shock. My tank has a ground probe. I’m not sure if this is normal because of the lack of humidity in the house or not. Is this the culprit for my deaths? My water parameters are all solid. The fish, snails, and crabs are all fine.

 

[Dom]

How are you using the voltmeter?

One probe should go in the water and the other to the ground in the outlet.

My experience is that corals don't handle electricity well.

But your approach is correct.

Once the probes are in place and you are getting a reading, unplug everything and then plug them back in, one at a time until the meter shows voltage. The device(s) that causes voltage is the problem.

 

[briand7878]

I plugged the black one into the ground of the wall and the red one into the tank. I never showed any reading. Even when there is nothing plugged into the wall I get a shock that’s why I believe it’s static. After I touch it once and get shocked I don’t get shocked anymore unless I walk around the house.

 

[Dom]

I plugged the black one into the ground of the wall and the red one into the tank. I never showed any reading. Even when there is nothing plugged into the wall I get a shock that’s why I believe it’s static. After I touch it once and get shocked I don’t get shocked anymore unless I walk around the house.

Interesting. So you're saying your tank is holding a static charge, and when you put your hand in, you get zapped?

 

[Tonycass12]

Interesting. So you're saying your tank is holding a static charge, and when you put your hand in, you get zapped?

More likely hes holding a charge and its discharging via the tank since he has a nice path to ground with his ground probe. If its static buildup that is.

I wonder if you pull your ground probe out and touch that to discharge any static buildup you have before you put ur hand in the water if you will still receive a shock. That would be an easy way to figure out if its you or the tank.

 

[Iant419]

I’ve been racking my brain with some electricity issues in my tank. My acro, monti, and hammer corals bleached and I assume are dead. This happened very quickly. The acro started slow and completely bleached over night. The monti went over about two weeks. I noticed that for the last month I have been getting shocked when I stick my finger in the tank. I have used a volt meter and don’t get any readings. Started unplugging one device at a time and waiting and I was still getting shocked. I eventually unplugged every device waited a couple hours and still get shocked. It’s not every time but if I walk around, and stick my finger in I get a mild shock. My tank has a ground probe. I’m not sure if this is normal because of the lack of humidity in the house or not. Is this the culprit for my deaths? My water parameters are all solid. The fish, snails, and crabs are all fine.

Try to think what device might have a capacitor for some reason. There is no way your tank itself holding a charge. If you physically remove all electrical devices it will stop.

The next thing would be what us Lineman call a floating neutral. When a neutral is broken and a circuit is running off a ground. Go out to your meter base and see if your groundrod shows signs of electrolytic decay/oxidation. You should check to see if the neutral on your electrical service is intact. You can call your power company and they'll send a troubleman to inspect and load test your neutral. If you have an underground electrical service this is even more common. 9/10 chance when a customer is getting shocked by case grounds (like your bonded and grounded tank) it's because of a broken neutral. Good luck.

 

[Cygnus]

Try to think what device might have a capacitor for some reason. There is no way your tank itself holding a charge. If you physically remove all electrical devices it will stop.

The next thing would be what us Lineman call a floating neutral. When a neutral is broken and a circuit is running off a ground. Go out to your meter base and see if your groundrod shows signs of electrolytic decay/oxidation. You should check to see if the neutral on your electrical service is intact. You can call your power company and they'll send a troubleman to inspect and load test your neutral. If you have an underground electrical service this is even more common. 9/10 chance when a customer is getting shocked by case grounds (like your bonded and grounded tank) it's because of a broken neutral. Good luck.

The loss of a neutral is more apparent than electrolysis. The loss of a neutral will most likely destroy/fry anything that runs on 120 VAC.
This can also happen should someone lift a neutral from its bus with the breaker turned on. Loss of the service neutral can be catastrophic.

 

[Garf]

Wool socks? Lol

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

The loss of a neutral is more apparent than electrolysis. The loss of a neutral will most likely destroy/fry anything that runs on 120 VAC.
This can also happen should someone lift a neutral from its bus with the breaker turned on. Loss of the service neutral can be catastrophic.

Loss of a neutral will result in nothing happening same if you take it off the buss bar there might be a quick spark but that's it there is no completion of the circuit there for no current flow....a loos neutral is what your thinking of or the current carrying conductor, then amperage goes up along with heat then comes your fire but cutting neutral won't do squat. But there will still be potential on the current carrying conductor......its electric duntdunt dunt dah dun dun

 

[Iant419]

The loss of a neutral is more apparent than electrolysis. The loss of a neutral will most likely destroy/fry anything that runs on 120 VAC.
This can also happen should someone lift a neutral from its bus with the breaker turned on. Loss of the service neutral can be catastrophic.

I have never seen a catastrophic failure due to a secondary voltage neutral. It's normally just lights flickering or dimming when a high amp device kicks on like a blower motor. Worst case scenario is everything just quits working except for some split phase devices. He should get his entrance cable and meter inspected by a power company troubleman.

T. Been a lineman for about 8 years now and and tinkered with electronics since I could read.

 

[markwayts]

Guy I see these other guys fighting but back to your problem. Do you get shocked even when you unplug the grounding probe? Sounds like stray voltage to me not static. I'd buy an outlet tester from Lowes or somewhere and start there. It could easily be ac voltage back feeding thru the ground.

 

[olonmv]

More likely hes holding a charge and its discharging via the tank since he has a nice path to ground with his ground probe. If its static buildup that is.

I wonder if you pull your ground probe out and touch that to discharge any static buildup you have before you put ur hand in the water if you will still receive a shock. That would be an easy way to figure out if its you or the tank.

This sounds like the culprit. Winter season is usually when static build-up is bad.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Listen up, I just deleted a number of posts that contained insults. Please make your point without insults. No problem disagreeing, but do so without insulting those that differ from your point of view.

Thanks, Paul, TeamR2R

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

Listen up, I just deleted a number of posts that contained insults. Please make your point without insults. No problem disagreeing, but do so without insulting those that differ from your point of view.

Thanks, Paul, TeamR2R

Some may take some things others said as insults, but just might not be the case...may be tho, either way its a discussion not always scripted, do we not have freedom of speech and free thought on here? Is this not a place to put up or thoughts without fear of being censored(aside from vulgarity and profanity) . insults are personal attacks onto someone else......

 

[reefsaver]

Yesterday I was putting my filter padding in a new section of my sump and It was really shocking the hell out of me as I positioned the wadding at the water surface, I'm sure there's current coming from somewhere. I'd get random painful shocks positioning the wadding up and down, compared to the pinky dip technique I later developed to feel for current as I flipped all my switches. I guess the wadding helped it conduct or something like sponge.

I just individually unplugged everything in my water, and there is like a subtle charge in my water.
I couldn't isolate anything submersed with my switches which was really strange, I thought for sure it was just a malfunctioning piece of equipment with a tugged cord. I was just experimenting because I could barely feel the shock, and I figured out my pinky finger was a little more sensitive and I would feel the nerves in my hand a little more when I specifically dipped my pinky into the tank, feeling the shock on contact or microseconds before the water.
I went all out looking to isolate it today thinking it was a piece of equipment.