stray voltage.. cant find the source?

[pdxmonkeyboy]

ok, not exactly chemistry but this is where the smart folks hang out

my floor was wet and i stuck my hand in the frag tank.. ouch. what the heck?? Just on one finger where I pulled a nasty hang nail off. I stood on a bucket.. no ground.. no pain.

put a voltage meter in the tank and set to DC 20v. I got a reading of .03 volts.
shut my heaters off. still there...
wave maker... nothing
UV sterlizier... nothing
unplugged my apex breakout box thinking float switches may be leaking voltage.. nothing
skimmer...nothing

I didn't check the display tank upstairs but the only thing electrical in the water up there is my maxspect gyre.

any thought? is .03 volts something to worry about?

I never would have discovered it if not for my raw cuticle.

thanks

 

[NY_Caveman]

I know this does not help your search, but I use a Vertex Grounding Pole which was pretty inexpensive. I plug it directly into a GFCI outlet. Just a thought for any shocking discoveries in the future.

 

[Lasse]

Calling in the stray voltage expert @Brew12

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Retro Reefer]

You would need to unplug everything to rule out any of your powered equipment causing the voltage leek.. I believe saltwater running through plastic lines can create static electricity which may be also causing the issue.

 

[joeyhatch11]

Anything plugged into a power strip? If so try unplugging the strip as a whole. Ive had 2 in the past cause issue where I was getting shocked when cleaning the glass in my tanks. Also had a faulty ATO float switch cause voltage to run through the tank when the ATO kicked on was the damnedest thing too. Had to keep my hand in the sump and trigger it on/off to make 100% certain it was it. Swapped the switch, tried again, all good now.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Also, be sure you don’t get the same feeling from salt water in plastic cup, in case it wasn’t electricity after all.

 

[Brew12]

put a voltage meter in the tank and set to DC 20v. I got a reading of .03 volts.

Try selecting your meter to AC. I doubt there is anything in your tank that would leak DC volts. And you can not induce DC voltage.

As to if .03V would ever be a problem, AC or DC, the answer is no.

 

[Mical]

As Randy mentioned above try your sensitive finger in a cup of tank water if it doesn't sting/shock you then get one of these - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Deep-Blue-...1313.TR1.TRC0.A0.H0.Xground+for+aquarium.TRS0

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Also, be sure you don’t get the same feeling from salt water in plastic cup, in case it wasn’t electricity after all.

yeah, I tried that last night. that is what prompted me to get my voltage meter.
I am going to try and shut off my gyre
..that runs DC.

i tried the AC setting on my meter and got nothing.

maybe I should just file this under "not a big deal"?

 

[Brew12]

I am going to try and shut off my gyre
..that runs DC.

Even your DC gyre is actually an AC motor. They only call them DC because it converts 60hz/50hz to DC and then to a variable frequency to control pump speeds.

i tried the AC setting on my meter and got nothing.

maybe I should just file this under "not a big deal"?

If you tried the meter on AC and didn't get anything, you can definitely file this under "not a big deal".

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

ok, thanks again!!

I LOVE filing reef things under no big deal

 

[Dom]

ok, not exactly chemistry but this is where the smart folks hang out

my floor was wet and i stuck my hand in the frag tank.. ouch. what the heck?? Just on one finger where I pulled a nasty hang nail off. I stood on a bucket.. no ground.. no pain.

put a voltage meter in the tank and set to DC 20v. I got a reading of .03 volts.
shut my heaters off. still there...
wave maker... nothing
UV sterlizier... nothing
unplugged my apex breakout box thinking float switches may be leaking voltage.. nothing
skimmer...nothing

I didn't check the display tank upstairs but the only thing electrical in the water up there is my maxspect gyre.

any thought? is .03 volts something to worry about?

I never would have discovered it if not for my raw cuticle.

thanks

You need to check AC voltage. Ground probe on your meter to the ground in your wall outlet and the positive into the tank. How many volts AC do you read?

 

[mcarroll]

Don't forget about devices that run intermittently like heaters. If it wasn't running when you did the test he would not see the voltage.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Likely a pump, or heater (something that is submersed with electrical source).

While checking, consider a grounding probe which is under $20 and very easy to install ( Marine depot and BRS carries them)

 

[salty joe]

One way to find what's causing stray voltage is ground the tank water. (I didn't have a grounding probe so I rigged one with a titanium heater)
Plug an extension cord into a GFCI outlet. Start plugging pumps, etc. into GFCI. Whatever is leaking stray voltage will trip the GFCI.

Thank you Graybeard for that great idea!

 

[Mark Gray]

Where were you grounding your meter?

 

[Tix0l]

Had similar problem - the heater was cracked, and everytime I’d put a finger on the surface of the aquarium it would shock it ( a very light shock). Apparently i forgot to turn it off the previous time i dis a water change

 

[Land Shark]

I know this does not help your search, but I use a Vertex Grounding Pole which was pretty inexpensive. I plug it directly into a GFCI outlet. Just a thought for any shocking discoveries in the future.

Read this and ordered one right away as cheap insurance. Thanks NY!

 

[NY_Caveman]

Read this and ordered one right away as cheap insurance. Thanks NY!

My pleasure. An inexpensive insurance policy.

 

[siggy]

Up grade to a titanium Heater...Win Win