Testing for stray voltage

[100gallonreefer]

I assure you that if you have an energized tank you will know. A bare wire in contact with a conductive surface around the tank it is a very stimulating experience. Glass with salt creep and moisture is enough. It doesn't just tingle.

Ever touched an electric fence. Probably not, but it is like that.

A puppy chewed a wire and I pulled it into the sump doing maintenance on my skimmer.

I had a tank crash from a heater that failed that also energized a tank. But I am 99% sure it was the products of the heater burning inside being released into the water that did the tank in. Not the electricity.

I know it’s not energized since I work on it often and almost everyone knows what an electric shock feels like. If it were that easy to tell there if there was stray voltage no one would ever need a meter

 

[WVNed]

I know it’s not energized since I work on it often and almost everyone knows what an electric shock feels like. If it were that easy to tell there if there was stray voltage no one would ever need a meter

I am not talking about stray voltage there. I am talking about a damaged live power cord in your tank. Put your hand in the tank and the light bulb in your mouth lights up.

 

[100gallonreefer]

I am not talking about stray voltage there. I am talking about a damaged live power cord in your tank. Put your hand in the tank and the light bulb in your mouth lights up.

Listen, my post was about stray voltage in a tank, not a live wire. Maybe the lightbulb in your mouth will light up and you can move on to hijack someone else’s thread.

 

[rkpetersen]

I had a tank crash from a heater that failed that also energized a tank. But I am 99% sure it was the products of the heater burning inside being released into the water that did the tank in. Not the electricity.

+1, Same experience. Fortunately a quarantine tank so 'only' a couple of fish lost. Couldn't even see the crack in the heater until I got it out of the water.

 

[rkpetersen]

Put your hand in the tank and the light bulb in your mouth lights up.

 

[WVNed]

There are induced voltages on almost everything in our surroundings that aren't grounded. That would include our bodies.

 

[Bolek]

I was measuring voltage and it looked I have 20V induced AC voltage, so I wanted to use titanium grounding probe to get rid of it. But then I tested my reef water against ground in a different set of AC sockets (in my sump) and it reads 0-1V !!! How is it possible?

I was totally confused and finally I tested ground-against-ground of my sockets (socket above tank, for lights, versus sockets in sump) and it reads 20V!!! How is it possible that my ground-to-ground in home in 2 different sockets read 20V (when these cords are actually connected in the electro box in our house so they must have the same voltage??


I am totally confused what if there is voltage in my tank or not.

Also where should I put my grounding probe? if I connect it to the sockets in sump, then I have 20V measuring against sockets above tank, if I put the probe in socket next to lights, I have 0V induced voltage when measured against ground socket at lights, but 20V when measured against sockets in sump.

I am really confused. So is my tank having 20V stray/induced voltage or no?

If anybody can explain what it means, and if it is an issue or no.
Also, now it is 20V, but what if it would by 100V? I have ready that some fish are sensitive not only to current, but also to voltage, so what would be best for the fish?