Stray Voltage

Allyson · 02-04-2002, 10:32 AM

I was reading about BeachBum's fish delima and began to wonder....is stray voltage a fairly common problem and how do you test for it?

My water params are and have been nearly perfect and have been wondering why I'm having the few probs that I have. i.e. lost my healthy 6-line a week after purchase, clown got ich 1 month after purchase, turbos alive but not grazing, new unidentified coral still not totally happy after a week. Maybe it's stray voltage?

Stang69 · 02-04-2002, 10:43 AM

I dont know how you can tet for it but I know it can be eliminated by a grouding probe if I am not mistaken.

Jeff

if a cant find one let me know I may have one laying around

nickg · 02-04-2002, 10:58 AM

A grounding probe is cheap. IT should fix any stray voltage problems. You just attach it in your sump, and plug it in. Its a cheap, good thing, I think around 10 bucks.

beach bum · 02-04-2002, 12:13 PM

Thanks Anix

, I was going to start this thread next.

First, what kind of voltage tester does one use (brand, model, etc...)

second, how do I find a ground if my sockets aren't grounded properly (easy way to test that?) This is a pretty old house.

I went to HD to get a voltage meter but they couldn't help, didn't know of one to be used in water, said I should try Petco!

Any helpful electricians out there?

chris

Minnreefer · 02-04-2002, 12:35 PM

I am NOT an electrician but I know a little about wiring. EVERYONE should have a GFI installed on there system, it can save your life and the life of your fish. Also everyone should have a grounding probe attached to there system and to the electrical ground. One can get a electrical test from either home depot or Radio Shack that is yellow about an inch long and plugs into the wall outlet. There are 3 lights on it and it lights up telling you if the outlet is wired correctly, AI a good ground. If one is not ablt to wire up dirrectly one should buy a portable GFI and make sure that you use it. Or the best is if you have any questions, call an electrician. HTH

Jon

fgto250 · 02-04-2002, 12:50 PM

HD sould have volt meters. They range in prices from $10 to $hundreds. If you have a GFI outlet that the tank uses (I hope you do or at least have good life insurance) the grounding probe can be wired to the ground behind the face plate were the gound is wired in though the wall to the outlet box.

Junkzoo · 02-04-2002, 01:03 PM

Ahem,,,,,,as a electrician, i think i can answer the questions on stray voltage,,,first you get a hangnail,,,,,sorry that's the cheap , ez way about it,,

first you need a DIGITAL multi-meter,,(radio shack etc) set the meter to MILLI-VOLTS,,, one lead of the meter goes to a known ground,,hopefully the ROUND hole on your outlet, the other lead in your tank,,if the meter reads "OL" you have more voltage in the tank than the meter can show,,adjust scale to a higher range(volts) have someone else start unplugging things, one at a time and watch the meter,,the item that causes the biggest drop in the culprit. stray voltage of a few milli-volts is enuf to ruin your day, and could end it !

BTW: test the stray voltage without a ground probe first(carefully,no wet hands!)then drop the probe in ,,,,if you have it , stray voltage will "go away",,powerheads, heaters(make sure you test when they are on ) even lights can induce voltage in a tank,,ya i know,,not when the canopy is 6 inches above the tank..heheh. remove the culprit if you find it, and check again in the future to make sure nothing else goes bad ,,,also, make sure you have a good , known ground (either a strap on a water pipe, or if you have plastic water pipe a ground strap near your meter outside,) if you have a sump, add a probe in there too , along with one in the tank,, a GFI outlet is needed also to make things safe for you too,,,.hope this helped ,,ask away if there is anymore questions,,

i work with 138,000 volts,,,my tanks SCARE me, and get my respect!

PS: electrical devices WILL induce a voltage to some degree in a SW tank,and not be defective,hence the need for a ground probe.

beach bum · 02-04-2002, 02:06 PM

Thanks you guys, next question...

I picked up a receptacle tester and plugged it in to all my fish tank sockets. It lights up as though the outlets are wired correctly. So, that means a ground is present, yes? However it does not rate "quality of ground". Can I use said outlet for testing stray voltage?

What do I use to route the ground lead of the meter to a known ground if the meters wires aren't long enough?

>beach bum dons his dunce cap<

Junkzoo · 02-04-2002, 05:17 PM

a longer wire? a jumper wire added to the meter lead would work,,,