| Cautions and Warnings cautions that may or may not fit in various segments |
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03-05-2004, 02:52 PM
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#1
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: cali
Posts: 118
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titanium probe
does anyone here uses this product?or some kind?
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03-05-2004, 03:05 PM
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#2
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Look deeply into my eyes
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 12,042
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Yup , that's the one,,,most of the ground probes are not as long as the one you show. If the part that is in the water is kept clean , i don't see where that much length is better/needed over the other lengths. IMO , needed in ALL aquariums,in the tank, and if you have a sump , one there also,,,to play it safe,,, induced voltages are in most all tanks, stray/leaking voltage is bad/deadly for you, induced has been said to be bad for tank inhabs. every tank that goes out a shop door , ought to have a ground probe included in your stuff.
a GFCI breaker or outlet is a smart move also. 
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Jeff
1st generation J-Crowd member
PRG Member since '09
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03-05-2004, 03:20 PM
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#3
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Jaguar Shark
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: MA
Posts: 1,083
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not that exact one, but yes I do use one.
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03-05-2004, 03:52 PM
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#4
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 51
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I put one in my sump, but then I got to thinking the other day that it would only protect the tank as long as the main pump was running (at least I think it would). If I had the main pump off but still had the powerheads going in the tank, I would assume I would also need one in the tank. JunkZoo's response seems to confirm that.
The one I got from MarineDepot does have a smaller probe, only a couple of inches long. I have read the main thing is to make sure it is titanium.
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03-05-2004, 06:10 PM
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#5
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Look deeply into my eyes
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Location, Location
Posts: 12,042
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Yup on the two probes if ya have a sump,,As a electrician/reefer, i woulda thought one would do the trick and protect both parts,,sorta/kinda,,,,thinking the water "link" between the two would suffice,,,found out from experience,,,,NOT!
play it safe,,,$13 or so is cheap protection for you considering the alternative,,,, 
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Jeff
1st generation J-Crowd member
PRG Member since '09
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03-05-2004, 08:07 PM
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#6
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Sodomy non sapiens
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: winder, Georgia USA
Posts: 714
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lifted from another thread about a faulty pump
"Oh the reason your fish did not get shocked is that you need a complete path for current to flow to cause a shock." which is exactly why a grounding probe is a bad ideal. W/o the probe the tank has a voltage difference but no current can flow. Once you put a grounding probe there will be a voltage diference across the tank that will affect and may kill the fish. Plus a grounding probe interferes with the proper opperation of a GFI. With a ground probe in place you could put one hand near the probe and the other near the bad equipment and apply a shock across your chest and die. W/o the probe you would conduct to ground and trip the GFI if the current is strong enough.
the link is to GA Tech Prof's view of ground probes
http://avdil.gtri.gatech.edu/RCM/RC...dingProbes.html
Sorry, Here's the link
http://avdil.gtri.gatech.edu/RCM/RCM...ingProbes.html
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"Reasonable men adapt themselves to their environment; unreasonable men try to adapt their environment to themselves. Thus all progress is the result of the efforts of unreasonable men." -- George Bernard Shaw my tank
Last edited by jesspaul; 03-05-2004 at 11:13 PM.
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03-05-2004, 08:13 PM
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#7
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 51
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Now I'm really confused. I thought the probes helped eliminate any stray voltage along with protecting ourselves. I also have everything going to a GFI.
Anyone else have any input on Jesspaul's response.
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03-05-2004, 08:43 PM
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#8
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Master of Perplexity
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Panama City Beach FL
Posts: 3,436
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It'd help if his link wasn't a dud.
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03-05-2004, 09:18 PM
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#9
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Plankton
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Birmingham, AL
Posts: 11
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Jesspaul is correct. He is also somewhat correct regarding the effect of grounding probes on GFI's. If you have a probe and a GFI, stray current leaking from a device will seek the ground, and therefore trip the GFI. This is because a GFI is basically a calculator. It measures the amount of electrons going out on the hot lead and compares them to the number of electrons returning on the neutral lead. If there is a discrepancy, the GFI trips and opens the circuit. I am a former commercial electrician and currently a systems engineer. I don't use GFIs or ground probes on my reef tank. I do use GFIs in other potentially wet locations around the house (bathrooms, kitchen, garage, etc).
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03-05-2004, 11:13 PM
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#10
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Sodomy non sapiens
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: winder, Georgia USA
Posts: 714
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Sorry, Here's the link
http://avdil.gtri.gatech.edu/RCM/RCM...ingProbes.html
edsiajb is proably looking at my last example and shaking his head. If the ground probe is tied to ground and not neutral and everything is wired correctly a GFI should trip.
My tank is hooked to a GFI but since its behind the tank in the wall and has proably seen some salt creep I woun't bet my life on it.
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"Reasonable men adapt themselves to their environment; unreasonable men try to adapt their environment to themselves. Thus all progress is the result of the efforts of unreasonable men." -- George Bernard Shaw my tank
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03-06-2004, 09:12 AM
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#11
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Plankton
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Birmingham, AL
Posts: 11
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Thanks for this article, Jesspaul. The article is absolutely correct and a good read.
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03-08-2004, 12:19 PM
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#12
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Little Fishy
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: cali
Posts: 118
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let me rephrase my question..
does anyone here actually had a bad experience in using this ground probe?
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03-08-2004, 12:43 PM
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#13
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A Little Fishy
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Wolcott, Connecticut USA
Posts: 196
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One more time in English. My tank uses several GFI outlets and I have a grounding probe. Not that I don't care about my tank inhabitants, but my safety comes first.  Do I leave the ground probe in or take it out? 
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I think there is room for just one more..........oops maybe not. 
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