Electrical question

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Oh, haha, Ok. Fair enough. I apologize for opening a can of worms, I had no idea.

What I tell you , haha although I pretty much started it all but someone did ask

Bottom line is everyone will never agree on this topic. I know how current and voltage works and what exactly ground probes do, I work on various aquariums on a weekly basis and I will never work on one that uses a ground probe, never after all without a ground probe you have to be grounded, with one you don't!

[Delphinus]

I'm sort of imagining the current as looking like lightning, and I wouldn't want my hand to be between the point of "where's it coming from" and the point of "where it's going to." I would just have to hope that should it ever happen, something will make it stop before it makes me stop.

But apart from that. I am still a bit concerned that the GFCI didn't trip. When I brushed up against the skimmer, the jolt was pretty significant. Probe or no probe, the GFCI isn't tripping. It is on a GFCI though, my tanks are on two different breakers both of which are on GFCI. However it is a mess of extension cords and power bars and timers. Some of which is probably an absolutely no-no like daisy chaining power bars. I wonder if I moved the skimmer pump to a different plug, would the GFCI trip then.

I would hope the thing isn't faulty ..

I guess the thing to do maybe is buy a multimeter and test the amount of current/voltage? Maybe it's not as bad as it felt, and that would explain why the GFCI isn't tripping?

Short of that I'm not sure how to test the viability of the GFCI (other than pressing the "test" button that is!)

I did order a new pump today nonetheless though. I'm just assuming the protocol here is just replace it and move on.

[Monti-Man]

The purpose for using a ground rod is to diminish potential difference. For example if a heater leaks or fails, there will be a potential difference bewteen the piece of equipment and ground. When using the grounding rods or plates supplied by the supply ( the ground rods at the power supply to the house or to the local utility transformer) it is often located far enough away from the tank. This is the leakage that we feel, If we use a grounding probe at the tank we diminsh the effect of the leakage, the effect diminishes or increases with distance.


This is as simple as I can state it. If you don't want to use one don't This is just my opinion, with years of designing electrical distribution, from everything from watertreatment plants to multifamily dwelling.

You might get away with it once or maybe a thousand times, but I am of the belief that price might be to high to take that chance. The rest I leave up to you.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by sphelps

If you have "proof" relating to why people should use a ground probe in there aquarium I'm sure many people would appreciate you posting it here.

Well I,m not an electrician or engineer but here,s my "proof". {and in all fairness to Steve, I dont have a clue, but have read both sides of the ground probe argument, many times on many boards}.

Leaky Tunze stream pump. No ground probe, shocked when contact with halide pendant and water or as in my case, lightning arcing from the reflector to my forehead.

Ground probe in tank or sump, no shock. But then I would never had know my pump was bad.

Tony, my GFI never tripped at first when I was shocked, but if you remember the thread it did later and also the GFI/Arc Fault. This was after the ground probe was back in but no idea if that had anything to do with it then tripping the GFI circuits or does it take a certain amount of voltage leak to do so ??

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by Monti-Man

This is as simple as I can state it.

I'm sorry, I really did kinda laugh when I got to this part. It was the only sentence I understood!!!

I guess then it's just a question of sometimes these things trip GFCI's, and sometimes they don't ... and you'd have to be an electrician or engineer to understand the difference

The only reason I started this thread is, I've been letting my 3 year old dump his tank in the tank to feed the fish. I give him flake or pellets, if he doesn't stick his hand into the water then the fish food mostly sticks to his hands and it's just easier to shake it off and let the fish eat the food that comes off. He loves it, the fish love it, he loves that the fish love it and it makes me happy to see him happy - it's just one of those "parenting" moments I guess. .... I'd just hate to think I'm subjecting him to risk by letting him do this ... One day I'm might forget to stick my finger in the water first to make sure there's no zap zap..

In all my years of reefing though I've only had leakages twice (and this is one of them). The other one was a failed pump as well... I still just find it odd that the GFCI didn't trip. I'd ask for an explanation but I'm starting to really feel dumb and inadequate here... Uh .. I work in software.

[Monti-Man]

We also get reports on CSA testing and GFCI tested 91% operated properly, not testing by hitting the test and reset button. Testing them by simulating examples.

Where are the manufacturers sending the other 9%?