Electrical question

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Monti-Man

I am an electrical engineer and I will tell you that a ground probe is neccessary, that is why it is built in to everything from house to idustrial sites as syncrude.
You are always better having one

Though some that is true, I fail to see how the ground probe in your house relates to ones in question. All house grounds are connected directly to appliances, they are not located on one side of the house, isolated so when a short occurs it has to travel through the air towards the isolated pole. All your aquariums electrical components are already grounded like every house hold item. You'll have to go more into detail than I'm an engineer and that's how it is.

[Monti-Man]

I am not here to debate, but for safety sake use the gorund rod or plate or whatever. If you want an explanation give me your email and i will send you the proof, also the CEC code of practice in regards to this question also the CSA position on GfCI. I am not here to debate on this thread as you seem to be, take my advice or don't, but i would make sure your are using one.

[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. I still don't see how all these codes you're referring to relate to aquariums.

I'm sorry if you feel I'm trying to "debate" this topic but when I give an opinion relating to such a serious topic I just feel it's a good to give reasoning. Call it what you want but how can you expect people to take you seriously if you can't give them explanation?

Article published by that Georgia Tech professor

[EmilyB]

Monti-Man, my husband is an electrician and he would agree with you. I have been given crap often for not having a ground probe in a sump as well as the tank and what-not.. Prior to that, I've been drilled several times because of a cracked heater, etc.


Tony, just out of curiosity, is the pump leaking voltage a Sedra? We had two Sedras do that to us.

[a4twenty]

another option is to run a couple of GFIC circuits and the ground probe, only the one with the problem will trip if something goes wrong. i have 4 different GFIC's in my setup, just for this reason. also many recommend not plugging your main pump into a GFIC, this can be dangerous but not so much if you have a ground probe in the sump.

just some thoughts......

[Black Phantom]

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. I still don't see how all these codes you're referring to relate to aquariums.

I'm sorry if you feel I'm trying to "debate" this topic but when I give an opinion relating to such a serious topic I just feel it's a good to give reasoning. Call it what you want but how can you expect people to take you seriously if you can't give them explanation?

Article published by that Georgia Tech professor

Thanks for the great article. It has answered a lot of my questions. It's always good to get an expert opinion.
His tank and Bio are very impressive. How many people design and build their own computer systems to run the tank lighting.
Very nice

[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 ??

[Black Phantom]

By code you have to have a GFCI in your bathroom in case you drop your hair dryer into the sink full of water. Or reach into the water when holding your hair dryer.
Obviously there is no ground probe in your sink. Isn't it the same thing with your aquarium?
I'm really in the dark here and just don't want to find myself floating over my lifeless body on my way to who knows where

Hopefully up

[spreerider]

your sink should be grounded if its metal and it its not it wont matter as it wont conduct anyways.

A GFCI works by measuring the current entering (hot) and leaving (the identified conductor commenly called neutral) you can have a ground fault and not have a gfci trip under the right circumstances but a solid connected ground is not necessary for a GFCI to trip as the current in a fault without solid ground could still make it to ground via a person or object.
i use a GFCI but no ground probe.
BTW most aquarium products are not grounded they are double insulated you can tell because none of them have a 3rd prong on the cord, the only thing that usually is grounded is the light as some require a proper ground to startup lights, and often have exposed metal on the fixture that needs to be grounded as per CEC and CUL.

[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.