Serious dangers of salt water tanks and any tank

[mike31154]

As long as we run our systems with the electrical gizmos required to keep them running, there will be a risk of shock. The best we can do is minimize that risk by using GFI devices, keeping electrical cords out of the water and generally being aware/cognizant of the danger when volts & amps are associated with salt water.

I've seen folks with power bars & non moisture proof lamps mounted way too close above their sumps. I also still see people totally submerging heaters in the water, cord & all. I know enough about the hazards of water/electricity not to take a manufacturer's word that a heater is fully submersible. These things are mass produced and all that stands between you & death is an epoxy or rubber seal that will deteriorate with age, as will the cord as already mentioned. Just because they are UL listed or CSA approved doesn't mean there's an official at every plant watching how these things run off the line. Even if there was, he/she is not going to get out a megger & measure the the resistance of each one between the insulated parts of the heater & the electrical contacts. Meat inspectors can't possibly check every carcass in every slaughter house either. If you value your safety & those venturing near your tank, keep the control head & electrical cord of your heater above the water level.

Common sense! If you value your safety, have drip loops in all your cords, keep power bars & open electrical receptacles away from salt water or humid environments! They will corrode/deteriorate over time. Don't be grabbing your light fixture at the same time you stick your hand in the water.

Some basics to minimize risk of electrocution:

The fewer cords anywhere near your tank, the better. One reason I like VorTech pumps is the cord is outside the tank & they run on low voltage direct current as opposed to household alternating current. I'm more than willing to put up with the extra sound the dry side makes in exchange for the added safety factor.

Use an external return pump as opposed to an internal one. One more cord & motor not exposed to water 24/7.

Use GFI devices, as if that hasn't been hammered into this thread already. Jury is out on ground probes. Personally I think they're more of a hazard than anything. If you do use a ground probe you really need to make sure every one of the devices associated with your tank is GFI protected.

Go LED if you can. Low voltage lighting is much safer around the water than the relatively high voltages associated with Halide & Fluorescent lighting.

Only items in my water with a cord attached anymore are heaters & I'm looking for a way to heat the water by other means, perhaps an under tank heating mat, like in floor heating or something. A little extreme maybe, but an idea nevertheless. Other item is a small Aquaclear powerhead feeding my skimmer, but I make sure the cord is above the water surface. In the end, it doesn't matter whether the powerhead or heater is small or large with respect to wattage, bottom line is, they are fed by a 120 volt AC 15 amp circuit breaker & if something goes wrong, that's the potential shock hazard.

[Aquattro]

Mike, based on all your info, I'm as good as dead

[kien]

Seriously guys, this thread is really shocking!

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Mike, based on all your info, I'm as good as dead

Well, I got carried away again a bit I reckon. Watched the thread develop & was eating popcorn for a while, but then couldn't resist the long winded saga.

In the end, it's a crap shoot. Some of us are destined to become statistics, most of us will muddle thru with some good fortune.

Edit: You're now no longer a member of the Losers Without LEDs club, so that's one step in the safe direction (according to Mike), even if it's not working for a coral or two....

[Zoaelite]

Originally Posted by mike31154

Well, I got carried away again a bit I reckon. Watched the thread develop & was eating popcorn for a while, but then couldn't resist the long winded saga.

In the end, it's a crap shoot. Some of us are destined to become statistics, most of us will muddle thru with some good fortune.

Edit: You're now no longer a member of the Losers Without LEDs club, so that's one step in the safe direction (according to Mike), even if it's not working for a coral or two....

I would consider it a good carried away, never hurts to remind people of the dangers of this hobby.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Mike, based on all your info, I'm as good as dead

with your wiring skills, you should have been dead years ago

Steve

[Seriak]

You could also use an inline heater.

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by StirCrazy

with your wiring skills, you should have been dead years ago

Steve

Zactly! That's why I don't take these threads very seriously. I zap myself once a month, minimum. My family knows not to be within 3 feet of me when I have any type of wiring in my hand lol
I did get careless and start a fire, but that was contained and the sloppiness corrected. Sort of.

[MitchM]

Originally Posted by mike31154

.....
Only items in my water with a cord attached anymore are heaters & I'm looking for a way to heat the water by other means, perhaps an under tank heating mat, like in floor heating or something. A little extreme maybe, but an idea nevertheless. Other item is a small Aquaclear powerhead feeding my skimmer, but I make sure the cord is above the water surface. In the end, it doesn't matter whether the powerhead or heater is small or large with respect to wattage, bottom line is, they are fed by a 120 volt AC 15 amp circuit breaker & if something goes wrong, that's the potential shock hazard.

Mike, depending on how easy access you have to your plumbing and if you have a controller on your aquarium, you could run a small coil of PEX into your sump and plumb in a home hot water line using a recirc pump.
A guy over on RC did this successfully.

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by MitchM

Mike, depending on how easy access you have to your plumbing and if you have a controller on your aquarium, you could run a small coil of PEX into your sump and plumb in a home hot water line using a recirc pump.
A guy over on RC did this successfully.

Yeah, thanks for that info. I actually read that thread the other day. There've been similar projects over the years, even some where people did the opposite, trying to cool their tanks with coils of piping submerged in the sump, then run underground aka geothermal. Seems like you need to be careful with that kind of set up lest you cook your system by not siziing the thermal mass properly. Can get complicated.

If I ever get my basement sump thing started I may consider something like that. A couple of years ago I tiled the floor at my living room bay window & put electrical heating under the tile. I've been considering putting a run of that under the next project. That is, build a stand, put electrical heating on the surface where the tank will sit, then some nice granite tile. Set the tank on that (and/or sump) & voila, under tank heating. Just not sure if the weight of the tank would be an issue in possibly crushing the wiring below eventually.

But again, I digress. Stay safe with the 'lectrics. Ditch those electric float switches that run your ATO & go with gravity feed & mechanical float valve.