getting shocked

reeferlover

reeferlover

New member
i think..

Soemtimes when i put the tips of my fingers in my tank i feel like im getting a shock. I have tried everything and it seems to not go away. now its only once in a while and my gf puts her fingers in and nothing. i know this is silly but everything is doing so good i dont want any problems. i bite my nails could that be it like its just stinging? or the very light shock is worse because i have the under part of my nail exsposed? i have two grounding probes. how can i test this? Im plug into a grounded outlet. its old wiring i wonder if its shorting out. again its only every once in a great while and nothing shows issues
 
reeferlover said:
i think..

Soemtimes when i put the tips of my fingers in my tank i feel like im getting a shock. I have tried everything and it seems to not go away. now its only once in a while and my gf puts her fingers in and nothing. i know this is silly but everything is doing so good i dont want any problems. i bite my nails could that be it like its just stinging? or the very light shock is worse because i have the under part of my nail exsposed? i have two grounding probes. how can i test this? Im plug into a grounded outlet. its old wiring i wonder if its shorting out. again its only every once in a great while and nothing shows issues
Click to expand...

I had the same thing one time... I bite my nails as well. It doesn't happen anymore. I would say stray voltage from something. Does it happen every tome you put your hands in? You could try unplugging one thing at a time and see if it goes away.

Good luck!
 
Give yourself a papercut and dip your finger in. It will feel like you stuck your finger in an electrical socket if there's a leak. Althought the papercut was an acciddent, this is how I found a leak in my tank once. Hurt like hell!!
Kidding aside, is there someone who can lend you a meter to test for stray voltage?
 
I bite my nails as well and I kept feeling a sting when I dipped my fingers but does stray voltage affect the live stock?
 
Try to unplug one thing at a time that's in your tank and put you finger in the tank after each thing you unplug and check if you get shocked. Pump, then heater, then return pump, etc. Once you stop getting shocked you know what was causing it.
 
Well lucky my wife doesn't bite her nails we went through everything one night. IT never went away til I switched wall plugs. Now it only happens once in a while. I can tell it's worse when I have been biting them. That's for sure. Or if I have a cut or something. Where can I buy a meter. I don't want to risk it. Al in habitants seem fine. Even right now. Two finger that I chewed on sting two that aren't don't. So weird.
 
If there's stray voltage, you'll know it. What you're feeling, I'm assuming, is the salt sterilizing any cuts/raw skin you have. If you feel a small shock/burn, leave your finger in the tank for a second. If it goes away, you're good. Every time I've been shocked by my tank, all of my muscles fire at once. Now THAT isn't pleasant... :)
 
Haha. I think ur right. I'm just worried. Cause when it was bad it was not plugged in to a grounded outlet. It's definitely different
 
you can get a meter at any hardware store, harbor freight etc
they are very cheap nowadays....dont use your finger to test it. if you have voltage get it fixed right. Darwinism
hopefully you have a gfi on your tank circuit, if not you really should read up on it b4 electrocuting youself with the above method of finger testing.
A gounding probe is a good idea as well

yes the voltage is not good for you or your tanks inhabitants most likely its a faulty powerhead or heater as mentioned above.
 
I don't think inhabitants are affected do to them not being grounded
You get shocked because your being the conductor voltage in water flowing through you to ground
The fish are just swimming in but
But the fish are not grounded so they are not being used as a conductor
Just like you can touch one wire of an outlet and not get hurt but of you put one wire in one and and touch the other with the other hand you get shocked cause you competed the circuit

But all aside gfi would be best
Just incase
 
Jwblocal701 said:
I don't think inhabitants are affected do to them not being grounded
You get shocked because your being the conductor voltage in water flowing through you to ground
The fish are just swimming in but
But the fish are not grounded so they are not being used as a conductor
Just like you can touch one wire of an outlet and not get hurt but of you put one wire in one and and touch the other with the other hand you get shocked cause you competed the circuit

.... wrong
When he touches the water and completes the circuit, the tank does experience the current along with the poster. But what if it's something else besides the unlucky poster that is completing the circuit: perhaps if he has a ground plug with a worn cord// or nick in a ground wire on a powerhead/ or just a dangling wire from above the tank,,who knows??. point is the tank could be experiencing random current more often than he knows..

Get a GFI and you will figure out the stray voltage source quickly... really for safety's sake please look up gfi, grounding probe and make sure your electrical hookups are proper and grounded....
Click to expand...
 
Ive gotten that stinging/shock feeling before, probably just cut on your finger. When I dip other parts of my body into my tank all I get is a change in temp
 
I just sold a Mag24 to a local reefer because his old one was causing the stray voltage in the tank. So it could be anything. I would un plug everything and see if it goes away then start plugging in items until you find the culprit.
 
volt ohm meter the are under 10 dollars are harbor freight store and probably alot of other places and useful besides for aquariums, to test set for low voltage, put the black in the ground of a grounded wall outlet (the odd round one not either of the 2 slots ) that gives u a ground, put the red in the tank, most tanks will have a volt or 2 and thats fairly normal, a grounding probe takes this to zero. if more then check powerheads, heaters, pumps, anything with a wire etc.
 
i have a DC milliamp meter and all of my tanks read zero. They sell titanium grounding rods for tanks if needed for like 10$
 
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