Help with voltage meter

[leftyfish]

I measured for stray voltage and got two readings, I don't know which end goes in the water and which contacts metal.

When red is on metal and black in water, I get 3.401, when I do the reverse it is 0.080. Which is correct?

Thank you!

 

[leftyfish]

Anyone measure this before?

 

[Jereli]

Well really it should not matter what lead goes where since your measuring for AC. One lead to ground in your outlet the other to your tank. I have not done this by the way and out of curiosity why are you measuring this?

 

[leftyfish]

To see if there is stray voltage in the tank.

 

[Jereli]

yea but i mean do you suspect stray voltages in your tank... just wondering if you notice any side affects due to stray voltages

 

[leftyfish]

Oh, no, but I want to test it as part of a routine, with powerheads, heater, pump in the water. I do have a tang that had some spots yesterday and none this am but still some discoloration on her fins.

 

[carey]

Hey, if you have the tester it's worth a shot to be sure.

I've got my fingers crossed for the tang. We don't want the dreaded "I" word coming out.

 

[Jereli]

Oh I see.. But yea when measuring AC voltage lead polarity doesnt matter.

 

[leftyfish]

Oh I see.. But yea when measuring AC voltage lead polarity doesnt matter.

Did I get two measurements because I didn't put it in the outlet but rather just touched metal with it? I will put it in the ground on the outlet when I get home.

I am getting her better food today so hopefully the spots will not return. Crazy though, it has to be in the tank already for her to get spots, and she is the only new fish!

 

[Jereli]

yea could have just been poor grounding which was not giving you a good reading.. it should be grounded to your home ground on the outlet

 

[leftyfish]

yea could have just been poor grounding which was not giving you a good reading.. it should be grounded to your home ground on the outlet

I will do that, thank you!!

 

[Jereli]

also if your not already doing this it would be a good idea to have your tank/equipment running on a GFI outlet.

 

[Bige]

Put positive in tank. Take black negative and put in the ground of an outlet or as I did, had extention cord plugged in and held it in my hand. Then report reading.

 

[Bige]

And also, put leads from meter together. To see if you get a reading from that. They can off. So if you get a reading with the leads touching, then it may be the tester.

 

[leftyfish]

OKay, when I put the leads together the meter reads .000. When I take them apart it is .03 to .05 ish. When I put the black lead in the ground outlet in the wall, I get 1.000 ish, it fluctuates a little between .9xx and 1.xxx, when I unplug all electrical (turn off the powerstrip) it goes down to .03ish. When I unplug the heater it goes from 1-.9 down to .7, when I unplug the power head1 it goes down further, when I unplug the other power head it goes down more, and when I unplug the main pump to the tank it goes down even further.

What does this mean? Is everything giving off stray voltage? My tang, who was previously swimming all over the tank is now hiding in the corner with the clowns. The clowns have always favored that corner, but they seem to be hiding there too. Parameters are normal, and tang does not have any bumps and the color on the fins is gone from what I can tell. The mandarin is hanging out over there too, but the goby is on the complete other side of the tank guarding his post, looking normal. Besides hanging out they are all doing normal things.

 

[leftyfish]

Oh, and the skimmer didn't change the voltage at all when I unplugged it.

 

[leftyfish]

Well, everyone decided to swim around again, should I plug the heater in again and see if they act funny again?

I can't find any info on what the numbers are really telling me? I will have my husband change the outlet to a gfi ASAP. Will it trip for stray voltage or just current?

 

[Jereli]

I myself am not sure what those numbers are indicating, I have not tested for stray voltage in who knows how long but i will today to compare results I am interested in seeing my numbers now ... There is ground probes they sell fairly cheap that will help take care of stray voltages.

As far as GFI...i am almost certain it will not trip with stray voltages. Just current. I would definitely add one either way. it can save you in worst case scenario if properly working.

 

[thras]

I would think it's just magnetic induction from the motors elements in the heater and all that I believe when they say stray voltage they mean 120 volts 12volts at min I don't see 1 volt hurting u it's less than static electricity if u touch the water and get shocked then it would be something to look into but that's just me

 

[kdpuffer]

I'm actually an electrician and in my opinion it's not an issue. Everything electrical puts out an "induced voltage" and or magnetic field. Equipment used in the hobby is insulated to prevent shocks. My suspicion is that your tang has ick or thrashed into some rock or something. Its also possible your parameters are off or the temperature. Electrical burns wouldn't cause little spots, plus in order to actually cause a burn you would have to apply alot more voltage and current than 1 volt. If your still concerned relocate your heater to your sump or filter. As far as gfci receptacle go they are never a bad idea especially when water is near by. Just be sure to hook a ground wire up or the gfci won't operate properly.