Heard of RIO PH malfunction and electrocution?

[austinsdad]

This post originally, and incorrectly stated there was a Maxi jet problem. I've editied it to change the name to RIO instead. However, I did have this small issue with my Maxijet. Not nearly one as described with the RIO.

Met 2 people in the last week that had bad experiences with RIO PHs, in that they malfunctioned and caused electrical problems.

One was a sevice guy who said he has ran across them in customer's tanks and when he reached in, go a mild jolt. Another tank owner says his malufnctioned and shocked/killed everything in his tank of 10 years.

Was I just in the wrong place at the wrong time and heard these 2 horror stories, or has anyone else had or heard of problems w/them?

Funny too. That night I went home to my newly setup 40g. Reached in and felt something real strange. No serious shock, but a tingle. I thought it was my inagination. It was late. Now, two days later that same MJ1200 hooked to my HOB skimmer is malfunctioning. It pumps when I touch it or jiggle it only.

Weird. Any thoughts or first (or second hand) stories?

 

[clowninround]

That doesn't sit well with me since I have 2 maxi jets in my tank 8O . Think I'll go check mine out now.

 

[malkore]

maxi-jets are far more reliable than Rio's.

I'd say you heard 1 horror story, and 1 story about an ungrounded tank.

 

[austinsdad]

What's the best way to ground it?

The third event, the one in mine. Another ungrounded tank right?

 

[BDAWG]

How do you ground a tank?

 

[austinsdad]

I was wrong. It was RIO horror stories, not Maxijet

 

[fishfreek]

Maxijet are one of the best PH's out there IMO. Rios are junk in compairson. In my experence RIO pumps do not perform as good as far as water movement and on/off relyablity as compaired to the maxijet brand.

You can ground a tank with a grounding probe. This is a titanium rod that is placed in the tank and then run to the ground on your electrical outlet.

All of this also reminds one of the importance of a GFI circut. These would in theory trip before a potental lethal dose of electricity reached the hobbist.

 

[swissfish]

You can stick a ground probe in the tank to ground it out. Make sure the groundprobe is as close to the pumps as possible since electricity is traveling the path of the least resistance.
Also have to agree to the impotance of having everything plugt into a GFI or GFCI (it's the same but they go by two different names) Outlet or Adapter.

It's not the electrical buzz that makes my like my fishtank

 

[malkore]

sorry I missed the part about YOUR powerhead. It sounds like the wire isn't connected properly, if it only runs when you wiggle it. compounded by the fact you get a tingle of electricity, I'd say replace that powerhead.

 

[austinsdad]

Yep. How embarrased was I when I found out it was the RIO malfunction instead. I've got all Maxi Jets. So, lemme get this straight, I hear to stories about RIO. The next day, I have a Maxijet problem. I tell a bunch of people the wrong story about the wrong PH.


Got any good recommendations for a grounding probe? I do have all these fish tank outlets as GFCI. Maybe it was my imagination about the tingle. Nothing tripped. Weird. :?

On the grounding probe placement. How do I position it when I've got 2 PHs on the left side of the tank, along with my fuge pump, and a PH on the other side of the tank? Place it near the 3 - OK with that. Will I need another on the other side of the tank where the other PH is? TThat's on the main tank.

On the 40g I felt the tingle on. There's on PH on one side at the HOB skimmer. Then another on the other side of the tank. 2 probes or split the diff between the two?

OK, I admit, this grounding and electricity in the water thing has me kinda spooked.

 

[fishfreek]

If the hand you put in the tank had a small cut on it then you will experence a 'tingle' from the saltwater interacting with the wound. Depending on the size of the cut the tingle can excliate to pain.

Dont be worried about the placment. Shoot just put it in at an angle. Its just a titanimum rod. Titanium is used as its corosive resistant and a good conductor. Many have plugs on the end that you put into the wall. The AC leads are made of plastic and the grounding lead is metal. Others have a simple screw loop that you screw to the outlet faceplate screw.