Our Power Company Says: Our Water Filter Can Give Off Electromagnetic Radiation.

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Question: Do most aquarium stores tell customers about magnetic fields generated from the filters? And do most filters come with a warning label about electromagnetic radiation?

I'm unsure of where you are, but you can get 10 gallon tanks for around 15$ and 20 gallon tanks for maybe 35, but YOU are more important than the fish, no matter what anyone says.

Well, glass and acrylic glass here are more expensive than those sold in the USA. So, it really depends on the seller.

Also, we are having two typhoons in Taiwan. I can't go out due to the weather. :( I'll see what I can do to purchase a new one, if it's cheap enough.

And I may be more important than the fish, my Mom is more important than me, as she watches over my money.

10g starter kits are around 20$ like krap101 said, that is better than all your tanks combined, it comes with a filter as well

Thanks, I'll try finding one at the last local aquarium store, once both typhoons are out of the way.
 
Question: Do most aquarium stores tell customers about magnetic fields generated from the filters? And do most filters come with a warning label about electromagnetic radiation?

I doubt most LFS owners would even mention anything about it. They probably don't know about it or figure it is negligible amounts anyways. You can always read the manual on your filter to see if there is a warning, but I doubt it.
 
Temp no they dont, I know here in american we have UL which test stuff like this to underwrite for insurance reasons/health reasons ect.
If its electrical in america it has a UL stamping on it to show its within their requirements.

I took an EMF meter to both my wet/dry's last night(they got the pumps and heaters in them) I was barely getting a reading.
 
Barely? That's really unexpected. I don't know what to say. This is probably one of the most unusual thing I have ever encountered in my life.

I'm just spooked, you know? That, if I think of this:

Filters made outside of our country barely get any EMF readings, while some of our own filters get them.

It's hard to believe.
 
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Filters made outside of our country barely get any EMF readings, while some of our own filters get them.

It's hard to believe.

I have a hunch you two are measuring different things, or at different levels. It all depends on the sensitivity of the measuring equipment.

There is really no reason different makes of water pumps should have different levels of EMR - regardless of the quality of construction. In simple terms, all these filter pumps/powerheads consist of is a bunch of wire wrapped into a doughnut shape, with a propeller or paddle attached to a magnet inside that bunch of wires. There is no attempt to shield it or anything - it's just all enclosed in plastic. Some manufacturers might do a better job of encapsulating it so water doesn't get in, but that will have no effect on how much "radiation" it puts out.
 
Without actual units from the electric co guy, we have no idea what he is measuring. Is he measuring a magnetic field? Well, that is present in all pumps, as that is basically an electro-magnet. At any rate, all wires gives off a magnetic field, I wouldn't worry too much about it unless you are putting the motor right next to your head .... Just keep it a few feet away from your head & you should be OK.

Incidentally, the chances of you getting anything from the EM field of a pump is likely less than that from a cell phone. The EM output of a cell phone is much higher than a electric wire, and even there, with people putting the cell phone right up to their heads all day, the evidence of it causing anything is equivocal.

Another issue with white devil's EMF measurement is that he is measuring the pump inside a sump. The pump is submerged in water & behind glass (unless he has an external pump.) The glass & water might attenuate the readings compared to a HOB filter which is right on the outside. Also, if the pump motor is in a metal casing rather than plastic, that would really alter the EM field.

If you are REALLY paranoid, you can build a Faraday cage.
Faraday cage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Basically, you wrap the equipment in a copper (or other conductive) mesh & that should isolate the EM field. But really, unless you are working with a few Teslas (like an MRI machine), that is really overkill. OTOH, it is an interesting science project ... might satisfy your mom & you can enter it in a science fair or something ... :)
 
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Any electric item, especially one with a motor, will give off electromagnetic waves - after all, it's electric, right? The amount given off by a small filter motor is negligible compared to a TV set or computer or microwave. Your mom is being paranoid, not to mention ignorant. (By the way, you don't state your age, but if you are over 18 in most states your mom can't tell you to do anything, so stand up for yourself and tell Mommy to stop being controlling).
 
Your mom is being paranoid, not to mention ignorant. (By the way, you don't state your age, but if you are over 18 in most states your mom can't tell you to do anything, so stand up for yourself and tell Mommy to stop being controlling).

Thats okay, we're all ignorant. If you think you're not then you don't know the definition of the word. Calling someone ignorant usually isn't helpful ;)

Hey Temp :D. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess NTD stands for New Taiwan Dollar, which would put you somewhere in or around Taiwan :). If I'm wrong, then what does NTD stand for?

Just following along from Canada wishing you the best in your aquarium adventures.
 
I think it's measured in milligauss
Gauss (unit) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ambient emr that is.

And no lol. It's perfectly safe. The earth emits a constant amount of emr on the magnitude of several thousand times more than most home appliances (although it's more prevalent near fault lines and is largely dilute). Research from NASA indicates that without the natural EMR on earth we often have trouble with equilibrium and may experience nausea. Thus, astronauts are equipped with strong magnets when they go to space.

Anyways. No I don't think you are in any danger. Using a cell phone is probably more likely to give you cancer than a spinning magnet. Remember ALL electric motors work on the same principle of inverting magnetic fields. A toy car or electric fan probably emits the same amount of EMR.

From the wiki article:

One thing you should explain to your mother is that there are many frequencies of electromagnetic radiation.

They span from low frequency infrared to UV to X-Ray to Gamma. Two of them are carcinogenic. Gamma radiation will not hurt you. It will go right through you and cook you if in high enough doses. The term "radiation" is tossed around too lightly. Any type of dispersed energy that doesn't require a physical medium to travel in can be called radiation.

The "radio-active" radiation people talk about is really free neutrons and protons. That is what comes from nuclear reactors. As heavy material decays it sends off neutrons and protons and when they collide with our cells, to put things simply, mess them up at the molecular level.

Energy =/= radio-active particles.

The frequencies at which most our appliances operate are not dangerous. Suffice to say it is pretty well proven that super-high doses of certain radio frequencies aren't good for you...But considering that many of us have probably spent a good while next to an electric fan (which operates on the same principle as the motor in the filter) you are in no danger of radiation poisoning. Finally, about hairloss. Ask your doctor about it. It could be something else.
 
According to Wiki, home EMR is usually measured in nanoTesla, which is 0.01 milliGauss. <1 Tesla = 10000 Gauss>

If that was the unit used, even 1000 nT is tiny compared to the earth's own field .... so really, no worries here.
 
Alright, maybe if we knew what the unit was used, we wouldn't be freaking out about the electric motor. Thanks for the info. :D

Hey Temp :D. I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess NTD stands for New Taiwan Dollar, which would put you somewhere in or around Taiwan :). If I'm wrong, then what does NTD stand for?

Just following along from Canada wishing you the best in your aquarium adventures.

Yes, NTD stands for New Taiwan Dollars, and I'm in Taiwan. The location should pop up at the side... And thanks for the compliment.
 
Guys, let me put this to rest. I worked with environmental radioactive samples. Even working in those situations for 50 some years, your life expectancy is only like a day less. You can get exposed to plenty of radiation a day and not lose any sleep over it. How much do you think you're exposed to when you're sitting under fluorescent lights all day? Or even out in the sun? The truth is, you're putting yourself at MORE risk driving to work every day than you are with the normal amount of radioactive exposure every day. Just a fun fact, if I remember correctly, every 25 miles you drive, you have a 1/1,000,000 chance of dying. Another fun fact. Did you know that single men have about 1000 less days in their life expectancy than married men do? Weird hu?

You'll be fine. Don't worry about it.
 
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