Reef aquarium is eletricuting me

[Sqasnatch]

I think the reason I'm not getting a reading is there is no shock anymore, I tried doing the same thing as before touching the water and fixture with my hand at the same time and no shock, what the heck is going on

 

[joy13]

If it isn't happening every time check your heater. Turn it on then test it.

 

[jcarlilesiu]

Agreed.

Check a piece of equipment that turns off an on like stuff on timers or thermometer.

A heater is a good place to start.

 

[Sqasnatch]

Good idea

 

[Sqasnatch]

Ok it's not the heater. And it just happened again. When I put the voltmeter in the water or on the fixture it gives mr nothing for a reading. I put the positive probe in the water and the negative probe in the ground outlet. Still shows me no reading. What am I doin wrong. Is there something else I can ground on

 

[Sqasnatch]

Ok guys I figured it out. Thank for all your help. It wasn't grounding. And it is the light fixture. Any ideas on where to start looking

 

[rdnelson99]

If it is intermittent, it is most likely a loose connection. In my opinion, you wont find it using a tester. The better way is the GFCI because it works by checking current flow on the ground and is extremely sensitive. By plugging things in one at a time you can tell which one trips the GFI. My bet is it is the light fixture or a pump. Because it is intermittent, it most likely is something that has vibration or gets moved around which causes the loose connection to touch metal. It isn't a dead short or it would be tripping the breaker in the electrical panel. It is something that is most likely bleeding a small amount of current through the insulation. If it were direct wire to metal contact you would see an arc and the breaker should trip. Since that isn't happening it is a small current flow and the meter will not pick it up unless you spent about $500 on the meter. Again, this is what I have learned in 30+ years in electrical construction and maintenance.

Hope it helps.

 

[kdpuffer]

How old is the fixture? If it is reasonably new I would just get it replaced under warranty. If warranty is expired it would need to be checked out. You said its a 12 bulb, what kind of bulbs? If they are fluorescent I would check the terminals the bulbs clip into. If they are wet it may cause issues. Also pop te cover or covers and check the internal wiring. Look for corrosion and check the ground wire termination. Typically it's a green wire and is screwed directly to the case of the fixture. Make sure all connections are tight and dry. Also MAKE SURE YOU UNPLUG THE FIXTURE WHILE DOING THIS. If thE issue is not here check the cord end going into the wall and verify the ground prong is there and not broken off. If this didnt find the problem let us know and we will help dig a little deeper.

 

[stingrays4]

Hi i have had this problem before,and still do on one of my tanks What happens is i put me hand in the water and all is OK! But if my arm connects with the light reflector i get a lovely tingling sensationso now i basically just make sure i do not touch the reflector...........
I think what happens is the light starter gets very slightly damp due to being very close to the tank so it sets up a 'live' feed to anything that touches anywhere near the lights.
Footnote this is only a minor problem on my tank so do not ignore if its more than just a tingling sensation! Remember water and electric are a very bad combination!

 

[kdpuffer]

There is a nearly identical thread to this, reef aquarium electricuting me (the spelling is wrong but thats how the OP spelled it) Search it and follow along.

 

[kdpuffer]

Just noticed its your thread lol

 

[Sqasnatch]

Lol. I won't get the chance to take apart till tomorrow now. It is defenetly the light. It's an aquatic life that I bought in february. And I will be checking the warranty. And it's kind of hard not to touch the fixture when you are in the tank. The tank is 18 inch wide and the light has got to be 12 or 14 inch wide. If warranty doesn't cover it will it help if I just wrap everything in electrical tape. If it's just bad insulation I do t know if I will ever be a ble to find where it is coming through. There is wire everywhere under those reflector covers. Also doesn't seem to be any moisture at all. There is two protective covers between the lights and the tank

 

[rdnelson99]

Taping it up is not something I would recommend. While the tape should be rated for 600V for each layer, if it is not stretched tight water may work it's way along the seams and negate the insulating qualities. If I were you, I would wiggle each wire termination and see if the wire comes off or feels like it is not connected good. That is the most likely location. If all the wire connections are good and you don't see any obvious problem, I would definitely go to the manufacturer and tell them it is shocking you and needs to be replaced under warranty. It should have at least a 1 year warranty.

For both you and the other poster who says he just doesn't touch the light when his hands are in the water I would advice that the problem be corrected. Electricity and water do not mix well with the human body. It takes one milliamp at one millivolt across the heart to stop it. You are dealing with 120 volts at up to 16 amps. That is why GFCI protection is advisable on the power source for aquarium equipment. It will trip at 5 milliamps.

 

[kdpuffer]

I agree, tape isn't really a solution. I would recommend calling the manufacturer first. If you do still have a warranty you will void it by opening the light up. If the warranty has expired then open it and check everything we have suggested.

 

[Sqasnatch]

Ok guys. Thank for all your help. I talked to aquatic life and they helped me figure out what was goin on. Long story short problem solved. Everyone was a great deal of help

 

[Ibrahim]

Ok guys. Thank for all your help. I talked to aquatic life and they helped me figure out what was goin on. Long story short problem solved. Everyone was a great deal of help

What was it?

 

[rdnelson99]

Come on now, we all got hooked on this thread and we want to know what it was. LOL Share the wealth.

 

[Sqasnatch]

Well I thought it was the light fixture because. When I put the voltmeter to the hood of the fixture I was getting a reading and when I unplugged it I was not getting a reading. I was putting the probes in the water and the hood, then when I unplugged the light fixture I would get no reading. As it would turn out that was because I was unplugging the ground, which makes sense, so after calling the guy from aquatic life an *** , he told me what was going on, but my probes were not long enough to go I to the ground of the outlet so I still used the hood of the light as my ground and started unplugging things 1 at a time again, turns out it was a crack in the glass in a heater. Lesson learned. Lol

 

[joy13]

I always look at the heaters first then the powerheads because those are the 2 things that are in the water.

 

[Rutrag]

That also explains why it didn't happen all the time since the heater turns off and on via a thermostat. I bet you were getting shocked when it was trying to heat. I'm glad you found the problem because although you said nothing in the tank seemed to be gettign harmed, it might end up eventually being bad enough to hurt things. I've had a couple of pumps seize and rupture and kill all my inverts. Not real fun.

Also (and I've made this mistake myself), "electrocution" is death by electric shock, not just electric shock.