Outstanding write-up! Sing it Brew12 sing it!
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A grounding probe is only effective in salt water. As the video above shows, it provides no protection in a fresh water aquarium.So is the grounding probe supposed to work better in saltwater or is is it less effective?
What I got from the video is even with a grounding probe you're still going to get shocked!
I use Vortech MP40's in my aquarium DT so I do not have anything electrical in my DT. For me, there is no value to having one in my DT.Would the probe go in the aquarium or sump or does it not matter?
where can a grounding probe for aquariums can be purchased?
Bulk reef supply has them with free shipping
I'm glad you are okay, and thank you for sharing. I think this goes to show the effectiveness of a ground probe in a salt water aquarium. Without the ground probe you would have been shocked when you touched the water. This does go to show why ground probes and GFCI's should be used together if at all possible.My pellet reactor pump was not working properly yesterday. Took it out to fiddle with it and felt a tingling sensation when I rested my elbow on the tank. Put it down, picked it up and it felt like my arm go whacked with a stick. Grounding probe did not seem to help when the pump is out of the water. After that, I put a GFCI adapter on the plug for the tank. Need to get a GFCI breaker installed. Lesson learned.
I have new GFCI receptacles. I bought a bunch for different damp areas in the basement, garage and kitchen. They are very easy to install. However, my tank is too close to the wall to replace the receptacle. I am not comfortable replacing the breaker.I'm glad you are okay, and thank you for sharing. I think this goes to show the effectiveness of a ground probe in a salt water aquarium. Without the ground probe you would have been shocked when you touched the water. This does go to show why ground probes and GFCI's should be used together if at all possible.
Installing a GFCI is a great idea. If you don't want to install a GFCI breaker, it is easy to change the receptacle to GFCI and will cost less than $15.
I don't blame you at all. I still get a nervous any time I do work in my home electrical panel. Using the portable GFCI like you are is a fantastic option to provide safety.I have new GFCI receptacles. I bought a bunch for different damp areas in the basement, garage and kitchen. They are very easy to install. However, my tank is too close to the wall to replace the receptacle. I am not comfortable replacing the breaker.
I have a feeling you won't like the answer. If your GFCI trips, your UPS will still provide power to the fault until the battery is drained. To use both the UPS and the Apex, you would need to have the GFCI's installed after the Apex.Ok, electrical amateur here so please bear with me.
I have a dedicated circuit with a two plug GFCI receptacle on it. I connect a Battery backup / UPS to one of the receptacles. My Apex and all my equipment connects to that UPS. If I connect a grounding probe to the OTHER receptacle on that GFCI is this the recommend setup or do I need to have GFCI receptacles AFTER my apex?
I have a feeling you won't like the answer. If your GFCI trips, your UPS will still provide power to the fault until the battery is drained. To use both the UPS and the Apex, you would need to have the GFCI's installed after the Apex.
I agree, it is a small price to pay for safety.That's what I was thinking, thanks for the confirmation. Luckily I use 3' extension cables to get from my Apex out of my wiring closet for a nice clean look. I can just install a bunch of those GFCI "adapters". Not the cheapest solution but safety first.
But, to be clear, if I install the GFCI "adapters" I'm still ok with a single grounding probe back to the "source" GFCI wall receptacle?
Most ground plugs are made of titanium to avoid the leaching metals issue.What about metal in the water? Since the grounding probe is made of metal, surely that much leach into the water which cant be good for sps corals and sensitive invertebrates. Even if its stainless steel it will leach chrome, nickel and molybden or is it made out of titantium or any other reef safe metal?
Thats great. Then im definetely getting one. Hate that tingly sensation under my nailsMost ground plugs are made of titanium to avoid the leaching metals issue.
If your service ground is bad outside it will use your tank as a ground and you will get more than a tingle. Example I got a call from a friend and he told me he was getting shocked when he put his hand in his tank. So I took a voltage reading and only 5 volts to the meter but to the hand it wasn’t very pleasing. Took out the grounding probe and voltage and shock was gone
This is another dangerous situation. Installing a ground probe in this situation doesn't hurt anything, but it also doesn't help anything. This results in the ground prong on the probe plug to be electrically isolated. If you have 2 prong outlets in your house but have a few areas where 3 prong outlets are installed, I highly recommend checking to make sure your ground plugs are wired in properly!After a couple minutes I realized someone had installed GFCI grounding receptacles on 2 wire non-grounded romex, and did not mark the receptacles as such. Please check your service and receptacles for proper grounding before using a grounding probe.
Any circuit breaker can fail. Circuit breakers used in home applications should have a UL 489 listing on them. You may also see a stamp showing either 25C or 40C. If your breaker shows this UL listing, it is good from -35C all the way up to 25C (or 40C if stamped) and will trip within it's current specifications unless it fails.On 20 amp breakers tripping, there tripping is based on temperature and amperage. I have seen business owners using fans blowing on there equipment to keep breakers and transformers from over heating. If your panel is in the garage or another area that gets cold it will take much more than 20 amps to trip that 20 amp breaker. I have also seen receptacles fried black and crispy before the breaker tripped.
Yes, you should still find out what is leaking. You probably have a piece of electrical equipment that is failing. It could be leaching metals like copper or other materials into your tank water. I would make it a priority to find it and remove it.I used to get that tingling sensation on cuts whenever I put my hand in the water, installing two grounding probes one in the DT and the other in the sump took care of that.
My question is should I still be worried and try to find out what equipment is leaking?