electrical safety

[clutterydrawer]

So. I acquired a filter second hand and whilst I have no reason to doubt its safety, I also have no reason to trust it. I'm probably just being paranoid but is there any way I can test it for safety? It's just that I'm worried about electricity in such close conjunction with water.

I know its a fairly old filter because I have another, newer one of the same make/model which is a slightly different design.

thanks

 

[sub.42]

Hiya,

If you are really worried about its safety, then take your filter to your local HSS hire shop, and they will PAT test it for electrical safety. They will be testing its casing insulation properties, and other associated parts, like the cable insulation, and they will sticker it up, all for £8. Bargain.

Sub.

 

[Cute-n-Fury]

wouldnt the sticker not com off in the water thow? not that its really important or am i tlking complete nonsense again???

 

[sub.42]

Cute-n-Fury,

I was speaking metaphorically. I was trying to say that they would 'label' it as electrically safe. Yes, you do get a sticker, but that is of no consequence. It is a legal requirement, and yes, it will fall off underwater

Sub.

 

[daza]

well the sticker could be put on the plug. But would a PAT test confirm it to be safe in the water? It would confirm insulation between the cores and the casing but wouldn't confirm the casing to be water tight would it?

I would probably just switch it on outside the water and drop it in a bucket of water keeping your hands out. If it keeps working then I would assume it to be okay. If it's knackered then the fuse will most likely blow and it'll stop working.

 

[sub.42]

daza,

You like the idea of sparks yes?

A PAT test uses a megger to test at 1000-1500 volts. It will show any outward leak down to earth through the casing, which is the most likley route for a fault to take. Failing that, get an electrical engineer, such as myself, to test it in water, with a megger. Simply set the unit up, with the unit immersed in water, stick one end of the megger into the water, and the other end onto the live and then the neutral on the plug tips, whilst pressing the test button. There will almost certainly be no earth present to test, as most filters are double insulated. If you have a leak into the water from the live, and no route back to neutral or earth, the fuse will not blow, and you will almost certainly get a shock retrieving it from the water.

Do it properly, you might die trying to prove if it is safe.

Sub.

 

[daza]

That's well explained sub.42.

 

[clutterydrawer]

brilliant, thankyou.

 

[slimecoat]

Can I add, your whole aquarium setup should be running through an ELCB (earth leakage circuit breaker) or GFCI (ground fault current interrupt) as they call them in the US I believe. My whole house has one. My life was once saved as I dropped a powered up fluorescent light into my tank. Not only was I saved, my fish were fine as well.

 

[sub.42]

Can I add, your whole aquarium setup should be running through an ELCB (earth leakage circuit breaker) or GFCI (ground fault current interrupt) as they call them in the US I believe. My whole house has one. My life was once saved as I dropped a powered up fluorescent light into my tank. Not only was I saved, my fish were fine as well.

slimecoat!

A very important point, and one that should never be overlooked. An earth leakage device is very important, and so is the quality of the device.

Saving your life for a tenner

Its a no-brainer....

Get one now, if you make a mistake 'just getting that dead leaf' out of the tank, and knock your heater, and it breaks, or your lighting unit falls in, you only need 30mA of current, for 30mS to kill you.

Thats faster than it takes you to blink.

Dramatic, I know, and scary also. But very much reality.

Sub.

 

[daza]

Are these the same things as an RCD (Residual Current Device)?

 

[sub.42]

Are these the same things as an RCD (Residual Current Device)?

Hiya daza!

Yep, the very same thing. Just called by a few dozen names all over the world

Sub.