My Tank Is Shocking!

[sandfire]

Hi I am really not having much luck this week

First my external filter started to leak and now I am getting mildly electricuted when I put my hand in the tank!

Since the filter leaked and flooded the carpet, I decided now would be a good time to break down the tank and do a planted aquarium instead.

Since filling the tank back up and while 'artfully' arrangeing some bog wood noticed it stung a little to put my hand in the water and then noticed the 'hairs' on my arm standing on end and a tingle in my arm. I am pretty sure I have small(ish) current running though the tank, I had noticed a light sting before and thought I was sensitive to the salt as it was marine before... but I never had my hand/arm/elbow in the tank for any lengh of time.

Its coming from the lights, no part is touching the water but when they are on, the tank is well...'live'.

Any ideas how to fix it, do I need new light starter or T8 tubes?

 

[sandfire]

Lol.... found a quick fix, if I put my rubber based shoes on I am fine!!

Is there a way to 'earth' the lights?

 

[saltynay]

LOL Have you checked your hair isn't standing on end.

So you have checked every mm of the power cable for even the smallest of holes and can't find anything?
What materials have you got in the tank? If you have ones which have an extreme potential voltage difference they can form a battery without your knowledge

 

[rabbut]

Get an RCB fitted to the tank, with a tollerance of 30mA if there isn't one there already. This could save your life in the fault finding phase. It's deffinately the lighhts, not the heater, powerheads, filter e.t.c? I seriously doubt that the lights are the caurse of the issue.

With the RCB fitted and the test button utilised to check it's working correctly, systematically plug in each appliance and check for the tingling. If you don't get one, check the appliance diden't trip the RCB and try the next if it diden't. IME, heaters are the number one culprit...

RCB's should always be used, as they will cut the power before it becomes a serious health risk in the event of a fault, potentially saving your life

All the best
Rabbut

 

[8inary]

yep, agrees with rab

 

[sandfire]

LOL Have you checked your hair isn't standing on end.

So you have checked every mm of the power cable for even the smallest of holes and can't find anything?
What materials have you got in the tank? If you have ones which have an extreme potential voltage difference they can form a battery without your knowledge

LOL, now you mention it I do have more volume in my hair than usually!

I have looked over the cables and they look OK, but the end caps look a bit damaged by the old marine tank salt, lights are quite new really less than 6 months old.

The tank has planting substraight from Tropica and then gravel and large partical sand/grit on top, have two large chuncks of bog wood which have been submerged for about 10 years before. The heater and internal filter seem fine. Just the lights seem to cause the current.

Also noticed that when I stand without shoes on the 'dry' bit of carpet I am fine, but when I stand on the wet patch (rememeber filter dumped 10 gal into the carpet 2 days ago) ...the extra volume in my hair starts again...and it hurts! I just dared my other half to touch the water...lol FUN!

 

[Truck]

LOL Have you checked your hair isn't standing on end.

So you have checked every mm of the power cable for even the smallest of holes and can't find anything?
What materials have you got in the tank? If you have ones which have an extreme potential voltage difference they can form a battery without your knowledge

LOL, now you mention it I do have more volume in my hair than usually!

I have looked over the cables and they look OK, but the end caps look a bit damaged by the old marine tank salt, lights are quite new really less than 6 months old.

The tank has planting substraight from Tropica and then gravel and large partical sand/grit on top, have two large chuncks of bog wood which have been submerged for about 10 years before. The heater and internal filter seem fine. Just the lights seem to cause the current.

Also noticed that when I stand without shoes on the 'dry' bit of carpet I am fine, but when I stand on the wet patch (rememeber filter dumped 10 gal into the carpet 2 days ago) ...the extra volume in my hair starts again...and it hurts! I just dared my other half to touch the water...lol FUN!

its all fun until you cause yourself serious burns or some sort of epileptic fit do to abnormal electrical current flowing through the body

 

[sandfire]

Thank you so much for pointing that out.

 

[saltynay]

Yeah doesn't sound like there is anything in your tank which could act as a battery

its all fun until you cause yourself serious burns or some sort of epileptic fit do to abnormal electrical current flowing through the body

Live a little lick a battery

 

[Truck]

if i licked a battery i would more than likely had a fit as i hav GM epilepsy.

 

[saltynay]

You don't know until you have tried But perhaps do it after signing into AE

Nurse: problem
Truck: epiletic seizure
Nurse: Who?
Truck: me :licks battery:
Truck: Oh well now I know I can live on the edge

 

[Truck]

You don't know until you have tried But perhaps do it after signing into AE

Nurse: problem
Truck: epiletic seizure
Nurse: Who?
Truck: me :licks battery:
Truck: Oh well now I know I can live on the edge

 

[sandfire]

 

[scoliofish]

You don't know until you have tried But perhaps do it after signing into AE

Nurse: problem
Truck: epiletic seizure
Nurse: Who?
Truck: me :licks battery:
Truck: Oh well now I know I can live on the edge

haha! my mom always said the only way to test a battery was to lick it... i did and i had a big shock coz i have two titanium rods in my back (scoliosis opp hence my name) i was told not to stand in front of the microwave... no 1 said anything about batteries

soz im a bit delayed