ground probe

How do you have yours hooked up? I never had one before.

 

Plug one end in the wall and set the other end in your water column.

 

if i may give some details. i am an electrical contractor, so i got a bit of info.
if you look at the plug on them, there is the usual 3 prongs, but the 120v and neautral one are
plastic and do nothing but help you plut it in,
the ground pin is normal.
all the ground probe does, is keep your potential equal between your grounding system and your water, same as in grounding a pool pump motor or metal walls of a pool,

electricity is dangerous when it is allowed to flow thru our body, damaging cells.
this keeps the electricity flowing to the ground system, where it should be, instead of thru your body to the wet floor in front of the tank.

i used to get shocked if im barefoot, wet hands and touch my one light, so made a probe, nothing more then a piece of stainless rod, 3 inches, drilled and tapped the end, took a piece of #12 wire, pressed on an eye on each end of the wire, one end it attached to the rod, the other, i took the screw out that holds the plate on the outlet, and put the wire there (this is a grounding point in any recepticle)

no more shock, cuz not the voltage travels to the ground via the wire, instead of via the raymond

hope this helps, and if your getting any kind of shock, its a good idea, buy one, they are cheap enough, i have the equip to make my own so i do.

remember, its not the voltage but the amperage that will killl you, and it only takes .05 of an amp under the right conditions i.e. water... to kill ya

 

I have mine in my sump (all the water is connected)...unless power goes out...but then it is a moot point now isn't it.

 

yes and laughing out loud.

electricity flows thru the minerals in the water, distilled water will barely conduct
as it is stripped to near 0 of impurities.

the salt water we are using, is an excellent conductor

 

Make sure you are using GFCI receptacles in addition to your ground probe...

 

Thanks to all this is what I thought but have not received the probe yet. Hopefully it and all the other stuff arrives before the weekend.

 

not to be rude, BUT ARE YOU INSANE? (please dont be upset, not a direct poke at you, just the only way i think i can stress this)_

a gfi is to protect you, yes, but they are wayyyy to sensitive to risk losing livestock. the loss potential far outweighs the safty factor, at least for me.

if your system is properly grounded, and all cords are in good condition, then a gfi is NOT needed. the NEC does not state you need it.

heres how they work, they have a small coil around the neautral line inside the device, it constantly monitors the return amperage going to ground (ground for the sake of this writing, yes i know its the neautral path)
any fluctuations with .0001 mili amp (thats a real small amount) wiill result in it going off.
so, your leave for work, and there is a power spike, or even worse, a drop in voltage coming into the house (this happens more then you think or know) and that gfi trips, you come home 8-10 hours later to a tank full of sushi!

also, if you say have a wave maker, which is electronically changing the voltages, i will send some crazy return voltages, mine tripped the gfi in the garage when i first tested it

you DO NOT NEED it by code standards and the National Insurance Bureau does not specifiallly require it for hobby aquariums.

my god man, get that thing out now! your signing a death warrant

a decent ground probe will elimate the need for it

 

Ok that was to be my next post. I have gfi's for extension cords and some tool trip them I was hoping the ground probe would take care of the current that harms are aquarium and me.

 

the current is not going to harm your livestock.
ever see a squirrel running on a high voltage line outside and wonder why he is not kentucky fried tree rat?
he is electrified, but the voltage needs somewhere to go, a ground path
the fish would only be harmed, if they somehow were wet and touched ground outside.
the ground electrode gives any electric in the water somewhere to go, if not, its going thru you to the floor.
like if you were standing on carpet, you would prob be ok, the rubber pad is a nice insulater,
i have tile in front of my tank, an excellent conductor

i've been an electricial contractor for over 25 years, and not residential, and im only 5 credits short of my engineering degree, finishing the end of this year. i do big work, water treatment plants, (the job i just finished was featured on sand hogs and build it big on discovery, yes i was on tv! im famous. lol. do a google for Crotin Water Treatment Plant, Bronx NY/ ), power plants, high rises, subway and rail work.

what im saying is, you are playing russian roulette with a gfi on your tank, its not a matter of when its going to ruin your tank, its a matter of it WILL.