stray voltage question

lol - what's annoying? answering dips like me ? ;D

 

no not you. The fact that my sig. doesn't show up in all posts. I sometimes like to view people's tank info(so I ask them), to find out that it had already been posted...on their first post, 4 pages previous.

 

hate to break it to all of you but i asked my electrical teacher at school about the ground probe and how it is percieved by us fish keepers, in the fact that it saves our fish and is good to have. This is way false!! the ground probe as stated by whiskytango completes the circut. he explained it like this....."if you have your car running and remove the ground cable but leave the power on the battery does electrictal current still flow?" The answer is no because the ground completes the equation. you can have flow without ground. So what you are really doing is making an electrical circut in your fishtank!! Also stated by whiskytango......Replace faulty equiptment. My teacher explained that the probe theoretically works for "true: stray voltage which radiates from lights and stuff like microwaves. If you have some pump thats "leaking" electricty into the tank the probe is not the answer!

K++ Whiskytango

 

Hmm – well being a product of 8 years higher education I have met my share of teachers, I can’t say they are always right – but your teacher probably is correct.

However, in years past I had stray voltage cause issues and resolved it with a grounding probe. My tank is stable, has been for years with a grounding probe. I recall being shocked when I put a cut finger in my tank, grounding probe resolved it. If I can’t fell it, the fish can’t feel it – thus no stress, thus years of a solid disease free tank for me.

If you can find a faulty piece of equipment than sure – replace it (its probably costing you higher electricity bills anyway). BUT, a grounding probe IS a necessity don’t miss my point here. Unless you are going to monitor for stray voltage every minute of every day you will not know when a piece of equipment goes bad and begins to throw stray voltage. If you have a probe you are protected – if not, your first warning sign will be dead or dying fish or if you are lucky you feel the tingle yourself.

For a few bucks its just about the cheapest insurance policy you will every buy – considering it might save you thousands. Your tank do what you will, I'll keep mine grounded.

 

will you ask your teacher why a electric eel can still shock stuff with out a probe in the tank?
I don't see how a DC power can flow without a circuit when AC can't(don't cars use DC because of the battery).

 

Electricity and its behavior is all theory. We don't know for sure why and how it behaves the way it does sometime.

 

You could say the same thing about fire, chemistry, and light; that doesn't mean it's a beneficial position to take when dealing with any of the above.

 

Right, and that's true for EVERYTHING. Its all about perception, but lets not stray off on that tangent.

Electricity does some really strange stuff, and it doesn't always follow the latest model. I've read alot of arguments for and against probes. A ground probe does complete the circuit, and that ain't good. What if you had serious juice flowing through you tank for a long period of time?? Now, instead of stray current you'd have channeled current like an invisible wire through your tank.

Maybe put a light bulb on your grounding probe so that when it lights up, you've got a problem somewhere.


And saltwater is more conductive than fish.

 

I understand your argument against the probe for the fish but isn't a ground probe also for the safety of the hobbiest? if you were to stick your hand in the tank and then become the ground yourself that would be bad especially if you have a animal that completely bite through a powercord like a puffer(have actually heard this exact thing happen to a fellow hobbyest).

 

Now that sounds reasonable. So if you're gonna use probes, put one in the sump for the gear down there and one in the DT for powerheads to provide the shortest route for escape.

Another question: How can a person standing on the floor of a house complete a circuit? It seems the stray current would rather stay in the saltwater of the tank than a human body. Most homes have tile, wood, carpet floors that won't provide a ground for electricity, so unless you're grounded somehow, what's the worry?


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