JPags
Well-Known Member
So I have my frag tank in my basement, and I noticed a week or two ago that I was getting a small shock if I was touching the floor and putting my hand in the water. I know that you can have electrical leaks so I started investigating. Took out a multi meter and seemed to narrow this down to my heater. Took the heater out and started testing in a bucket of water and yup when I turned it on it output a small amount of electricity. Grabbed another heater (All titanium submersible heaters) and got the same reading. Grabbed a third one and got the same thing.
Then I started thinking. If I really had my tank hooked up to a GFCI circuit the minute I put my hand in the water and created an alternate ground connection the GFCI should have tripped. I tested the GFCI from the test button and it worked.
I have done a bunch of electrical work around my house so I always keep an electrical plug tester around.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-Tester-50542/206212329. Best piece of equipment for testing if plugs are wired right
Took it out and it immediately showed me that I had an "Open Ground". And using the button on the tester to force a ground did not trip the GFCI correctly. After tracing the wire in the electrical panel I found that the ground was never connected correctly. (Had my main panel replaced by a licensed electrician several years ago, I guess he was not the greatest). I connected the ground wire in the panel and then retested the plug and now I had a correct GFCI plug.
Now after re-testing the heaters I got no stray electricity because they were grounded correctly.
So the moral of the story is, even if you think you have a proper GFCI circuit you need to test it with the right tester. Im surprised that the button the plug tested correctly even without a real ground connection. Working with water and electricity its imperative that you have a working GFCI plug.
Then I started thinking. If I really had my tank hooked up to a GFCI circuit the minute I put my hand in the water and created an alternate ground connection the GFCI should have tripped. I tested the GFCI from the test button and it worked.
I have done a bunch of electrical work around my house so I always keep an electrical plug tester around.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Power-Gear-3-Wire-Receptacle-Tester-50542/206212329. Best piece of equipment for testing if plugs are wired right
Took it out and it immediately showed me that I had an "Open Ground". And using the button on the tester to force a ground did not trip the GFCI correctly. After tracing the wire in the electrical panel I found that the ground was never connected correctly. (Had my main panel replaced by a licensed electrician several years ago, I guess he was not the greatest). I connected the ground wire in the panel and then retested the plug and now I had a correct GFCI plug.
Now after re-testing the heaters I got no stray electricity because they were grounded correctly.
So the moral of the story is, even if you think you have a proper GFCI circuit you need to test it with the right tester. Im surprised that the button the plug tested correctly even without a real ground connection. Working with water and electricity its imperative that you have a working GFCI plug.
