Why do i get a shock when i touch the water?

i had the same problem come to find out it was my light, had some salty/slurry bluild up and there was enough moister and the with the conductive properties of the salt, i got a zap when i touched the water....make sure your lighting isnt the issue.........but thats just me...
 
I was going to reply the same as the post below, you do want to stay clear of electric shock. This is the safest way to do it. another thing, what kind of shoes are you wearing, I had this same problem especially when I was barefooted but not when I was wearing my tennis shoes. After checking it out I found a bad power head. I replaced it and now have no problem shoes or not.




kcress said:
Folks I cannot express how bad an idea it is to "try something and see if you still get shocked". That is absolutely the worst thing you could ever do!! The difference between a shock and fatal electrocution is so small that it can not be predicted. All you need is to contact things very slightly different to have a fatal result.

You need to strive to never place yourself in the position to be shocked!!

The correct way to approach this is to get a voltmeter capable of measuring you local line voltage. 120V AC in the USA.

1) Aquire a meter - borrow or buy. You can get a useful one at the hardware store for under $20.

2) Plug the probes into the correct holes on the meter to measure AC volts.

3) Turn on the meter and stick each of the two probes into the local outlet's two vertical slots. This is to prove power is ON but more importantly that the meter is working correctly. You should see a voltage between 115VAC and 125VAC.

4) Now you need to find a reliable ground as that is where the current is flowing to that is shocking you. Do this by holding one of the probe tips to the center screw of your outlet or into the ground hole (D shaped). Stick the other probe into each of the outlet's two vertical slots. One of them should provide the same voltage reading you got earlier.

If this occurs then the ground screw or ground hole is a reliable ground reference point for further troubleshooting.

Note that the slot paired with the screw/hole that gives the 120VAC reading. It should be the narrow slot of the outlet. If it isn't you should have that fixed.

Moving on.

5) Now to troubleshoot your tank CORRECTLY. You hold one probe to the screw/hole we just confirmed and place the other probe tip so it touches the water surface. You will see the voltage that lurks there. Any is bad.

Now one at a time unplug the various devices that are hooked to your tank WITHOUT contacting physically anything wet or metallic. As soon as the offending device is unplugged you will stop measuring a voltage between the water and the outlet screw/hole.

Remove the offending device and cut the cord off of it as close to the device as you can. This will prevent accidental or even deliberate re-use.

Any questions?
Click to expand...
 
I have the answer! :idea:

While using waterproof electrician's gloves, very carefully remove the ELECTRIC EEL that has been so very angry with you and put him into another tank. :grinyes:

If you have tried everything else this might be the problem. You very well may be the first person to have gotten an electric eel as a hitchhiker.

It could happen......
 
voltage will do you no damage but amps will kill you 3milliamps is enough to kill you.

i would take all appliances into an electrition (me hahahahah) and ask them to MEGGA test them for you this will tell you if the part is faulty.

after turning of and removing all parts from the water stick your hand in, static electricity can be HUGE with the right conditions, do you have an aircon in the room? is it on often? new carpet? loose fitting clothes can help.

this is what i would do if i was you if your electrition says there is nothing wrong with your parts tell him to come over and have a feel :) no not really explain the problem you could have a backfeeding neutral anywhere in the house eg a kettle on the same power circuit or even worse a disconnected earth (which is more like what it sounds like) your circuit breaker should trip every time you put your hand in the water and the fact that its not poses a problem i would get it checked out. good way to test the thery also is run an extension lead from the other end of the house plug everything in and do what is said in this qupte
 
kcress said:
Folks I cannot express how bad an idea it is to "try something and see if you still get shocked". That is absolutely the worst thing you could ever do!! The difference between a shock and fatal electrocution is so small that it can not be predicted. All you need is to contact things very slightly different to have a fatal result.

You need to strive to never place yourself in the position to be shocked!!

The correct way to approach this is to get a voltmeter capable of measuring you local line voltage. 120V AC in the USA.

1) Aquire a meter - borrow or buy. You can get a useful one at the hardware store for under $20.

2) Plug the probes into the correct holes on the meter to measure AC volts.

3) Turn on the meter and stick each of the two probes into the local outlet's two vertical slots. This is to prove power is ON but more importantly that the meter is working correctly. You should see a voltage between 115VAC and 125VAC.

4) Now you need to find a reliable ground as that is where the current is flowing to that is shocking you. Do this by holding one of the probe tips to the center screw of your outlet or into the ground hole (D shaped). Stick the other probe into each of the outlet's two vertical slots. One of them should provide the same voltage reading you got earlier.

If this occurs then the ground screw or ground hole is a reliable ground reference point for further troubleshooting.

Note that the slot paired with the screw/hole that gives the 120VAC reading. It should be the narrow slot of the outlet. If it isn't you should have that fixed.

Moving on.

5) Now to troubleshoot your tank CORRECTLY. You hold one probe to the screw/hole we just confirmed and place the other probe tip so it touches the water surface. You will see the voltage that lurks there. Any is bad.

Now one at a time unplug the various devices that are hooked to your tank WITHOUT contacting physically anything wet or metallic. As soon as the offending device is unplugged you will stop measuring a voltage between the water and the outlet screw/hole.

Remove the offending device and cut the cord off of it as close to the device as you can. This will prevent accidental or even deliberate re-use.

Any questions?
Click to expand...



voltage will do you no damage but amps will kill you 3milliamps is enough to kill you.

i would take all appliances into an electrition (me hahahahah) and ask them to MEGGA test them for you this will tell you if the part is faulty.

after turning of and removing all parts from the water stick your hand in, static electricity can be HUGE with the right conditions, do you have an aircon in the room? is it on often? new carpet? loose fitting clothes can help.

this is what i would do if i was you if your electrition says there is nothing wrong with your parts tell him to come over and have a feel :) no not really explain the problem you could have a backfeeding neutral anywhere in the house eg a kettle on the same power circuit or even worse a disconnected earth (which is more like what it sounds like) your circuit breaker should trip every time you put your hand in the water and the fact that its not poses a problem i would get it checked out. good way to test the thery also is run an extension lead from the other end of the house plug everything in and do what is said in this quote
 
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