stray voltage help

[GrimReeferrr]

I just stuck my hand in my tank and felt a sharp tingling on a small cut i had on my finger, it felt alot like an electric shock so i unplugged everything and tried again and it was gone, well after trying things one by one i discovered it to be my chiller, now here's the part that is really strange my chiller is plugged into one of those coralife power strips/timers even if i turn the switch off on the strip killing power to the chiller i still feel the tingle, but when i completely unplug it it goes away. Also i have a grounding probe plugged into the same strip and when i have it plugged in i also feel a very small tingle altho not as bad. Any ideas on whats going on would be apreciated.

 

[Dre]

I think your playing with your life.Do you have a G.F.I.Whenever you turn off the power strip there is still power in it.The current is just not completing the circuit,in your case it's using you as a ground.Try runner the chiller without the power strip.The problem could be the power strip or damaged cords just a guess.

 

[GrimReeferrr]

It's not that bad of a shock, if i used any other hand i don't even feel it at all, so im sure its ot alot of power, im just wondering why even if i turn the power off i still feel it, until i unplug the device.

 

[sjsoto]

if i were you i would call the manufacturer. i would call manufacturer and get a replacement if it must be done.

 

[Kaz289]

Sometimes in certain electronics it will hold a charge for up to 30 minutes after being unplugged. One time when i was about 15 my button fell inside my old tv so i unplugged it waited 10 minutes then took the tv apart ( u know where this is going)So i took it apart to get the button out so i could glue it back on. needless to say I woke up on the other side of the room with a racing heart. its possible even though its unplugged that its still holding the charge.

 

[Dre]

It's not that bad of a shock, if i used any other hand i don't even feel it at all, so im sure its ot alot of power, im just wondering why even if i turn the power off i still feel it, until i unplug the device.

As i stated before although the power is turned off there is still power in the unit.That's why it's best to unplug heaters,power heads,air pumps,chillers etc.before you put your hand in the tank or do mantainance.
:tub:

 

[jimidalock]

Try this. Unplug everything after your hands have been dry for at least an hour, then stick the hand with the cut on it. I had the same sensation on a cut. It is from the salt! I went through the same process as you, trying to find a short.

 

[Kaz289]

There is also this, u may have accidently made one and not realized it.
http://www.miniscience.com/projects/airbattery/

 

[Dre]

Try this. Unplug everything after your hands have been dry for at least an hour, then stick the hand with the cut on it. I had the same sensation on a cut. It is from the salt! I went through the same process as you, trying to find a short.

Well i'll be damded!Please keep us posted i really what to know if this is fact or fiction.

 

[johnvic]

Sometimes in certain electronics it will hold a charge for up to 30 minutes after being unplugged. One time when i was about 15 my button fell inside my old tv so i unplugged it waited 10 minutes then took the tv apart ( u know where this is going)So i took it apart to get the button out so i could glue it back on. needless to say I woke up on the other side of the room with a racing heart. its possible even though its unplugged that its still holding the charge.

Good old tube television! Tubes and capacitors will hold their charge, that is what they do. I doubt there are tubes in a chiller, although some tube fanatic will come up with a design that they claim has a smoother chill! But there could be power capacitors in a chiller that are holding their charge. You could have power leaking onto ground in the chiller. Even if you turn off the switch on the power strip the ground still is going through. So you would still have the voltage leak.

 

[NYreefNoob]

if i used any other hand i don't even feel it at all

lol how many hands do you have ? i would plug the ground isolator into something else, and where is the grounding probe in the tank ?

 

[albano]

is a coralife timer/strip rated, to carry a chiller? with a few more items plugged into that strip, it may be overloaded, and a real potential problem! I'm no electrician, but I'd check that out!

 

[GrimReeferrr]

I think it does have something to do with the ground on the coralife power strip, the two things that are on it that have a ground cause the voltage the chiller and also the ground plug which is in my sump. I dunno why or how this is happing but if i uplug the both of them it stop either one plugged in it happens

 

[ClosetFishGeek]

try this. Unplug everything after your hands have been dry for at least an hour, then stick the hand with the cut on it. I had the same sensation on a cut. It is from the salt! I went through the same process as you, trying to find a short.

+1 sad to admit this but I did the same thing....... You could easily still have a problem elswhere but this happens....

 

[tomtoothdoc]

I think it does have something to do with the ground on the coralife power strip, the two things that are on it that have a ground cause the voltage the chiller and also the ground plug which is in my sump. I dunno why or how this is happing but if i uplug the both of them it stop either one plugged in it happens

do you have a portable gfci? try plugging the power strip with the chiller and the ground probe plugged in onto the gfci and see if it trips. i wouldn't use my hand to test the stray voltage in there though. i remember reading a thread where a guy use a simple volt meter from radio shack to see if indeed there is stray voltage in the tank. anyone recall such thread and wanna chime in on this?

 

[jrobbins]

I think your playing with your life.Do you have a G.F.I.Whenever you turn off the power strip there is still power in it.The current is just not completing the circuit,in your case it's using you as a ground.

Listen to the man. a GFCI will save your life...

 

[GrimReeferrr]

do you have a portable gfci? try plugging the power strip with the chiller and the ground probe plugged in onto the gfci and see if it trips. i wouldn't use my hand to test the stray voltage in there though. i remember reading a thread where a guy use a simple volt meter from radio shack to see if indeed there is stray voltage in the tank. anyone recall such thread and wanna chime in on this?

so i got a volt meter and i tried testing for the stray voltage like this site says to http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/aquariummaintenancecare/a/aastrayvoltage.htm and i come up with nothing, i dunno maybe im just going a bit crazy or something but if i put my had into my other saltwater tank i dont feel anything.