Strange ground probe experience

T

TJay

Today as I worked on our tank I got a tingle from the water. Shocked (sorry could not help that) I started removing electrical items to find the culprit.

Strangely enough the only thing I can take out that makes the voltage go away was the ground probe.
This is one made onto an electrical plug that has fake plastic prongs for the AC and neutral and a steel ground plug.
Very strange.
I am wondering if the house is not wired incorrectly
 
I would say atleast that plug isn't wired correctly. You can pick up a plug tester at HD for I think about $5 that lights up if wired correctly. If you find out it is wired corretly then your grounding probe outside of your house it no good or come loose.
 
I still use ground probes in my system, but I read somewhere that having one can CAUSE electrocution, even if wired properly, because with out a ground the electricity being leaked from whatever's leaking power doesn't have anywhere to go. Unless you're standing in a puddle of water with your arm in the tank, that's not enough to complete the circuit, but having a ground probe allows the circuit to be completely formed...
 
but wait, I had everything unpluged except the ground probe.
No heaters no pumps and that should have seperated the display from the sump since the water drained down.
There was nothing left in the sump attached to electricity. throw the ground plug in and tingle returned.
 
Unplugged the lights, fans, EVERYTHING? I've seen salt-creep shorting the lighting out to the water... Just a thought, try unplugging everything remotely tied to the tank and see if ya' get tingley with the ground plugged in...
 
I'm not an electrician, but for what it's worth...

The most likely cause for this is your AC receptacle wired incorrectly. Grounding of any kind is supposed to direct stray current to ground because it is the path of least resistance. Almost anything in the homes today has a separate ground path so that if the unit shorts out, the current goes straight to ground and trip the breaker.

I would not touch the water to test any of the theories. If you can feel it, any volt meter can read it. Take the probe off, check to see if you get any reading on the meter. Check the AC receptacle wiring, Then go from there.

Hope this helps,
 
you are correct the tingle method is not the way to check.
So I should have added a do not try this at home clause.

I spent my early life as an appliance tech and just got used to a shot of 110
never did get used to 220 though
 
@TJay wrote:
just got used to a shot of 110 never did get used to 220 though said:
Never done it profesionally, but I do most of the electronics around the house... Oddly enough, to me at least, 110 hurts far worse than 220...

Lemme know if unplugging everything tank-related makes the problem go away, and if it does, obviously, plug 'em in one by one with a "voltmeter" in the tank to see where it's coming from...

I'm not saying the ground probe isn't the source of the power leak, anything's possible, but that would be VERY strange...
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