Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

So this morning I woke up and went to feed the fish. Put my hand in the tank and BAM got shocked fairly bad. So now I have a major problem. The pump can't really be accessed easily right now. It is working fine other than the shock it is giving off. Any ideas on what it might be.

My thoughts are it is the fact the pump is not grounded. As here in Indo no appliances are grounded. IS there any easy way to ground my system. Like maybe stick a piece of rebar in the water and then link it to the ground??

I am open to any ideas.


JT

sounds to me like your problem is more basic than that. sounds like you have a problem with your wiring in the pump or the cord leading too it or at the connection. Is the connection protected from water? Is your pump a submersible?

submersible pump that has run fine for the last 6 months and then today boom. No clue there it might just be wear and tear. But i think i will try to ground it first to see what will happen.

Does the pump itself have a ground wire?
If so it would be best to ground from that. Run a wire to a metal post(idealy a grounding rod) hammered a few feet into the earth.

No grounding wires here they don't even understand what grounding is very well. I think i will pound a ground rod in the ground then run it to the system so it is at least grounded.

Be careful JT. Wouldn't grounding the pump mean that the fish then get the shock. Do you have a safety switch of some type installed?

I would imagine a different pump is in order.

Same in th philopines. No earths at all very scary.

Did it come with a warranty?

philopines with an F

JT - if you didn't get shocks before and now you do seems to mean a fault has developed whereby water is getting to the pump wiring - for safety, I would be turning it off and removing the pump and have it checked.

An old electricians trick - touch the water/appliance with the back of your hand first - electric shocks cause the muscles to contract and if you grab hold and get electricity flowing through your hand, your fist will contract more tightly around the object - use the back of the hand and it will convulse away.....still get a nasty scare either way but more likely to talk about it if you survive

Opps Phillipines

I think in your instance if you now ground the pump youll be tripping the breaker. I agree with removing the pump, check out the wiring looking for the for failed insolation and attempt to repair that. Then if possible run a ground wire. If you have a voltage meter check to see what is at potential and good luck don't be getting zapped.

If it is a sealed submersible pump and the fault is from water getting into the motor, you should toss it to be safe, especially around children. If it is a fault in the cord... There are waterproof connectors but who knows if you can get them there and I am not sure I would trust it anyway around kids. How much did the pump cost? I get my 200 gal per hour pump for $18.00 Much cheaper than a new casket.

If you're getting a shock, there is definitately something wrong with either the pump or the wire going to it. If you ground it or ground the water, you may electrocute your fish. AC current will rupture their muscles and cause irreparable dammage. DC current will simply stun them.

So does expanding bait...please refer to F&F for expert advice