Electrocution

OK so I hooked up my chiller with rubber bands holding the powerhead together as suggested. I bought a surge protector board to put it on because when i hooked it up to the board with my other filters there was a power surge and everything turned off, which I assumed was because there was too much power.

I went to push the filter down so the powerhead was fully submerged while I was holding onto the powerboard, and I got a massive electric shock. Not like rubbing your feet on the carpet and then zapping somebody, this involved a bit of screaming and my fingers are still tingling. So I figured it was because i was holding onto the powerboard, or that it was an accident. I waited a while and tried again - same thing. Then I freaked out and tried touching the water on the other side of the tank. ZAP. I just did a water change so there's water on the floor, but I was very paranoid and careful with wet stuff when I hooked it up - I dangled the extension from somewhere up high and the board is sitting on top of the chiller (very dry).

My axies don't look fussed but I'm freaking out (although this has become a regular occurrence) Does anybody know what I did wrong or what I can do to fix it? Will my axies be ok? I would say I'll check it again in a minute, but I don't particularly want to get zapped again... I've unplugged it of course, but there is no way I'm sticking my finger in there any time soon to test it.

Sounds to me like there is a wire exposed somewhere in the powerhead. Do you have the know how to take it apart and see? If it's brand new I would just take it back and exchange it for one with a little less juice.

Thanks for the reply, I'm a little lost. As you can tell I'm not very electrical-saavy, first with the power surge and now this.
The filter came with the chiller and is less than a year old, I went to look for a new one when the back snapped off but they were really expensive. After all the money I just spent on the chiller I really really don't want to have to buy a new one.

It's quite strong (800L/h) but it has a massive spray bar that didn't seem to causing any water flow and I'm guessing the stronger it is the better it will cool. The people I bought it off used it on 2ft tank as well with no problems.

How would I go about taking it apart? I could find a man to do it, but most of the ones I know are nerds and as hopeless as me. In fact, I had to call my boyfriend from work to tell him to reset the power switches after the surge because he had no idea why half the power was off or how to fix it.

If I open it up and put it together again, is there any way to test it in a separate bowl or something without electrocuting myself? It was not pleasant.

Can you tell me the make, model #, or anything else that you think might help me and I will see what I can do for ya. Pics would be even better.

Neke, I would strong recommend that you get it looked at by an electrician!!!!


Be careful, PLEASE

This sounds EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

I'm not really understanding the whole situation, as you have a powerhead and also mentioned "other filters". Something in your equipment is defective, possibly broken by the previous power surge. Until you know exactly what is wrong, you shouldn't be using any of this equipment anywhere near water, or near your body! Get professional help (or new equipment), and please stay safe!

Hi Neke,

Electricity, Water and broken equipment is an electrocution disaster waiting to happen.

A friend of mine once dashed through her loungeroom with a glass of water in her hand, in her haste she sloshed the glass which wet her hand and she then reached for a lightswitch - that little bit of water on her hand was enough to send her flying accross the room.

I fully sympathise with the great cost incurred for buying a chiller, but Neke, it's not worth your life.

Is the filter directly connected to the chiller or was the filter thown in as a bonus and they work independantly?

If they are independent I would be happy to send you an internal power canister filter that I'm not using anymore. This filter was used for my four foot tank and did a wonderful job of filtration - I've replaced it with an external filter and now it's just sitting in a box. If you want it, it is yours. (shoot me a PM and I'll be more than happy to post it to you).

If they work in tandem though, as Kira and Jen have advised I would have an electrician look at it. I would also take a look at the manufacturer's website and see if they have any offices in Australia that may be able to fix or provide replacement parts.

Ok first of all don't worry, I'm not completely insane - of course I unplugged it all straight away and am not sitting here playing with electricity and water. I will admit though, because I was fine and it was unplugged, I was mostly worried about my axies.

Greatwtehunter said:

Can you tell me the make, model #, or anything else that you think might help me and I will see what I can do for ya

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Theres only a teeny sticker on it, but I've included a picture - not sure if it will help much (not much of it is in english). Thanks :happy:

Jennewt said:

I'm not really understanding the whole situation, as you have a powerhead and also mentioned "other filters"

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I'll explain what happened last time, but I was at work so I didn't actually witness it. I had a filter and heater from the cichlid tank, my old filter, my new filter and the chiller it goes with all on one powerboard (I thought I'd run new and old for a while until the new one was stable and bacteria-ised). My partner said it ran for a few hours, but then he came in and all of it was off and half my tank water was on the floor. I felt stupid, and assumed that it was just too much power for the one powerpoint, as the chiller would obviously chew up a lot more than the others.

Half the switches on the power thing for the house had flicked off, so he cleaned up all the water and unplugged the chiller and pump before turning them back on again and they've all been working fine for a few days. I bought an extension cord and a power surge protected board and plugged it into a different power point, and plugged the chiller and pump into this. So they were running from a separate powerpoint to the rest of it - this is why I wasn't particularly worried about leaving the others running, as it was obviously the chiller or pump that was the problem and I unplugged the powerboard.

Havelock said:

I fully sympathise with the great cost incurred for buying a chiller, but Neke, it's not worth your life.

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Obviously if this one is buggered and I have to buy a new one then I have to buy a new one - I'm cheap, but not insane(although with the number of things I break I can forgive you for thinking that!) And obviously it's definitely not going near my tank again unless I know it is safe.

Havelock said:

Is the filter directly connected to the chiller or was the filter thown in as a bonus and they work independently?

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It needs the filter to run, but it's not directly connected - it's just a hose that hooks up to an internal power filter. I've stuck in a picture of the filter and of the set up - the dodgy looking filter and spray bar are my old ones, the giant green spray bar hooks up to the cooler and the other dangly hose hooks up to the filter and chiller. The only filters I could find with the same sized nozzle were really huge - Jacq if your old filter is suitable I would really really appreciate your generous offer :happy: But it has to have the same size nozzle to fit the hose on, which not many of them do. And it's only a 2ft tank, though I got a stronger chiller so I could eventually upgrade to a 3ft.

And to clarify, I didn't realize it was broken - the bit that snapped off is just a bit of plastic and it snapped at the little plastic connectors with everything still sealed up, so that shouldn't be the problem. Thanks for the replies guys, my axies are lucky they're so darned cute - I can't believe how many dramas there have been! (both real and imagined).

Neke said:

Ok first of all don't worry, I'm not completely insane - of course I unplugged it all straight away and am not sitting here playing with electricity and water. I will admit though, because I was fine and it was unplugged, I was mostly worried about my axies.

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This won't stop us all claiming we saved a life today lol!

I'll root through my odds and ends box when I get home (I have a feeling I've got a smaller power filter in there too and will send them both to you if I do). If you have a wander through Bunnings plumbing section they may have a connector to adapt to the nozzle sizes...Bunnings has never let me down when it comes to the axolotls lol.

Darn I thought maybe it was one that you could just pop the cover off, lossen a few screws, and have a peek inside but it definitely looks to involved to even think about that. If you can take it to your local TV repair store, (I know that sounds wiered) they should be able to take a look at it. Sorry I couldn't be much more of a help.

Havelock said:

This won't stop us all claiming we saved a life today lol!

I'll root through my odds and ends box when I get home (I have a feeling I've got a smaller power filter in there too and will send them both to you if I do). If you have a wander through Bunnings plumbing section they may have a connector to adapt to the nozzle sizes...Bunnings has never let me down when it comes to the axolotls lol.

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I am sorry but I couldn't help laughing when I read through this post. Neke you are very lucky to still be here.
My usual trick if I'm unsure something electrical is ok is to get the hubby to plug it in , he's game for anything lol.
It reminds me of the time I bought a new heater for a fish tank I had. Set the thermostat to correct temperature and left it to warm the tank. Temp was fine when I went to bed, but when I looked in the tank the next morning every fish was dead. The thermostat had malfunctioned overnight and practically boiled my fish, the water was almost hot. Needless to say the heater was returned.
I'm always wary of anything electrical to do with aquariums since and I would recommend anything giving you electrical shocks be disposed of immediately.

Neke said:

My axies don't look fussed but I'm freaking out (although this has become a regular occurrence)

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This still amazes me. I would have thought any current strong enough to cause pain would certainly be enough to disrupt the heart of an axolotl.

Greatwtehunter said:

This still amazes me. I would have thought any current strong enough to cause pain would certainly be enough to disrupt the heart of an axolotl.

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It probably wasn't turned on for more than a minute or so, because I went to push the filter fully into the water straight after turning it on - I'm actually grateful I got shocked (though I wouldn't have been if I really got hurt), because if I hadn't touched the water I wouldn't have realized there was anything wrong and I'm sure they would have been toast. And while it did cause pain, it wasn't enough to send me flying across the room or anything, it just really hurt and then made my fingers tingly. The worst part was that I couldn't take them out, which was pretty stressful - I had no idea what would happen to them but I wasn't going to go near the water again.

The thing that really worries me was that to look at, it was running perfectly. It wasn't making any strange noises, the water was being pumped through the chiller and there is no way I would have known without touching the water or something happening to my axies. Even if there did seem to be something wrong with them, my first instinct would have been to take them out put them in fresh water - I'm sure by that stage sticking my hand in the water would have been much more dangerous. If they're looking distressed you don't exactly think 'oh snap, better not stick my hand in, the water might electrocute me.'

And Becky, I wish I had known something was wrong and I would have tested it on the boy, but I had no idea. Like I said, the powerhead is completely covered in plastic (no gaps or holes) and it looks normal. And I know I'm lucky, I didn't even realize what was going on the first time - I was just shocked and confused.

No offence, but I can't believe that you electrocuted yourself not once, not twice, but three times!! LOL:rofl:

I am sooooo glad that you (and yes your axies too) are ok!!! Next time you decide to electrocute yourself though, only do it once, eh??


Take care.

Hey be nice! I'm much younger, sillier and more easily confused than you! To be fair, I didn't know what had happened the first time and I thought it was a fluke or something, so I did it again. Then I think I turned it off, thought about it and went 'oh **** what if it's not just the filter...' and so I tested the water instead. As stupid as it was in hindsight, I wasn't really thinking. The axies are fine and I'm fine so it's all good, right? I'd like to say I've learned my lesson, but aside from the 2 extra shocks, I don't know how I would have been able to avoid it, there was no way to tell.

Neke said:

I'd like to say I've learned my lesson, but aside from the 2 extra shocks, I don't know how I would have been able to avoid it, there was no way to tell.

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You do have a point there. Although if it had been a little longer the fried axie smell would have given it away.

I think the axies would be fine in a case where there was an electrical short in their aquarium. The current wouldn't pass through them as the aquarium is insulated (glass and plastic) so the electricity doesn't go to ground. Now if your axie touched something that completed the circuit then you would have smelled the fried amphibian. I'm pretty sure that is why your axies were not hurt while you were. Electricity travels on the shortest path, in this case the powerhead and the water between your fingers and then through you to the ground.

It sounds to me as if you should be able to replace your powerhead/filter that is moving water. It is only connected to the chiller by a hose, correct? If you can't find one with a large enough hose you can try looking at a home improvement store for a fitting that is small on one side larger on the other. After you do this you can use a voltmeter to see if there is any current in the aquarium. Please don't do any more finger-dipping in these possible short circuit situations! If there is still current with a new powerhead/filter than the short must be inside the chiller. Then you go and return the powerhead and chew out the guy you bought the chiller from.

That good to know Abraham, thanks :happy:

Abrahm said:

Then you go and return the powerhead and chew out the guy you bought the chiller from.

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I actually bought the chiller off an ex axie-owner from this forum, and they were nice enough to offer me a warranty when they didn't really have to so I'm sure if there's anything wrong with the chiller they were as unaware as I was. I really hope it's not the chiller. Perhaps something happened to the filter during the power surge?

Abrahm said:

Please don't do any more finger-dipping in these possible short circuit situations!

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Don't worry, now I'm aware that it's a possibility I'll be very careful

Greatwtehunter said:

Although if it had been a little longer the fried axie smell would have given it away

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This made me whimper!

Neke said:

Hey be nice! I'm much younger, sillier and more easily confused than you!

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Sorry, I'm really weird and I have a warped sense of humor!!

In all fairness though, I can be a bit dense sometimes:wacko:; It would have taken me a couple more goes to work out that I shouldn't do it!! (And yes, for all those out there laughing, I am a very blonde chick) LOL

My guess is faulty equipment,

Most power points in your house will be on 1 or 2 circuits so plugging into a different power point wont really changing much.

A power surge is when there is a spike in the supply voltage (eg instead of the 240vac there was some thing much higher) and should have taken out the equipment's electronics as well as your tv, fridge ect

I would be inclined to say that the power surge was in fact a "trip" eg the breakers turned off which could have been any number of reasons (short in wiring, to much current being pulled [normally over 16amps] active cable touching earth ect)

If I was in your shoes I would remove the equipment which caused the shock and replace it or have it inspected.

I’m surprised to hear your axolotls are fine but glad at the same time this maybe because they were in the water and not connected to earth (current had nowhere to go except though your arm)


Now a more of an eye opener to how lucky you are...

It only takes 0.2amps to kill a human (hence the RCD which trips the power out in about 30 milli seconds)

If you stick a knife into a toaster while touching your stainless steel sink there will be about 440amps drawn... which will leave you basically dust.... (I know a little of topic)
But similar to the tank of water, you will have 240vac in the tank unless converted to DC at the equipment with nowhere to go until you touch it... it will then flow though your arm down your leg and out your foot into the “Ground” depending on the type of conditions you may get a small shock or a large one

Electricity is dangerous stuff and I play with it for a job... and I myself have been zapped 3 times by mistake and once because my boss thought it would be funny...

Also you can still die from an electric shock 12 hours from receiving it..... You are meant to get an ECG to make sure your heart is fine and report it and all the other stuff?