SaltyinNJ Posted July 5, 2002 Share Posted July 5, 2002 I am putting together an auto topoff system with the Grainger float switch. I am just wiring it into an extension cord. But, I came across a post that mentions using a voltage converter???? to prevent having full 120v going through switch. Well reading that has made me paranoid that I am gonna somehow electrocute myself, my fish or both. Please help with any suggestions....am I being too paranoid....or is this a risky way to do this? Thanks Link to comment
Nishant3789 Posted July 5, 2002 Share Posted July 5, 2002 heh heh.... dont worry about it, even if u do it really doesnt hurt all that much, more like a vibration.... i kno this thanks to the advice hubu gave me about connecting my fan to a regular outlet without the adapter..... anyways, im pretty sure they are water proof.hth nishant Link to comment
Korbin Posted July 5, 2002 Share Posted July 5, 2002 Be careful around the salt water. Remember, it is a GOOD conductor of electricity. Wear rubber-soled shoes and make sure the floor is dry. Try and ground the wires you are working on so the electricity doesnt want to pass through you. And NEVER have one hand in the tank and the other hand on the wires. If the shock goes from one arm to another it will pass right through your heart. 120 V might not kill you every time, but you should still be careful. Link to comment
Metznreef Posted July 5, 2002 Share Posted July 5, 2002 nishant's right about it not hurting bad. my protein skimmer over flowed and when i went to turn off the power strip that everything was plugged into it shocked me. my hand went numb for like 2 minutes but i was ok. im just glad i didn't catch the house on fire! Link to comment
Korbin Posted July 5, 2002 Share Posted July 5, 2002 If anything that you are working with has a capacitor in it, you will be getting much more than 120V. Be careful about that too. Link to comment
Nishant3789 Posted July 5, 2002 Share Posted July 5, 2002 lol, yea ure rright man, it just numbs ure hand a for a few mins, i also got shocked a few timed while messing with a few light bulbs and trying to wire them up... 120 volts is alot i didnt kno i got shocked with taht much.....! well gtg c ya nishant p.s. dont be stupid and take good advice... Link to comment
SaltyinNJ Posted July 5, 2002 Author Share Posted July 5, 2002 thank you all for the advice. I guess my concern about getting shocked is after I have the float switch set up. If wire it into the extension cord and set it up on the tank, is there any reason why I could get shocked then? In other words is it risky to have a float switch sitting in your water? I unplug all electrical stuff when I do maintenance already so I will just do the same. Link to comment
Metznreef Posted July 5, 2002 Share Posted July 5, 2002 i don't think there is a risk unless any of the electrical componets actually come into contact with the water. Link to comment
Jefe12234 Posted July 5, 2002 Share Posted July 5, 2002 The wires in a float switch go into the shaft which is partially submerged. The shaft is filled with glue, epoxy, or something like that so that the wires are sealed in. But if the glue does not make a water tight seal, then you could potentially have live wires in your tank water. This isn't very likely, but it's the reason people sometimes wire in a voltage converter to step the voltage down. If you're worried about it, wire in a voltage converter or at least use a GFCI. Either one will make the setup much safer. -Chris Link to comment
mysk Posted July 6, 2002 Share Posted July 6, 2002 make sure it is unpluged when wiering Link to comment
DaveESPI Posted July 6, 2002 Share Posted July 6, 2002 any stray current in your tanks can cause Head and Lateral Line erosion in fish.... and the electricity isnt good in general. Link to comment
Sahin Posted July 6, 2002 Share Posted July 6, 2002 Hehehe, you guys are lucky with your 120V...here in UK we get 220-250V coming out of our sockets with 13amps of it too! You wouldnt want a shock like one I got when I was little...managed to stick a screwdriver into the socket and more than a shock....flew across the room! Link to comment
SaltyinNJ Posted July 7, 2002 Author Share Posted July 7, 2002 Great information everyone. I appreciate it. How would I actually go about wiring a voltage converter and a grounding probe into this setup up. I am a DYI challenged and am not familiar with these devices. Does anyone have pics or a diagram I could follow? Link to comment
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