esacjack Posted August 28, 2013 Share Posted August 28, 2013 sorry, i hastily replied without seeing the pictures... That ground doesnt look kosher to me... Light reading: http://www.weschler.com/_upload/sitepdfs/techref/gettingdowntoearth.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+boognish Posted August 28, 2013 Author Share Posted August 28, 2013 I am heading to the Home Depot to get a bit of 6g copper wire and a way to couple it to that odd wire when I finish working today. I'll run it to that outside box's ground bus and test everything and report back this evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+boognish Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 The good news is: If my house wasn't grounded before, it is now. The bad news is: Stray voltage readings did not change. Found some more strangeness: A. Volts in sump with Sedra/Skimmer plugged into the usual spot (same breaker chiller pump, powerheads, etc): 45V B. Volts in sump with Sedra/Skimmer plugged into a socket across the house on different breaker: 45V C. Volts in sump without Sedra/Skimmer plugged in at all: 33V D. Volts in sump with Sedra/Skimmer plugged into the new socket I ran that is same socket/breaker as my Apex/DC8: 10V!! Seems like plugging it into that new socket somehow grounds everything? Tested ohms between grounds on B and D: got a slight reading and a beep, so they share a ground. Tested ohms between ground on B and Neutral on D: 22 ohms so they are connected (22 is high, but they are long thin extension cords) What is going on in my house... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Bad outlet receptacles or old receptacles? Was the d outlet put in at a different time than the others? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+boognish Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 I ran D from my breaker box in the garage to use specifically for the tank. Did that about a year ago. It shares a ground bus and neutral with all the others in the box in the garage. It only has the Apex and DC8 running 3x400 w ballasts, actinics, and a couple fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 How old is the house? Maybe they used aluminum wire in your walls instead of copper to cut the cost. Or the old outlets weren't wired up 100% right? Seems trange that the one you installed and know is right is reading a lot lower but these others are going high. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+boognish Posted August 29, 2013 Author Share Posted August 29, 2013 House is about 15 years old. The strange part to me is that when it is unplugged, I read 30ish volts in the sump with all other pumps and powerheads running, but when plug the one pump into the new outlet (not changing the others at all), the entire reading drops to 10v. Plugging it in anywhere else increase by 10 -12 v. As if plugging it into that one grounds everything for some reason. I don't know enough about it to understand that. Hoping someone does and can chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 I wouldn't try any make any assumptions until you get the extension cord / power strip / outlet / circuit figured out. 22 Ohms is a pretty substantial resistance. That's roughly adding 5.5 Amps of current before you even plug in a pump. If you consider that most residential breakers are 15A, you're at 1/3 of the total capacity of the breaker without even running a piece of equipment. Neutral to ground readings would typically be under an ohm, most likely in the 100 milliohm range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted August 29, 2013 Share Posted August 29, 2013 Also when testing this make sure every switch on the circuit is off and nothing is plugged into any part of the circuit. You can get some wacky readings otherwise because you could be measuring the resistance of a pump or a light that's plugged into the same circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haze152 Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 Dumb question but why don't you just ground the sump? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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