Electric shock from tank

[matlet]

Hi,'
I have determined that if I touch my light kit (Coralife double MH/double CPL) and the water that I get shocked. I know that at night when the light fixture is off, I do not get shocked. I can't understand why touching the metal housing of the light fixture would carry current. I haven't found any exposed wires and the plugs are grounded. Guess I need to check the outlets in my Apex to be sure ground is still active. My CPLs did stop working several months ago, so I'm wondering if there is some type of short involved inside the housing.

Anyone experienced this before or ways to track down the root cause?

Any way to check electric current without using my body? A long-handled screw driver with a rubber handle and look for an arch to the water?
Thanks in advance,
Mark

 

[bhodges82]

If you aren't being shocked with the light off, the problem is the light. Is there a way to turn off the compact florescent? If so try that. They're may be salt creep inside the fixture that caused the failure and/or causing the shock.

 

[jcook54]

Is there anything else that's off at night when you don't get shocked? I'm asking because I had a pump in my mixing station start throwing current and never knew it until I hurt my back. There's a metal support poll next to the mixing station that I have never touched but when I got hurt I used it to help me straighten back up from placing the pump at the bottom, WOW! It scared me more than anything but I got out a voltmeter and a long piece of copper to test and found there was plenty of current in the water. Grabbing the metal support poll allowed for an easy ground and I got smoked. I'm wondering if there's not something else in the tank and touching the light fixture is an easy ground for the current. Or it is the fixture and it can be checked with a voltmeter. In my case, I had to take come some copper wire to extend the leads but it did shoe current being careful not to put any copper in the tank itself.

 

[ichthyoid]

+1 on the light being the problem.
If the the issue stops when the light is off, there's your sign!
Where are you located?

 

[skriz]

That particular brand of lighting has faced legal issues for this and other more detrimental issues. I would definitely discontinue using it and either dismantle and repair it or completely replace it with something else.