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dbfzurowski
02-03-2010, 02:14 PM
hey guys,
i'm going to be getting a w/d sump and all the equipment is going in it.
now my question is do i need to ground my sump just in case there's a short somewhere?
kaceyo
02-03-2010, 06:39 PM
It couldn't hurt and might help. Go for it.

Kacey
dbfzurowski
02-04-2010, 01:39 AM
thats what i was thinking. now would i need a separate ground from my electrical GND? Wondering if something else in the house shorts i wouldn't want it going into the sump water
kaceyo
02-04-2010, 05:22 PM
An electricle ground is always a good idea when electricity and water are involved, although I don't take any steps in particular to ground my equipment other than the grounding plugs supplied with the surge protector.

Kacey
Moon
02-04-2010, 05:31 PM
If you have GFI receptacles there is no need to ground your sump. But as Kacey mentioned it won't hurt.
dbfzurowski
02-04-2010, 07:17 PM
i read somewhere that sometimes when a heater breaks you can register some electricity in the water. thats my only concern.
the new setup has to be "perfect", i want my fish to be safe and happy.
it isn't much work so ima go for it. thanks for input guys.
Chad Hughes
02-04-2010, 07:24 PM
I don't ground the sump itself, but every component in the sump is grounded (three prong) AND attached to a GFI. Get a good GFI though. There are some that are crap and will trip constantly and not because there is a short. Nothing worse than having your system shut down without reason, constantly!

Hope that helps!
dbfzurowski
02-04-2010, 07:29 PM
GFI are tricky, it's not how they're made but how you connect them, i do a lot of residential electrical work and they are a pain in the a$$ if you dont know the wire layout.
Jhhnn
02-04-2010, 10:33 PM
GFI are tricky, it's not how they're made but how you connect them, i do a lot of residential electrical work and they are a pain in the a$$ if you dont know the wire layout.

I'm no professional electrician, but I'll definitely agree with that. GFCI can be weird and touchy, so I avoid them wrt aquaria. I just kill the current at the power strips when I need to reach into the tanks. Grounding obviously won't hurt a thing.

One of the theories wrt HITH has to do with stray electrical current. Dunno if there's any truth to it, but grounding removes that as a consideration...