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Re: Grounding electrodes



> From: JOlson8590 at aol_com
> Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 00:20:52 -0500
> 
> As for the rest, I am not convinced by proper scientific evidence. 

Nicely phrased.  I'll just have to assume you meant "I have not seen
any proper scientific evidence, so I am not convinced".  

As an aside, do you know what kind of bacteria are responsible for
nitrification in aquaria? 

Back to the subject of grounding electrodes.  I was told there was
some research done by a marine biologist at Stanford University on
this subject.  I have not seen a published paper but was told about it
by Andrew Thomas at the now apparently defunct Sandpoint.  Sandpoint
originated the commercial "Solution Ground", a pH-style electrode body
fitted with a titanium rod ($35, quite expensive for what it was).
The Solution Ground was developed in conjunction with the Stanford
research and was claimed to prevent and cure certain diseases in
marine fish.  I don't know if Andrew was blowing smoke to make sales
but he sounded really sincere :-).  I tried one and it cured a case of
Discus Fin Rot.  Perhaps I will scrounge through the local research
library and try to locate some proper scientific evidence with which
you can be either convinced or not convinced.

> By the way, I have been a Ham Radio operator for about forty years,
> and I have built a LOT of electronic gadgets, from receivers to
> transmitters, power supplies, even meters, and such.

That's wonderful but that does not prove you know anything about the
current topic.  BTW, since we are trading resumes, I am an Electrical
Engineer with 22 years of experience.  I have built a LOT of
electrical products, for which people actually pay large sums of
money.  Which also does not prove I know anything about the current
topic.

[10" resistor discussion deleted]

Yes, I think we agree that the voltage across the fish will be very
small and Ohms Law applies to this situation. 

> The fish will have a very very low resistance, a lot lower than the
> water.  

Would you state for the record the actual resistance of the fish in
question and the resistance of the water?  

> Again, by Ohm's Law, the very low resistance fish will now
> carry the lion's share of the current through his/her hapless body.

The lion's share of what current?  IF there was some current, I=E/R
still applies and E is still very small as you demonstrated with the
10" resistor.  Back to the topic, WHAT current are we talking about? 
I have stated that the grounding electrode is NOT designed for
protection against leakage currents.  I have stated the electrode is
designed to prevent induced voltages.  

[Shocking fish photos, lightning strikes and your electrical mistakes
deleted due to irrelevance]

> I am not cynical, just suspicious of things that appear to violate the
> Laws of Physics.

Tell me again what Laws of Physics are being violated?  I claim a
grounding electrode eliminates induced voltage in the aquarium water.
Please address that topic.

I have anecdotal evidence that this is useful.  I do not claim this is a
scientific fact.  I don't care what you think about that.  

George