Grounding Stock Tanks When Using A De-Icer

[KQ]

I do not ground my stock tank heaters but I've recently heard you should. Wondering what the collective thinks.

I use 70gal Rubbermaid tanks (plastic) with a drain plug de-icer. They are plugged into outdoor (made for garden use) GFCI outlets like this:



Heater/tank:



Since my tanks are plastic I guess my only option for grounding would be to have a wire hooked over the edge of the tank into the water which has it's own issues (i.e. horses playing with the wire and pulling it out). I went with the drain plug de-icer instead of a float de-icer because they tend to become toys and end up on the ground rather than in the tank but if I have to run a wire over the edge I'm right back in that kind of situation.

So what do you think? Haven't had any shocking issues to date but I would like to make sure my animals are safe.

[Shredhead]

I've used the same type of heaters for 25 years, without grounding or incidence.
Don't worry about it.

[Bronco]

Grounding Stock Tanks When Using A De-Icer

Nope you're ok

[spudbumkin]

One can not ground plastic. Plastic does not conduct electricity. Your stock is safe.

[DougW]

is the cord of the heater grounded? it has a three prong plug?

[Game Over]

Grounding Stock Tanks When Using A De-Icer

I'm not a electrician but this seems nuts-- wouldn't anything that shorted so bad it put current into the tank blow the breaker?

[Game Over]

Grounding Stock Tanks When Using A De-Icer

One can not ground plastic. Plastic does not conduct electricity. Your stock is safe

problem could be when the stock takes a drink (feet grounded) and therefore grounds the whole system

[Game Over]

We always used water circulators in ND. No heater and they never froze

[KQ]

is the cord of the heater grounded? it has a three prong plug?

Yeah, three prongs and as I mentioned the outlet is GFCI.

problem could be when the stock takes a drink (feet grounded) and therefore grounds the whole system

I was skeptical but the person said she'd seen her horses get zapped.

[Timberridge]

What about just putting some Prestone in the water?

[riser4]

There's more than one person on teh TGRz that has a stock tank?

[Plainview]

Yeah, three prongs and as I mentioned the outlet is GFCI.




I was skeptical but the person said she'd seen her horses get zapped.

Seems unlikely if the GFCI is working correctly. That is exactly the kind of scenarios that GFCIs are meant to protect against. Is it possible the person you talked to did not have GFCI protected outlets?

The best way to test them is to pick up an outlet tester from the hardware store. Most outlet testers will have a GFCI test button.

steepconcrete - a standard breaker protects against a dead short, where there is a lot of current flow (in excess of the breaker's rating). You can definitely have situations where current is leaking to ground through a high resistance path and thus not pulling enough current to trip a standard breaker yet still posing a shock hazard. 1 amp is enough to kill you in the right circumstances and standard household outlet breakers are 15 or 20 amp. To a regular breaker such current leakage just looks like a load on the circuit. A GFCI monitors for leakage to ground and will trip with as little as 4 to 6 milliamps of leakage.

[PB]

this^^^ GFIC covers it appropriately. Should be tested regularly, though, especially with this kind of harsh environment application. My biggest problem with GFICs is that as they age they tend to get too sensitive and pop if you just think about them remotely.

[riser4]

My biggest problem with GFICs is that as they age they tend to get too sensitive and pop if you just think about them remotely.

^This

[DougW]

There's more than one person on teh TGRz that has a stock tank?

I've got two, one for cattle about 200 gal steel that uses a floating heater and one of those auto insulated for horses