Stray Electrical

[schildkoi]

In the thread concerning Nacy and Frank's Sanke loss, the subject of stray electrical came up. By the way Nancy and Frank, sorry for your loss...been there and had it done to me as well.

For the purposes of this post, stray electrical is defined as an extremely small amount of electrical current, far less than what it takes to trip a GFCI or even come near to doing harm to a person. People with p[ace makers etc may be more susceptible than others however.

There is an easy way to test for stray electrical and it doesn't involve any fancy meters or even an electrician. First and foremost, ALL electrical (even exterior pumps and air pumps) should be GFCI protected and these circuits should be tested monthly. After conducting a "successful" monthly test of all of the GFCI(s), mix up a little clove oil solution and stir it with your hand. Then simply reach into a filter chamber or the pond itself and see if you experience a very slight tingling. If so, you have some stray electric. Stray electric often goes unnoticed but can in fact cause damage to a koi, most commonly in the form of "kinking" the back bone over time. Although a jolt of electric such as a nearby lighting strike, can cause death, stray electrical rarely (if ever) has an immediate effect.


Steve

[HEADACHE6]

Very good Info Steve . I'll do a test this evening . Oh , is it OK to have a can of beer in the other hand at the time of testing ?

[MCA]

the beer is applied before the electricity...

if electricity is detected....then a double dose of beer is required!

[Nancy M.]

Quote: Originally Posted by schildkoi In the thread concerning Nacy and Frank's Sanke loss, the subject of stray electrical came up. By the way Nancy and Frank, sorry for your loss...been there and had it done to me as well. For the purposes of this post, stray electrical is defined as an extremely small amount of electrical current, far less than what it takes to trip a GFCI or even come near to doing harm to a person. People with p[ace makers etc may be more susceptible than others however. There is an easy way to test for stray electrical and it doesn't involve any fancy meters or even an electrician. First and foremost, ALL electrical (even exterior pumps and air pumps) should be GFCI protected and these circuits should be tested monthly. After conducting a "successful" monthly test of all of the GFCI(s), mix up a little clove oil solution and stir it with your hand. Then simply reach into a filter chamber or the pond itself and see if you experience a very slight tingling. If so, you have some stray electric. Stray electric often goes unnoticed but can in fact cause damage to a koi, most commonly in the form of "kinking" the back bone over time. Although a jolt of electric such as a nearby lighting strike, can cause death, stray electrical rarely (if ever) has an immediate effect. Steve

Steve Great info... I guess I should have stated that all our electrical is GFCI protected.
I have been to many home ponds that have koi damaged due to stray electrical, I think it is usually caused from those underwater lights and pumps. Never heard of one of them dyeing from it, just looks like they have scoliosis.
Has anyone ever been to a hotel that has a "koi Pond" inside of it, there are usually some good examples of koi who are suffering from stray electrical current.