Got a Shock From Chugger Pump!

[BeerMakesPeopleHappy]

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Hello electric brewers!

I finally set up my electric HERMS system after storing it for a year, and am greatly anticipating some summer beers! I did a test run yesterday, and while everything worked as expected, at one point while transferring heated water to the mash tun I reached to open the outlet valve on the water pump and YIKES! that stung a little! After that I was a little more cautious about grabbing the valve with wet hands, and it only happened that one time. I've been measuring resistance and testing voltage ever since and can't find anything that could have caused it to happen. The only thing I've found it that the stainless pump heads are not grounded - only the motor housing is.

My system runs through a 30 amp spa panel so everything should be protected, but I'd still like to know what is malfunctioning as there shouldn't be anything bleeding to ground. Does anyone have experience with this? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[kal]

Hi!

If you're being shocked then either something is not running through the spa panel, the spa panel is miswired, or the GFCI breaker in the spa panel is no longer working correctly. One or more of these have to be true as the whole point of wiring all through a GFCI breaker is that you don't have to worry about what might fail or how downstream. It'll protect you regardless of the fault.

The only fault it can't protect from is a miswired spa panel or a defective GFCI breaker. (Or if you're actually not running something through the GFCI breaker).

Once you find out what's wrong with the protective circuitry (GFCI) you can tackle the actual issue with the pump. In your case sounds like the HOT line in the chugger has somehow come lose or has sorted against the head. Disconnect the pump from your control panel and test the continuity of the 3 wires to make sure they're not somehow shorted through something like the head as you mentioned. You should find that with the protective circuitry working correctly that the GFCI pops whenever you do whatever before was shocking you, as that's the whole point of the protective circuitry.

I would not use the system until the GFCI breaker is working correctly again.

Good luck!

Kal

[kal]

Hi!

If you're being shocked then either something is not running through the spa panel, the spa panel is miswired, or the GFCI breaker in the spa panel is no longer working correctly. One or more of these have to be true as the whole point of wiring all through a GFCI breaker is that you don't have to worry about what might fail or how downstream. It'll protect you regardless of the fault.

The only fault it can't protect from is a miswired spa panel or a defective GFCI breaker. (Or if you're actually not running something through the GFCI breaker).

Once you find out what's wrong with the protective circuitry (GFCI) you can tackle the actual issue with the pump. In your case sounds like the HOT line in the chugger has somehow come lose or has sorted against the head. Disconnect the pump from your control panel and test the continuity of the 3 wires to make sure they're not somehow shorted through something like the head as you mentioned. You should find that with the protective circuitry working correctly that the GFCI pops whenever you do whatever before was shocking you, as that's the whole point of the protective circuitry.

I would not use the system until the GFCI breaker is working correctly again.

Good luck!

Kal

[BeerMakesPeopleHappy]

Thanks for the advice Kal! I'll definitely dig into this further before using the system.