The motor will not short. I connect the battery and hang the connector on the side of the glass. I don't submerse the connector. Bend the wire over the side. When it first starts up it jumps pretty good so hold onto the wire. Once it starts it mellows out. I don't bother with distilled water because it's not in there that long. Usually about 15 minutes max. If I notice the water turns black really fast I stop it, change the water, and start again. Some of the larger motors, like a 400 or up, I change the water two or three times. Just run it until the water doesn't blacken anymore.