close call

[Jessielynn1024]

One of my tabks lights shorted out I heard a crackle noise go in the bedroom to a room of smoke and my 20 gallon octagons hood is on flames!!!! Wtf! Yea long story short thank god I was home and have good hearing

 

[Anonymous]

Holy (BEEP)! That is creepy. Never have I thought my equipment could catch fire.

 

[iandraco]

that's crazy. good thing you were home. hope the fish are ok and there was not too much smoke damage.

 

[Betty]

I have heard about aquarium equipment catching on fire and causing a lot of damage before.

I'm glad you were home and caught it before it had a chance to do any real damage.

 

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi All,

This is just a reminder that a GFCI outlet or if you don't want to hire an electrician then a GFCI extension cord is an inexpensive way to help insure minimal damage from electrical fires, shock, or possible electrocution.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/203440725?productId=203440725&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=203440725&ci_kw={keyword}&kwd={keyword}&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googleads-_-pla-_-203440725&ci_gpa=pla#.UUspKVf4Y_w

http://www.quill.com/cci-right-angle-gfci-extension-cord-extension/cbs/269070.html?cm_mmc=SEM_PLA_269070

 

[pbmax]

Absolutely - GFCIs are a must for all aquarium equipment.

I replaced my power strip plugs with these (where I didn't have a GFCI-protected circuit):

http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-16693-120-Volt-Automatic-Compliant/dp/B0037NXKY0/ref=dp_ob_title_hi

You may be able to find them elsewhere for a better price, but the nice thing about these is that they reset to on after a power outage - many others do not.

 

[Anonymous]

:afro:

Hi All,

This is just a reminder that a GFCI outlet or if you don't want to hire an electrician then a GFCI extension cord is an inexpensive way to help insure minimal damage from electrical fires, shock, or possible electrocution.

:afro: . o O WHEW.... All my equipment is double protected then. GFCI plug in, GFCI power strips.

 

[FrontosaDude]

Agreed, GFCI is a must!. Good thing you were home when this happened, I can only imagine the damage that could have been done. So what was the end result as far as overall damage? Just a new hood and new light? And a newly placed order for a GFCI powerstrip ?

 

[Jessielynn1024]

It wasn't the power strip that caught fire it was the light where the cord connects to the light itself. Yea new canopy light and the top of the tank itself a bit melty and crusty black but that is hid under the canopy

 

[pbmax]

The idea is that the GFCI would detect that electricity is going somewhere other than it's supposed to go and thus cut off power, preventing a fire from occurring.

 

[Jessielynn1024]

O so what's the actual name of the gfci? And where can I get them for how much

 

[pbmax]

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter

Roy and I posted some links to them above. They also sell them at just about any hardware store that sells electrical stuff.

 

[FrontosaDude]

You can get GFCI outlets for fairly cheap at any hardware store (less than 20 bucks). It's actually not that hard to replace your existing outlets with them, and isn't really something you need to hire an electrician for (just make sure you cut the power to the house or that specific location of your house beforehand) but if the thought of dealing with wires is a bit shocking : , then you could always save yourself the trouble and just buy a GFCI 8 plug power strip for $40-50.

 

[pbmax]

Indeed; they're easy to install, but you have to make sure you're hooking them up in the right direction (and test them correctly) or it's all for not.

 

[FrontosaDude]

Agreed, make sure to properly test them. It's actually not a bad idea to just re-do your whole house, instead of just doing the outlet you are using for your tank(s). If your close to any electrical supply distributors or if you know anyone that works at Platt I'm sure you could get a great bundle deal on 20+ outlets....fish tanks aren't the only thing in your house that can surge and cause an unwanted house fire!

 

[pbmax]

Yup; all bathrooms and kitchens are required to be on GFCI circuits. They're not always a plus though. If you're using high-current devices like refrigerators and air compressors and things like that with high inductive loads, a GFCI is a fail. So is wiring the furnace fan into the same ckt that the fridge and compressor are on....

 

[Jessielynn1024]

My problem is that my tanks aren't in just one area lol everywhere you turn there's another tank

 

[FrontosaDude]

That is a problem that many of us have! :

 

[FrontosaDude]

I'd recommend at least re-doing those specific outlets, it's a lot cheaper than paying $50 a pop for new power strips for each tank location or running a criss cross maze of extension cords!

 

[pbmax]

Thats why I posted the link to a 3-prong GFCI plug replacement. You just lop off the plug on any power strip, strip the wires at the ends, screw them in, close it all up, and you're done. I have tanks in 6 different rooms in my house and only 3 of those rooms have GFCIs in the walls.