Electric Fire!

[ickmagnet]

About a week ago, I was halfway through an episode of Game of Thrones when I noticed a flash and a small fire coming from my reef fish tank. I rushed over and realized that the plug of my heater had basically melted right onto to the power bar Fortunately, the small blaze died itself and no damage was done (new power bar was needed).

How can I prevent this from happening again? There are only 2 koralia pumps connected to the same power bar and it is located away from the water so I am confident that it was not caused by any water damage. Currently I have not bought another heater because the summer heat and my lights are keeping the temperature in check. Eventually, I will have to get another heater. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

[HaZRaTTy]

Never watch Game of Thrones again! That was definetly the cause of the fire.

This is one of the only instances a disaster has happened when you were home and able to react usually its when your 2000 miles away on vacation. Lucky it didn't catch and put itself out.

Could it be result of a faulty powerbar, I know lots of Powerbars state on them not for aquarium use? How old was the PB?

[craigwmiller]

Yeah, what kind of power bar was it? Many are NOT GOOD for any usages, aquarium or not.

Check this:
http://www.beananimal.com/articles/outlet-strips.aspx

It's quite sobering!


I personally have 4 x Digital Aquatics PC4's (yes, expensive, but IMO you get what you pay for). And they are each powered by their own outlet - currently sharing 1 circuit, but in my new build (~1 month from now), there will be more circuits!

[Dearth]

The short answer is there isn't much you can do to prevent re-occurrence

Long answer is power bars no matter how cheap or expensive do fail as do anything plugged into them there are things to make it safer to use like a GFI plugged into the power bar or actually plugging only one item per outlet(don't laugh I know many people who do this including a few FW hobbyists) or even a couple of UPS unfortunately its one of those constant back of the mind worries that can never be fully prepared for

[ickmagnet]

Thanks. The more I think of it, the more I'm coming to the conclusion that it was some sort if Game of Thrones related sorcery. Haha.

Seriously though, the power bar was just a standard one. I'll make sure to buy one from the fish store when I get a heater.

Thanks

[spit.fire]

Funny thing, my powerbar lit on fire on The weekend as well, right were I had a hk nano plugged in

[Proteus]

Originally Posted by HaZRaTTy

Never watch Game of Thrones again!

Ppffftttt. WHAT. LOL

[gregzz4]

Maybe it was your heater ... maybe it was the powerbar
Or maybe it was splashed/dripped on ...

Here's something for you to ponder ...

Any small amount of salt on the plug in your powerbar can cause issues as it will hold moisture and create a short circuit while it's even mildly moist
Saltwater is hundreds of times more conductive than plain water and a short can happen easily

Be very careful about keeping your powerbar clean and dry, and use a drip loop

[mike31154]

If not mistaken any power bar, no matter what 'quality' or flavour is only intended for 'temporary' use. In other words, not providing power 24/7 to an electrical device like most of them are, not only for our hobby, but generally. So this means you really should have a wall receptacle for any item that's plugged in and powered up permanently. Of course this is not practical since very few people have as many wall receptacles as needed for all the stuff used on our tanks. And a wall receptacle may fail just like an outlet on a power bar if moisture gets in there or if there's a manufacturing defect, or if it's overloaded, etc. etc.

So yeah, in the end it's a bit of the luck of the draw as to when & how these things may fail. To minimize the hazard there are a few things you can do:

Have drip loops on equipment power cords & keep outlets/receptacles as far away from the water as practicable;

Use moisture proof boxes & covers on anything near your tank. Many outdoor type receptacles are a good option;

Use GFCI devices for added safety;

Keep circuit loads reasonable & the number of power bars to a minimum. Orient the outlets on power bars facing down or at least horizontal;

Minimize the number of items with cords actually submersed in your tank. Low voltage power heads & external return pumps come to mind. Not much you can do about heaters, but try not to fully submerse the thing, control head & all, even though the manufacturer may call it 'fully submersible'. Any cord in the water increases the potential of water wicking it's way along the cord to the sparky parts. And wicking works uphill as well, so your drip loop may only be a temporary stop;

Lastly, here's one that's actually pretty easy... next time you're admiring your tank, have a quick look at all the plugs etc. for their condition. Sort of a maintenance schedule for your powered stuff. You do the same on a regular basis for your car (I think), so why not for the electrics on your tank?

[michika]

Originally Posted by HaZRaTTy

Never watch Game of Thrones again! That was definetly the cause of the fire.