Electrical emergency with tank. Please help!

[glb]

I have a 40g breeder run by an Apex Jr in a separate cabinet so the electrical equipment never touches saltwater. The system is hooked up to a gfci outlet. Last week during a bad storm several of our gfci outlets tripped. I had an electrician come out to make sure the circuit was ok. He thought it might be stray voltage from the tank.

This week the outlets have been tripping in several rooms. Just now we lost power to some outlets and the lights started flickering. Other parts of the house are fine. I heard a loud noise in my tank equipment cabinet and smelled an electrical burning smell. I immediately unplugged the entire system so now everything is off. I texted the electrician to get him back out here tomorrow. Needless to say, it scared me to death. Has anyone had a similar experience? Maybe #reefsquad can help???

 

[mitch91175]

Yeah it can sometimes happen in the hobby unfortunately. I know someone that their house burned down because of how they had their system setup. Do it incorrectly and you will have to pay the piper.

I've had some flaming incidents myself and they are not anything to take lightly.

So many power bricks and if you put them near water they will eventually get condensation build-up. Loops help but best if you can put all electrical as far away from the water as possible.

I picked up a tank today and the same happened to the guy I picked it up from. His wall outlet was scorched.

 

[Pistondog]

I have a 40g breeder run by an Apex Jr in a separate cabinet so the electrical equipment never touches saltwater. The system is hooked up to a gfci outlet. Last week during a bad storm several of our gfci outlets tripped. I had an electrician come out to make sure the circuit was ok. He thought it might be stray voltage from the tank.

This week the outlets have been tripping in several rooms. Just now we lost power to some outlets and the lights started flickering. Other parts of the house are fine. I heard a loud noise in my tank equipment cabinet and smelled an electrical burning smell. I immediately unplugged the entire system so now everything is off. I texted the electrician to get him back out here tomorrow. Needless to say, it scared me to death. Has anyone had a similar experience? Maybe #reefsquad can help???

Great safety job on using gfci.
Had a similar problem with gfci tripping.
Standard troubleshooting is to unplug all, then plug 1 thing back in at a time.
That said, electrical burning smell not good.
Can you isolate the smell to a device?

 

[Parent_usmc]

If several rooms are involved ( given your home is newer) it could very well be your electrical panel/service. Sounds to me like a loose neutral..

Older homes tend to have fewer circuits ( given your electrical hasn't been updated) which could be that your fish tank shares a circuit with lights and other rooms, hopefully none of your equipment was damaged. But if you lost a neutral at your panel, or possibly at the actual service, you could damage electronics

 

[glb]

Yeah it can sometimes happen in the hobby unfortunately. I know someone that their house burned down because of how they had their system setup. Do it incorrectly and you will have to pay the piper.

I've had some flaming incidents myself and they are not anything to take lightly.

Thanks. I’m not sure what got fried. What worries me is that this is affecting other outlets in the house. I’ve always been very careful with electricity and there’s nothing new in the tank. Luckily my electrician has a saltwater tank too! I just hope all my equipment isn’t destroyed. I think the fish and coral will be ok without filtration for the day or so it takes to get this fixed.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

Yes pull each pice of equipment until you find the electric smelly one. Or plug in one at a time until gf I trips. Multiple tripping I. The house is not good and something else is up. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[glb]

Great safety job on using gfci.
Had a similar problem with gfci tripping.
Standard troubleshooting is to unplug all, then plug 1 thing back in at a time.
That said, electrical burning smell not good.
Can you isolate the smell to a device?

The whole cabinet smells so I’m not sure. I might unplug each piece of equipment and try plugging it into an extension cord. I hope it isn’t the Apex itself. Right before this happened, the display module went blank (orange backlit but nothing on the screen). Thanks for your help!

 

[glb]

If several rooms are involved ( given your home is newer) it could very well be your electrical panel/service. Sounds to me like a loose neutral..

Older homes tend to have fewer circuits ( given your electrical hasn't been updated) which could be that your fish tank shares a circuit with lights and other rooms, hopefully none of your equipment was damaged. But if you lost a neutral at your panel, or possibly at the actual service, you could damage electronics

Thanks. My house was built in the 40’s, but the electrical has been updated. You’re right that the tank outlet is connected to other outlets. When the electrician came out, he said the circuitry was fine. But something’s definitely wrong.

 

[glb]

Yes pull each pice of equipment until you find the electric smelly one. Or plug in one at a time until gf I trips. Multiple tripping I. The house is not good and something else is up. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks. Yep I’m worried. My husband just told me that a surge protector on the other side of the house blew.

 

[fishguy242]

do you have livestock in there ,see if you can safely use ph for oxygen over night...careful ..best wishes..following,keep us posted

 

[Pistondog]

Sometimes during power outages, the power can either flicker or brown, which means not full voltage is available since all on the grid is restarting. When some devices turn back on, ac pumps, they might draw too much current, overheating conductors burning the insulation causing the smell. Permanently damaged. Replace if this is the case.
It might be just 1 apex outlet, so switching to a spare might resolve it. Worst case, maybe replace the energy bar.
You might turn all off, then manually via apex turn on 1 at a time, until the trip recurs. Be careful.

 

[proxy001]

I had a similar issue. It was the connection of the main electrical line on the roof. (cable from the city to your house). Sometimes those go bad, Could also be the wiring at or before your meter or your whole panel. Definitely have an electrician inspect if it is several rooms. Do you have UPC on computers/electronic? do they trip/ activate?

 

[glb]

do you have livestock in there ,see if you can safely use ph for oxygen over night...careful ..best wishes..following,keep us posted

I have six fish and some coral, softies and LPS. I have battery operated airstone pumps I keep on hand for hurricanes so I can set those up tomorrow.

 

[glb]

Thanks. I’m g

Sometimes during power outages, the power can either flicker or brown, which means not full voltage is available since all on the grid is restarting. When some devices turn back on, ac pumps, they might draw too much current, overheating conductors burning the insulation causing the smell. Permanently damaged. Replace if this is the case.
It might be just 1 apex outlet, so switching to a spare might resolve it. Worst case, maybe replace the energy bar.
You might turn all off, then manually via apex turn on 1 at a time, until the trip recurs. Be careful.

Thanks so much! I’m going to wait until the electrician comes before I do anything. He’s got a saltwater tank himself, so I’m in good hands!

 

[fishguy242]

I have six fish and some coral, softies and LPS. I have battery operated airstone pumps I keep on hand for hurricanes so I can set those up tomorrow.

should do tonight only 40 gallon..

 

[Debramb]

FYI, my husband had to add an extra electrical panel and fuses when he added pool, hot tub and outside lighting. 2 panels we had couldn’t Handle extra power.

 

[glb]

I had a similar issue. It was the connection of the main electrical line on the roof. (cable from the city to your house). Sometimes those go bad, Could also be the wiring at or before your meter or your whole panel. Definitely have an electrician inspect if it is several rooms. Do you have UPC on computers/electronic? do they trip/ activate?

What is UPC?

 

[Pistondog]

Thanks. Yep I’m worried. My husband just told me that a surge protector on the other side of the house blew.

Thanks. I’m g

Thanks so much! I’m going to wait until the electrician comes before I do anything. He’s got a saltwater tank himself, so I’m in good hands!

Good plan, just keep minimal life support running.

 

[glb]

You all are the best btw. I love R2R!!!!

 

[RobB'z Reef]

Sometimes during power outages, the power can either flicker or brown, which means not full voltage is available since all on the grid is restarting. When some devices turn back on, ac pumps, they might draw too much current, overheating conductors burning the insulation causing the smell. Permanently damaged. Replace if this is the case.
It might be just 1 apex outlet, so switching to a spare might resolve it. Worst case, maybe replace the energy bar.
You might turn all off, then manually via apex turn on 1 at a time, until the trip recurs. Be careful.

I don't have an apex yet, but I will soon enough. Can they recognize a power up cycle? Was thinking of you could create a function based on that event, you could maybe set delays to all your other devices and start then up in a controlled manner to prevent this massive draw of power all at once? Just trying to think outside the box here...