Sump fan melted

[Chipp]

woke up to this this morning smell of burning plastic. It was a 24vdc fan connected to the apex accessory port.

 

[MnFish1]

Any idea as to how this happened?

 

[Cell]

I'd make installing a gfci on that outlet a high priority.

 

[MnFish1]

I'd make installing a gfci on that outlet a high priority.

Curious - Probably around a tank - most outlets should have a GFCI - I get the impression that the fan was connected to the apex accessory port? (or did you mean the port into which the Apex is plugged? Thanks. I cant see how this could happen - water splashing onto the motor?

 

[TheHarold]

That would be a fault in the motor/fan itself, not the apex 24v port.

Any 24v adapter would have had the same results

 

[link81]

really dumb question, but are you sure that the fan was a 24VDC unit and not a common 12vdc computer fan?
running it at twice the rated voltage would absolutely melt the windings at some point.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

It looks like some of the fans we have had to replace over the years in oil rig IDF cabinets for the controls. Melted, burned up and rust everywhere. If the fan was exposed to "salt air" or any moisture and was not rated for it, this is what happens. We are now replacing the fans with all plastic and ceramic units that are rated for salt exposure before they fail, as the equipment in those cabinets gets pretty toasty without a fan. Even the ones listed as "stainless screws" will rust at some point and should be avoided.

As for cooling fans, there are some companies that make them specifically for cooling off our reef tanks, as the ones we use for these cabinets are over 500 a piece and way over kill for a reef tank.

 

[Chipp]

really dumb question, but are you sure that the fan was a 24VDC unit and not a common 12vdc computer fan?
running it at twice the rated voltage would absolutely melt the windings at some point.

GDSTIME Dual Ball Bearing 24V 120mm x 25mm 5 inch Brushless DC Cooling Fan
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CNP2SRW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[link81]

@Chipp See, i told told you it was a dumb question ;Woot

wonder if the salt spray just got to it after a while.
how old was it? was it exhausting from the cabinet or blowing into the cabinet?

 

[Chipp]

@Chipp See, i told told you it was a dumb question ;Woot

wonder if the salt spray just got to it after a while.
how old was it? was it exhausting from the cabinet or blowing into the cabinet?

No such thing as a dumb question. It's about 3 months, and it was blowing straight down into the sump for evaporative cooling. I bought that one only because it allowed me to take advantage of the apex accessory port, but i can just replace it with and icecap or reef octopus fan plugged into my second eb. It also left little flecks on top of my sump.

 

[fish farmer]

I installed a 4" fan above my 20 gal sump last summer facing down toward the sump. It was rusting up by the end of the year. I had another fan that was above that in the same area(never run or wired up), after 8 years I pulled it last year, totally seized up.

 

[bblumberg]

Buy an IP65 or better still an IP67 rated fan. Noctua makes good ones that you can pick up on Amazon

 

[MnFish1]

I installed a 4" fan above my 20 gal sump last summer facing down toward the sump. It was rusting up by the end of the year. I had another fan that was above that in the same area(never run or wired up), after 8 years I pulled it last year, totally seized up.

I have gotten away completely from putting anything 'electronic' in the same compartment as my sump. (all of the controls are in a separate cabinet). It was just too often that something would happen.