Thermal Reckoning, a Fire in the making...

[WVfishguy]

I was working on a customer tank when his wife casually informed me he dropped a power strip into the tank - not plugged in, thank God - and that said strip might still be under the tank in the stand. Not knowing if the strip I found was the one in question (it was dry and looked and smelled okay) , I gingerly plugged it in. I had no idea a wall of sparks / flames more than a foot high would shoot from the outlets of the powerstrip. I would not believed it possible had I not seen it. The water had evaporated, leaving invisible salt mulm in the strip. I could have used the thing as a weapon. If I'd had it near my face it would have blinded me. I was lucky not to be injured. The customer was a moron, and I didn't feel too bright either. I could have set his house on fire.

 

[lzrlvr]

Drip loop? And gfci receptacle?

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

I had no idea a wall of sparks / flames more than a foot high would shoot from the outlets of the powerstrip. I would not believed it possible had I not seen it. The water had evaporated, leaving invisible salt mulm in the strip. I could have used the thing as a weapon. If I'd had it near my face it would have blinded me. I was lucky not to be injured. The customer was a moron, and I didn't feel too bright either. I could have set his house on fire.

Sounds like something you should have recorded and posted on YouTube. You might have made it on to Ridiculousness

 

[WVfishguy]

I've never seen anything like it in 50 years of aquarium keeping. Hope to never see it again. One thing for sure, I treat suspect power strips with a lot more respect than I did before.

 

[MnFish1]

Great write up..... I am the victim of one such fire.

Same here

 

[Tajaba]

guys, I have a question concerning Strip plugs. Is it a good idea to mount them directly under the tank upside down? it'll automatically have a drip loop this way. and I figured the safest place was right under the big'ol glass bottom

 

[Brew12]

guys, I have a question concerning Strip plugs. Is it a good idea to mount them directly under the tank upside down? it'll automatically have a drip loop this way. and I figured the safest place was right under the big'ol glass bottom

Not a bad idea as long as they are in a location that won't be impacted by pump spray if something comes loose. Oh, and if you don't drill through and hit your tank!

I have mine mounted sideways on the top edge inside stand. Would have been better to put them outside the tank, but since I'm GFCI protected I don't worry to much.

 

[Retro Reefer]

guys, I have a question concerning Strip plugs. Is it a good idea to mount them directly under the tank upside down? it'll automatically have a drip loop this way. and I figured the safest place was right under the big'ol glass bottom

I keep my power strips as far away from the tank as possible.. saltwater and electricity don’t mix well. One time while servicing my sump I had a small amount of water splash onto a power strip and the outcome wasn’t pretty.. learned my lesson and now I keep them well away from the tank or in a cabinet for protection from splashes and leaks.

 

[CC13]

Does a GFCI outlet protect against these types of disasters?

Not at all. Found one of my GFCI's like this outside my house a few weeks ago. I ended up replacing all the plugs with new ones, and the housings as well.

 

[Turbo's Aquatics Verified Sponsor]

Was it old? Most GFCI manufacturers recommend testing frequently and replacement after a certain # of years. Of course, no one actually does any of that.

 

[Tajaba]

I keep my power strips as far away from the tank as possible.. saltwater and electricity don’t mix well. One time while servicing my sump I had a small amount of water splash onto a power strip and the outcome wasn’t pretty.. learned my lesson and now I keep them well away from the tank or in a cabinet for protection from splashes and leaks.

My bad, forgot to say my sump is underground not under tank

 

[Dan Korczak]

This is awesome information that was well worth the read. I say this with my head hung low, it's easy to ignore this stuff even if you do know it.