What has Shorted/ Caught Fire in Your Tank?

[EJReef]

Never a fire.

However, my skimmer pump (piece-o-crap Atman), which was plugged into an outlet controlled by a float switch in the skimmate container, crapped out and fried the float switch as well as the outlet in the Reefkeeper energy bar.....a purple/black goop was coming out of the energy bar and now that outlet was fried.

That "goop" sounds like melted plastic to me

 

[Summer4infinity]

None of the ones on the survey, but I had a small LED light plugged into a cheap light timer (like you use for Christmas lights). Caught it when it started to smoke. I’m so glad I was home!

 

[Flippers4pups]

@happyhourhero from what I've seen so far, maybe "household timers" could be added to the vote?

 

[Dominat0r]

First tank I got was a tropical fish 20 Long. A cheap tetra heater broke on me and I did not catch it for a day or so.

I have not used a heater since then.

 

[Bob3655]

Several years back on my 40b salt creep made its way down my koralia powerheads power cables straight into my power strip. Thank god I happened to be home at the time in the same room, suddenly the power strip started popping and shooting out sparks like crazy and melted. Needless to say, since then, I always use drip loops and have my power bars as high up as possible.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Pacific Sun Hyperion S power supply. Something smelled like burning electronics/plastic in my den in the morning but I couldn't pinpoint the cause and blew it off as something outside. Came home for lunch and was eating in the den when I saw bright flashes behind my 75. In the few seconds it took me to get to the tank there were flames coming from the power supply. Quickly splashed water from the tank which extinguished it and unplugged it. Contacted the Pac Sun Rep who did not seem to care at all. He asked that I mail them the power supply so they could look into it. I never heard back. Light went into the garbage. If I hadn't have been home at the time the flames would have easily spread to the curtains and poof bye bye house.

charred salt bucket the power supply sat on

light that's now in landfill

 

[Hans24hrs]

I had an older biocube catch on fire. Apparently the cooling fan crapped out and the hood them melted with the light in it, into the water. Caught on fire and we were out of our house for almost 5 months from it

 

[DMan]

I'm not saying anything, as to not jinx myself. You know when your hockey team is about to get a shutout. And someone says outloud " Hey that goalie is about to get a shutout" .. And what usually happens, no more shutout.
So..............not sayin anything.

 

[Navy Cove]

Fluorescent home made fixture (well made by a vendor) shorted, caught fire, real flames. Seems to me they were called Polar Ice but I can't find them any more. Fire department sprayed fire suppressant in the tank. It killed the fire and everything in the tank by the time I got home; fish were floating. Luckily, the family was home and smelled the smoke even before the smoke alarm so no damage beyond the tank. I destroyed a pair of shoes trying to save the life rock which I managed to give to other reefers so it was not lost. I still have a bad memory of all the floating fish. Insurance replaced the tank and everything except anything alive. &10,000. They didn't understand that the rock was "alive".

I also had an outlet that evidently was getting some salt water spray. I spotted it getting weird (melting) before the fire otherwise I think I would have had a fire there too. I replaced the outlet and added an outside outlet cover to prevent splash. That was over 5 years ago and it has not recurred.

 

[happyhourhero]

@happyhourhero from what I've seen so far, maybe "household timers" could be added to the vote?

A mod would have to add it. I cannot.

 

[Ryanbrs Verified Sponsor]

Three items : ( First a skimmer pump I thought had just seized but when I cleaned it and plugged it in it spewed out thick smoke bubbles. I also had a glass heater which had a bad seal and leaked water inside and a second hand t5 retro install which set a hood on fire. If I had not been home for the t5 issue the house would have burned down for sure.

Oh and one that was clearly my fault. A MJmod I made once where I sprayed glue accelerator on it and I didn't notice it melted the cord. Sure noticed the zap when I put it in the tank ...

Behind the scenes, the most common I have heard of is cheap DC return pumps where the controller is built into the pump for cooling. Presumably, in most cases, the pump was allowed to run dry.

 

[Mombo]

I have yet to have anything short on me! But this thread makes me scared!

 

[Maritimer]

Only two items ever ...

One was a self-made powerstrip, back before powerstrips were a thing. The other, just a few months ago, was a T-8 aquarium striplight. (It was _years_ old...)

In both cases, I'd attribute the failure to salt creep.

~Bruce

 

[Fishmanz]

Brand new jvp powerhead tripping my gfci. Had two of those do that.

 

[jasonrusso]

Pacific Sun Hyperion S power supply. Something smelled like burning electronics/plastic in my den in the morning but I couldn't pinpoint the cause and blew it off as something outside. Came home for lunch and was eating in the den when I saw bright flashes behind my 75. In the few seconds it took me to get to the tank there were flames coming from the power supply. Quickly splashed water from the tank which extinguished it and unplugged it. Contacted the Pac Sun Rep who did not seem to care at all. He asked that I mail them the power supply so they could look into it. I never heard back. Light went into the garbage. If I hadn't have been home at the time the flames would have easily spread to the curtains and poof bye bye house.

charred salt bucket the power supply sat on

light that's now in landfill

For the money those cost I would have made an issue and had a new power supply sent to me.

 

[sundog101]

Great idea for a poll!

 

[Karie]

Cobalt Neo-therm heater. Took me a long time to figure out what was stabbing me every time I stuck my hand in my sump. I wasn't being stabbed, I was getting shocked. Never occurred to me that could be happening.

But still not as bad as the time I dropped my leds in my tank while I was cleaning it. Not my brightest moment.

 

[Orm Embar]

TAAM RIO return pump. Did the prototypical "leaking black goo" . . . it also tripped the plug-in GCFI, I think. After doing some reading on how often those return pumps did that, I decided to never buy a TAAM RIO pump again. Or any heater than wasn't either an Eheim-Jager or titanium, for that matter. I also always run a GCFI and a grounding probe

 

[siggy]

Cobalt Neo-therm heater. Took me a long time to figure out what was stabbing me every time I stuck my hand in my sump. I wasn't being stabbed, I was getting shocked. Never occurred to me that could be happening.

Neo-therm, i bought that for my 40 , thinking i wouldn't have to worry about broken glass and this very thing. Guess i'll think again.

I had an older biocube catch on fire. Apparently the cooling fan crapped out and the hood them melted with the light in it, into the water. Caught on fire and we were out of our house for almost 5 months from it

Sorry to hear about your Home. After hearing about all the close calls of being home at the start of fires i was wondering how many were not at home, then i seen your post . ( that shutout thing )

 

[Falcon53]

I had one of those very popular American DJ power strips burn up on me. It was not overloaded (according to the specs), and it was not even close to the tank, i.e. no water touched it.

I bought it because it was cheaper than the Tripp-Lite stuff, which is much higher quality. I do not buy the cheap stuff anymore.