Oh My! FIRE!

I definitely need to do some drip loops. I had heard of them, but didn't really know what they were....even though the concept is very elementary. But, now I know, and I will create some tonight!

 

Wow. You are truly lucky to have been awake.

GFCI outlets are lifesavers. Be sure to also install one where you mix your saltwater too. Yesterday I was pumping water out of my hospital tank in my basement and the hose fell out of the sink. The stream hit my outlet strip and popped the GFCI immediately.

Although the GFCI can be a lifesaver it won't always trip. I got the same outlet wet once before and it steamed without tripping. You can also get a nasty shock even when using a GFCI outlet. Make sure your hands and floor are dry before touching your outlet strip.

Outlet strips should always be mounted on the wall to reduce the risk of it getting wet. Be sure to always drip loops in your cords so water can't follow the cord directly to the outlet.

 

Thanks for all the tips. I definitely need to be more careful. I got lazy and took my non-fire days for granted. I'm going to be doing some safety stuff tonight!

 

3 most important things about them.. K+

You can get a seriously nasty shock for about a millisecond, got one from our old 1990s hot tub. Im still scared of that thing even after having all new electronics and pump installed. It probably saved my life considering it is 220v.

 

Just to make things a little clearer.... The only thing that will put out an electrical fire is killing the power. Until you do that nothing will stop it until the circuit breaker trips...if it does. After the power is off, then it isn't an electrical fire, it's just a regular A,B,C fire.

And just to drive another point home.... A GFIC is not there to keep things from catching on fire..... it is there to KEEP YOU FROM BEING ELECTROCUTED. Circuit breakers protect property, but they trip at 15-20 amps. Enough to kill you 20 times over.

GFICs trip at a current leakage of milliamps.... non lethal amounts. GFICs are installed around water to protect people from being killed. So while a fire is serious buisness, I got mine because I have seen my Dad electrocuted and didn't really want to experience that. Food for thought.

 

Well I tried to use the GFCI outlet and it kept tripping. Wouldn't let anything be on. So...I removed it and mounted the power strips to the wall and created drip loops. Hope that works for the time being.

 

Sooo sorry to hear about this but I am glad that you are making others aware of the dangers of our hobby... and extremely happy that the fish made it! This could have been a major catastrophy and you could it in time... thank God!!!!
I actually had my electrician put special outlets in (about 10) and those run seperately from the rest of my power. Just to be on the safe side.

 

And ya.... I'm glad it turned out OK. I would of had a hard time sleeping too.

 

When my electrical engineer friend came over to help me wire my fish tank room up for the 200g tank, he insisted that I get a pair of GFCI's before he would come over ad help me do the work.


Having everything on my tank into the GFCI's is a really nice feeling, and having 2 separate ones is an even better idea as I have the lights separate from the pumps. That way if one goes out, the other is fine.

 

Well, I tried to do the gfci but it kept tripping. Any ideas?