why you should always have drip loops and powerstrips protected from splashes
- Thread starter reefkprz
- Start date
reefreak29
Active Member
that looks familiar
done that
reefkprz
Active Member
yeah I was in a rush adding some equipment before work and didnt bother with the drip loop. after work half asleep I hear crackeling and smell burnt plastic ran into the living room to see acrid smoke rolling out from behind my frag tank, proceeded to drop a little blue cookie in my pants and hit my emergency shut off killing power to both tanks. god bless kill switches. IMO everyone should have a single kill switch to kill power to everything. in this case it was handy. didnt have to figure out what wire went where in the middle of a crisis. considering several wires that crossed eachother and were plugged in in different places were damaged killing just one switch or powerstrip wouldnt have killed power to all the damaged equipment.
I am about as mad at myself as is possible after many years in this hobby I should know better. complacancy is dangerous.
I am about as mad at myself as is possible after many years in this hobby I should know better. complacancy is dangerous.
donald
Member
wow, I'm glad that ya'll are alright(except that poor ol' powerstrip). Man, this stuff worries me and Im a firefighter. I hate using more that one plug in an outlet, but there is no other way to do this hobbie, unless you have 12 outlets wired in under your tank! I guess power strips are a needed evil. Again, glad to see ya'll are safe and sound, I would be mad if ya'll wern't because I have not had a chance to get any frags form you
jessica47421
Active Member
i know this sounds really dumb but could you expalin to me the loop thing i dont think i have done that either.
1journeyman
Active Member
Yipes. GFI sockets also important.
Jessica, a "drip loop" prevents water from running down your cords like a sidewalk. What you do is run your cord down below the level of the socket then back up to plug it in. Any water that travels down the cord will then go to the floor; it won't be able to travel up the cord.
Jessica, a "drip loop" prevents water from running down your cords like a sidewalk. What you do is run your cord down below the level of the socket then back up to plug it in. Any water that travels down the cord will then go to the floor; it won't be able to travel up the cord.
trey the salt
Member
I did that once and I was home too (thankfully) I had mine on a surge protector so once I got another one I mounted it on the wall above the water level.
scsinet
Active Member
Originally Posted by 1journeyman
Yipes. GFI sockets also important.
Yes, this likely would have stopped this. Nothing else offers this kind of protection. Surge protectors won't stop this, UPS units won't stop this. GFIs are the key.
I had an incident a few weeks ago where I was doing a water change so I was pumping water from a holding tank to my sump. The hose slipped and sprayed water around the inside of my stand.
A bit of water hit the power strip and all I heard was a "click" across the room and all of my tanks went dark. Just like that. No smoke, no sparks.
I dried off the power strip, hit reset, and I was back up and running.
GFIs rock.
Yipes. GFI sockets also important.
Yes, this likely would have stopped this. Nothing else offers this kind of protection. Surge protectors won't stop this, UPS units won't stop this. GFIs are the key.
I had an incident a few weeks ago where I was doing a water change so I was pumping water from a holding tank to my sump. The hose slipped and sprayed water around the inside of my stand.
A bit of water hit the power strip and all I heard was a "click" across the room and all of my tanks went dark. Just like that. No smoke, no sparks.
I dried off the power strip, hit reset, and I was back up and running.
GFIs rock.
perfectdark
Active Member
Originally Posted by SCSInet
Yes, this likely would have stopped this. Nothing else offers this kind of protection. Surge protectors won't stop this, UPS units won't stop this. GFIs are the key.
I had an incident a few weeks ago where I was doing a water change so I was pumping water from a holding tank to my sump. The hose slipped and sprayed water around the inside of my stand.
A bit of water hit the power strip and all I heard was a "click" across the room and all of my tanks went dark. Just like that. No smoke, no sparks.
I dried off the power strip, hit reset, and I was back up and running.
GFIs rock.
+1... very similar circumstance happened to me..
But mine ended slightly different. Even though my GFI tripped off everything I didnt notice that the small fan I had running on top of my tank to help cool it had gotten splashed. I turned everything back on all was good and with my own damp hands proceeded to adjust this metal housed fan a tad. Thats when I peed a bit.... Not a pleasant feeling to say the least... So, now no more metal housed fans....
Yes, this likely would have stopped this. Nothing else offers this kind of protection. Surge protectors won't stop this, UPS units won't stop this. GFIs are the key.
I had an incident a few weeks ago where I was doing a water change so I was pumping water from a holding tank to my sump. The hose slipped and sprayed water around the inside of my stand.
A bit of water hit the power strip and all I heard was a "click" across the room and all of my tanks went dark. Just like that. No smoke, no sparks.
I dried off the power strip, hit reset, and I was back up and running.
GFIs rock.
+1... very similar circumstance happened to me..
But mine ended slightly different. Even though my GFI tripped off everything I didnt notice that the small fan I had running on top of my tank to help cool it had gotten splashed. I turned everything back on all was good and with my own damp hands proceeded to adjust this metal housed fan a tad. Thats when I peed a bit.... Not a pleasant feeling to say the least... So, now no more metal housed fans....
scsinet
Active Member
Originally Posted by PerfectDark
+1... very similar circumstance happened to me..
But mine ended slightly different. Even though my GFI tripped off everything I didnt notice that the small fan I had running on top of my tank to help cool it had gotten splashed. I turned everything back on all was good and with my own damp hands proceeded to adjust this metal housed fan a tad. Thats when I peed a bit.... Not a pleasant feeling to say the least... So, now no more metal housed fans....
... ground your metal housings dude.
All light reflectors, etc. If you don't ground them, then what you experienced will inevitably happen one day.
+1... very similar circumstance happened to me..
But mine ended slightly different. Even though my GFI tripped off everything I didnt notice that the small fan I had running on top of my tank to help cool it had gotten splashed. I turned everything back on all was good and with my own damp hands proceeded to adjust this metal housed fan a tad. Thats when I peed a bit.... Not a pleasant feeling to say the least... So, now no more metal housed fans....
... ground your metal housings dude.
All light reflectors, etc. If you don't ground them, then what you experienced will inevitably happen one day.
saltn00b
Active Member
+1 on the GFCIs.
this is a freaky thing, i am glad you were there to get it under control reef.
just last week i walked in the house, started walking towards the tank and here two faint clicks and two flashes of light come from behind the doors of my stand. this was followed by the acrid burning smell. nothing turned off tho and i was never able to figure out what was flashing / popping. i do have the GFCI's too. i am thinking maybe some water splashed up onto my swirly bulb / housing that was lighing my fuge. no more incedents before or since.
this is a freaky thing, i am glad you were there to get it under control reef.
just last week i walked in the house, started walking towards the tank and here two faint clicks and two flashes of light come from behind the doors of my stand. this was followed by the acrid burning smell. nothing turned off tho and i was never able to figure out what was flashing / popping. i do have the GFCI's too. i am thinking maybe some water splashed up onto my swirly bulb / housing that was lighing my fuge. no more incedents before or since.
jessica47421
Active Member
i do have a gfi plug in the wall that the 2 power strips are comming from, is mounting the power strips to the wall a good idea?
reefkprz
Active Member
Originally Posted by SCSInet
Yes, this likely would have stopped this. Nothing else offers this kind of protection. Surge protectors won't stop this, UPS units won't stop this. GFIs are the key.
I had an incident a few weeks ago where I was doing a water change so I was pumping water from a holding tank to my sump. The hose slipped and sprayed water around the inside of my stand.
A bit of water hit the power strip and all I heard was a "click" across the room and all of my tanks went dark. Just like that. No smoke, no sparks.
I dried off the power strip, hit reset, and I was back up and running.
GFIs rock.
yeah, it was on a GFI, it failed, occasionally they go bad. it too has now been replaced. even if you have a GFI you should test them regularly, to ensure they are working properly.
as well as using drip loops and splash shields when ever possible.
Yes, this likely would have stopped this. Nothing else offers this kind of protection. Surge protectors won't stop this, UPS units won't stop this. GFIs are the key.
I had an incident a few weeks ago where I was doing a water change so I was pumping water from a holding tank to my sump. The hose slipped and sprayed water around the inside of my stand.
A bit of water hit the power strip and all I heard was a "click" across the room and all of my tanks went dark. Just like that. No smoke, no sparks.
I dried off the power strip, hit reset, and I was back up and running.
GFIs rock.
yeah, it was on a GFI, it failed, occasionally they go bad. it too has now been replaced. even if you have a GFI you should test them regularly, to ensure they are working properly.
as well as using drip loops and splash shields when ever possible.
jessica47421
Active Member
how do you test them to make sure they are still working? also i tilted my strips up on their side under the tank. hope this works this is one of my biggest fears
mudplayerx
Active Member
Yikes!
I had a scary thing happen the other day. I was adjusting how low my metal halide pendants hung and one extended so quickly that it slipped out of my hand into the tank!!!
Good thing the splashguard kept out the water. I've heard DI MH bulbs explode like grenades when they hit water.
I had a scary thing happen the other day. I was adjusting how low my metal halide pendants hung and one extended so quickly that it slipped out of my hand into the tank!!!
Good thing the splashguard kept out the water. I've heard DI MH bulbs explode like grenades when they hit water.
andy51632
Member
Wow must be alot of bad luck happening. I had a horribly stupid incident last week also.
I was trying to tighten a leaking fitting on my intake and my pvc popped out and water began spraying all over my tank, stand, canopy. I went to unplug the power from the outlet but I had put my tank so close to it that I could not get it unplugged(horribly stupid). I had to run down to my basement and hit my main switch. Some how I did not get shocked or start a fire. Just alot of water to clean up.
Moved tank to basement. I don't have my sump hooked up anymore. A little scared to do it since I am such a idiot.
I was trying to tighten a leaking fitting on my intake and my pvc popped out and water began spraying all over my tank, stand, canopy. I went to unplug the power from the outlet but I had put my tank so close to it that I could not get it unplugged(horribly stupid). I had to run down to my basement and hit my main switch. Some how I did not get shocked or start a fire. Just alot of water to clean up.
Moved tank to basement. I don't have my sump hooked up anymore. A little scared to do it since I am such a idiot.