ATI Sunpower Dropped into the Tank

fishgate

fishgate

Active member
I had a workman here last night installing a new HVAC and he knocked one of the supports for my 80" 4 bulb ATI Sunpower fixture off. That end fell around 12" into the tank. It hit the tank top and one of the tank braces of the 125 gallon (6 foot) tank it was over. The end 4" I think went into the water. One of the pairs of lights was on and one was off. It immediately popped the GFI. The GFI could not be reset until the light was unplugged. So later today I am going to open it up and see what is what. Any guesses as to what might have fried? I am hoping it was just a short that will be corrected when it is dried out. None of the bulbs nor the acrylic shield was damaged and there is no visible damage to any of the light.

So now I want to design something so this won't happen again.
 
I honestly would not trust it. any shorted part that could be missed but make it work could result in a potential fire.

Time for new lights, ASAP. like breadman03 said licensed and insured?
 
CafeReef said:
I honestly would not trust it. any shorted part that could be missed but make it work could result in a potential fire.

Time for new lights, ASAP. like breadman03 said licensed and insured?
Click to expand...

The only part that got wet was the end caps for the bulbs. The ballasts did not get wet.
 
Replace the end caps and maybe rewire from the ballasts to the end caps. Sucks though. Might replace the bulbs too since they're cheap.
 
I would be more concerned with the salt when the water dried. If it fell in a jug of DI I would be less concerned, you need to make sure there is no salt residue remaining after it dries.
 
RockOn681 said:
I would be more concerned with the salt when the water dried. If it fell in a jug of DI I would be less concerned, you need to make sure there is no salt residue remaining after it dries.
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That was my thought. Better safe than sorry and end caps are cheap.

To the OP, you have to understand we didn't see the light in the tank. I'm just recommending a cautious approach is all. Best of luck.
 
I popped out one of the end caps and they are already starting to rust. I looked and found a bunch of replacement ones but not sure what will fit. I can't find ATI ones anywhere. I think I will just rinse them very well in RO and use a hairdryer to dry them. Then use some dielectric grease on the contacts.

I didn't see the light in the tank either, the guy called me after he got it out. Taking it apart it was about 6" of the end that splashed in the water (water mark on the reflector). Fortunately it was the end where just the caps are the ballasts are on the other side.
 
fishgate said:
I popped out one of the end caps and they are already starting to rust. I looked and found a bunch of replacement ones but not sure what will fit. I can't find ATI ones anywhere. I think I will just rinse them very well in RO and use a hairdryer to dry them. Then use some dielectric grease on the contacts.

I didn't see the light in the tank either, the guy called me after he got it out. Taking it apart it was about 6" of the end that splashed in the water (water mark on the reflector). Fortunately it was the end where just the caps are the ballasts are on the other side.
Click to expand...

Have you called ATI? Alternatively you could probably call a major dealer like BRS and ask them which ones would fit.

Your plan may work perfectly fine though. Maybe find out which ones fit and order a couple to keep on hand in case you have issues down the road.
 
All's well that ends well. I removed all 4 end caps, washed them in the sink, rinsed them again in RO water, dried them with a hair drier and replaced them in the light. Used dielectric grease on each end of the tubes, turned them around 5x or so each, plugged it in, and walah! Light works great again. Just need to put it all back together.

Oh they were not rusted they are brass. I was just seeing the off-color part due to the light being on all the time.

FYI: How to remove wires from ATI Sunpower end caps: Push a paperclip into the same slot as the wire is in while gently pulling on the wire. It should come right out. Just push it back in to replace it.
 
As a contractor I have liability insurance to cover any accidental damage caused by myself or my employees. Was your workman a contractor or just a buddy working after hours?

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 
dt204 said:
As a contractor I have liability insurance to cover any accidental damage caused by myself or my employees. Was your workman a contractor or just a buddy working after hours?

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

No it was a real company. These guys were great though I'm not going to go after them for this. He was very apologetic and called me right as soon as it happened and didn't try to hide it. Life goes on.
 
fishgate said:
No it was a real company. These guys were great though I'm not going to go after them for this. He was very apologetic and called me right as soon as it happened and didn't try to hide it. Life goes on.
Click to expand...

I'm an insurance agent. This is why they carry liability insurance. I would have the light replaced by their insurance. It might work ok now, but it might fail in two years due to the salt getting into the electronics. Personally, i wouldn't hesitate to submit the claim for a new light. Three longer you wait, the harder it is to get done.
 
fishgate said:
I popped out one of the end caps and they are already starting to rust. I looked and found a bunch of replacement ones but not sure what will fit. I can't find ATI ones anywhere. I think I will just rinse them very well in RO and use a hairdryer to dry them. Then use some dielectric grease on the contacts.

I didn't see the light in the tank either, the guy called me after he got it out. Taking it apart it was about 6" of the end that splashed in the water (water mark on the reflector). Fortunately it was the end where just the caps are the ballasts are on the other side.
Click to expand...



You would have been better off rinsing them in freshwater immediately and letting them dry completely before using them again. Now that they've started to corrode you're best and safest bet is to replace them.
 
Most contractors appreciate the chance to make things right by a customer, rather than have any negative reviews out there. I'd say get them to replace the light, or not charge you for the work they did.
This may be small town thinking, I dunno. 😁

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk
 
Late to the party, but anytime something electronic drops in saltwater or conductive fluid of any kind, all you have to do is rinse it thoroughly with RO/DI water.

If the water you are making is pure, it will not be conductive. Water itself is a very poor conductor. It's the contents of the water that decides it's conductivity.

You can turn your cell phone on, fill up a glass with RO/DI water, turn the phone on and submerge it in the glass and it won't harm the phone at all. Do the same with tap water and bye bye phone.

In the RC world, we used to water break brushed motors by dropping the motor in a container of RO/DI and run the motor at low speed under water for about half an hour to set the brushes without over heating the motor.
 
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