Help! Heater Shattered in Sump!

[ClevelandMike]

So I'm just in my basement working on some drywall when I hear this zapping sound that I thought was one of my return pumps that had caught an air bubble. I go over to my sump and it seems that my heater had somehow shattered and was zapping underwater every time the heater tried to turn on to heat the tank.
Are there any harmful chemicals that could have been released into my system because of this?
I removed the heater and it doesn't seem that anything was electrocuted or hurt in any way.
What a start to a lousy week!

 

[bennyd]

Oh man, sorry to hear that, hope everything is ok, sorry that I don't have any information for ya! :-(

 

[TomNeely]

this happened to me 2 months ago. It blew the breaker. Other than that everything is fine....

 

[chuggy]

i busted one in my refuge with no ill effects

 

[acer]

Just be careful about the glass pieces in the sump- saltwater cuts are painful.

 

[serpentman]

I too have done this. You're biggest risk would have been from electrical current. Since you discovered before putting your hand in the tank, I don't foresee any issues. If you aren't running GFI's you might want to consider it. In a case like this, a correctly wired GFI would have tripped instantly.

They are now making plastic coated heaters that are more durable. I personally have used the stealth heaters with no problems.