Another problem with most of the metal 240/120 volt lights, is that in order to save more money, they often make the 240/120 volt cord very short, usually just a few inches; see attached photo.
This means that the rest of the 240/120 volt wire needs to be connected at this point, and almost any connection made by anyone is not going to be hermetically sealed. This connection is going to be placed directly over open areas of sump water, and therefore it's going to get a lot of salt creep and even direct splashing. There is no fix for this; the wire should be replaced entirely all the way into the case.
Some scrubbers, both DIY and pre-made, have an open top. We created the first open-top scrubber box, but decided even in 2008 to put a cover over it because of the large amount of spray and salt creep coming out of the top. Here is one of our forum posts in 2008 showing the design:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1424843
Before this design in 2008, scrubbers were either dumping buckets or horizontal rivers. But even with our waterfall, the screen sometimes would fill with growth and would clog the water slot, causing water to spray up and out of the box, onto the lights. Back then we watched for this, and DIY people even expected it. But using metal-case lights on a open-top box could have water spraying directly onto the lights, which as shown above, could leak right into the case through a seal that is no longer sealed. See photo.
The DIY and the pre-made solution is to close the top of the scrubber box. However this does nothing during cleaning/harvest time, because the pipe and screen need to be lifted up and out of the box, and this causes lots of saltwater to drip down directly onto the lights. Even pieces of algae will fall onto the lights, seeping into the seal. See photo.
Another hazard of our previous waterfall design, especially when there is no top "œshelf" covering the light, is that in order to lift the screen out of the box (for cleaning) you need to place your other hand onto the box to hold it down; the proximity of the lights (to the top) causes your hand to touch the metal case when doing this. This is the worst case scenario for electrocution because as you learn when repairing televisions, it creates the most direct and shortest path of electricity from one arm to the other, directly through your heart. The DIY solution for this is to make a large top shelf over the lights that will absolutely not allow your hand to touch the lights. The pre-made solution can be similar, but the real solution is to change the power supply to a remote low-voltage, AC/DC isolated, UL certified power supply.
A safer solution that all DIY and commercial scrubber makers can use is a remote "œswitching" power supply with at least 3000 volts isolation from the mains, with a long 2 meter DC cable so the 240/120 volt box can be far away from any splashing, wet carpet, interested children, pets, etc. The power supply needs to be UL certified with the "œeXXXXXX" number on its label, so you can cross-check its manufacturer yourself on the UL website. We have had more than one Chinese supplier say they had UL certification, but upon checking, they were actually using the number from another company and thus providing an inferior untested product, even though the price was increased! Lastly, the enclosure for the lights should not be metal, even if they are low voltage. This will protect the customer even if the power supply box itself is splashed because the 240/120 volts will not have a metal case to conduct to, and injure, the customer.
Speaking of injury, when a personal injury attorney contacts a commercial scrubber maker because of an injury claim, it might go something like: "œSo, you are saying that your 240/120 volt device, being sold in the U.S., has no UL certification. And it places 240/120 volts within a single hand's distance from saltwater. And the pink light, known to attract children, is visible from outside the aquarium cabinet, and the floor in front of the cabinet is often, and predictably, wet. And your device has no GFCI or RCD circuit or other means of breaking an electrical short. And, these waterfall scrubbers are known to spray water upwards and outwards, onto surrounding surfaces, such as the surface that my client's child touched?" This will be indefensible.
240/120 volts simply has no business being inside of a non-hermetically sealed metal enclosure that is subjected to hand placement, salt creep, and direct splashing by saltwater. The commercial pre-made scrubbers using these lights are the only aquarium equipment I know of that does this, and they need to be made more safely. So I challenge all pre-made commercial scrubber makers to replace their metal case lights with safer options. Yes these options will cost more, and you will lose a lot of your profit. But I bet you can do it.
Further, all customers that already purchased metal-case lights should be offered to have the lights replaced with safer alternatives. Each month that goes by allows corrosion and salt creep to penetrate into the seals further, and so the sooner these hazardous lights can be replaced, the better. Eventually, all the seals will leak.
Commercial scrubber makers have the final say in obtaining professional electrical safety design advice; specifying safe components; assembling the components properly, marketing them accurately, and standing behind them with personal injury liability insurance coverage. Here is a checklist that you can send to anyone you want to buy a pre-made scrubber from (you can also use it for buying just the lights, although some of the questions will not apply). The fewer answers you get from these questions, the more concerned you should be:
- Is their overall scrubber design certified by an electrical engineer, electronics engineer, electrician, or safety technician who can testify as an expert witness in a personal injury court if required to?
- Do they have personal injury liability insurance for their customers?
- Are they a licensed business in their city?
- Do they have a DBA (Doing Business As) license in their county?
- Do they have a reseller's permit in their state?
- Is the enclosure for the 240/120 volts certified (in the USA) by Underwriters Laboratory, with an "eXXXXXX" certificate number printed on it?
- For metal enclosures, has every enclosure had it's ground path tested to the ground pin of the power plug before shipping?
- If the lights are dropped into saltwater, will they continue to function?
- If a remote power supply, and if the power supply box gets wet, is the metal case insulated from the 240/120 volts?
- If the 240/120 volt cord goes into the enclosure for the lights, does it have a non spliced length all the way to the plug?
Thank you for reading, and for wanting improved safety in your home!
Note: The above is one person's professional opinion on the safety of algae scrubber lights. You should consult your own professional advice and opinion from an independent electrical engineer, electronics engineer, electrician, or safety technician.
