OMG hydra 52hd LED dropped into tank FML

[ReefNewGuy]

For those of you that mount your Hydra LEDs using the DD slimline brackets please be careful the plastic holding the bracket onto the rim is VERY fragile. I was aquascaping the 100g tank on a ladder and my 4 year old son decided to climb on to 'help'. Being distracted by him almost falling off the ladder I accidentally knocked the light and basically the bracket cracked just enough for the screws to slide off and the light went for a swim. It remained on whilst under water and smashed one of my acro colonies - now I have a lot of free frags. Even after I removed the light from salt water it was still shining bright.

After powering down the hydra52HD I opened and wiped off all the salt water and left it to dry overnight. Next day turned it on and it did a weird flickering disco and turned off. I hard reset it and although the WIFI would connect I was unable to get it to light up with the slider bars. I thought it was toast... so I went and ordered an Radion g4 xr30 pro with the ecotech brackets that were readily available and seem sturdy.

As a last ditch effort with nothing to lose I dropped the dismantled hydra into the RODI reservoir and left it there for 2 hours. After that I left it beside a sunny window to dry overnight. The next day I tried powering it on and wow it lit up but the green LED was flickering funny then it all shut down again after 30 seconds. Gave it the sniff test... no funky smell. Had a careful look at the little chips and saw that two of the legs on the chips were kind of in contact with corrosion. Took my son's toothbrush and gave those 2 chips a good brushing with RODI water. Wiped it with a tissue and powered it up and WOW everything worked. Holy crap the AI hydra survived a swim in salt water.

Now my question to AI/ecotech is ... you could have EASILY made this thing partly waterproof. I mean it's just a large heatsink with an attached small circuit board you shouldn't need any extra gaps for heat dissipation as the heatsink and fan does all the work. Rubber gaskets would make this thing bulletproof. Even the fan cable routed through the heatsink was sealed with silicone.

Anyway I hope this helps someone else in future, if you EVER drop your LED light in water please turn it off immediately and dismantle it, wipe off all the salt water and dunk it into RODI for 2 hours and preferably brush all the microchips with a toothbrush and let it dry out overnight, it may just save you a few hundred dollars.

Now I have a spare radion...

Good luck and happy reefing.

 

[moondoggy4]

At the Version store they have a machine that you bring in wet electronics and they will dry them out with very little of no damage, I think they charge 30 bucks.

 

[ReefNewGuy]

That’s good to know. I hve heard of people soaking in RODI to remove as much salt as possible, brushing and perhaps soaking in isopropyl alcohol that expels water but you would probably spend 30 bucks on the alcohol alone.

 

[aquaman67]

You would think something made to hang over a large volume of water would be waterproof.

 

[moondoggy4]

Shark Tank

Shark Tank

That's good to know. I hve heard of people soaking in RODI to remove as much salt as possible, brushing and perhaps soaking in isopropyl alcohol that expels water but you would probably spend 30 bucks on the alcohol alone.

The machine was on Shark Tank it does a chemical reaction to the water and breaks it down, so it does not dry it, I would soak the light in RO/DI and then put it in the machine.