Please Help Now

awestruck

New member
I just lost a lot of water down the back of my tank and the outlets and surge protector were smokin' pretty badly due to all the water. Everything is unplugged and I'm afraid to plug anything back in. Obviously I cannot leave the tank this way--what should I do?
 
Hi, thanx for responding so quickly. The outlets are old; my house is old thus there are only a few GFI style protectors in some parts of my house. Also, some of the prongs on the cords of the lights, heater etc. turned about 1/2 black (they burned). Are they safe to use even with a new surge protector?
 
They sell actual GFI style power strips, not just the outlets themeselves. As for the plugs, does the black wipe off of it or does it look like the plugs have arced and actually melted? Also what do the wires look like? Do they feel weaker in a certain spot on the cord. Is there any obvious damage to the wires between the device and the plug end?
 
I just checked and the prongs look ok; the black part came off pretty well. I cannot tell if the wires seem weaker--I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean. And, would an actual GFI power strip be safe? Thank you so much for helping me--I'm pretty upset and scared right now.
 
If the wires burned you would notice that the section looks different and is noticably weaker when squeezing and/or folding it over.
 
Go to Lowes or Home Depot and ask for a Ground Fault Cicuit interruptor.
They make them as singles, multiple plug in and as powerstrips.
Usally find them in the elecrical/contractor section.
DO NOT buy the el cheapo one, get the Shock Buster brand.
 
Me, personally, I would just buy a new QUALITY GFI powerstrip and try it out. If after inspecting all of the devices for damage, and none noted that is.
 
Thanx--I'm on my way. When I plug everything in I'll watch it for a while to see how everything is doing. This is SO scary. I'm envisioning trying to get my son out of the house if a fire starts, and the pets as well if there's time.
 
Shock buster is a reliable brand. That's the brand I used until I installed a separate GFI circuit for my aquariums.
 
Ya thats why I said to get the Shock Buster brand.
Costs more but when water and electicity are in play you dont want to mess around.
Before plugging everything back in make sure its all dry, and plug in one thing at a time so if something is fried you will know what it is.
 
Get a hairdryer and be sure everything is really dry before you plug stuff back in.
 
Thank you everyone--really, thank you. I was ready to take my animals to the LFS and start over at a different time.
 
Back
Top