The house caught fire, the tank exploded
- Thread starter intricable
- Start date
saltyESQ
New member
we had a similar problem with a heater that randomly exploded in my sump. we had gfi so it shut off power, but it still burned up all cords near it and all of the area under sump. i'm just glad it happened at 3 am when we were home.
if you believe this was due to MH, you should contact the manufacturer and may want to ask for reimbursement.
if you believe this was due to MH, you should contact the manufacturer and may want to ask for reimbursement.
redhdmedic
New member
very sorry for your losses...and very glad to hear that you and your family is safe...
MatthewLaw
New member
wow quite an event. so sorry to hear of your loss. glad that you woke up and were able to safely escape.
a few weeks ago my grandfather got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and smelled smoke; wires from his sw tank were on fire. if he had not gotten up the fire probably would have trapped him in his bedroom!!
a few weeks ago my grandfather got up in the middle of the night to use the restroom and smelled smoke; wires from his sw tank were on fire. if he had not gotten up the fire probably would have trapped him in his bedroom!!
espocrespo
New member
Whoa, sorry for your losses man, hope you get it sorted
guys i think we should learn from this guy and take his advice run off AFCI outlest
guys i think we should learn from this guy and take his advice run off AFCI outlest
intricable
New member
Hehe, Its cool how everyone here thinks I'm the dude in this duo. I should introduce myself, "Hi, I'm the live-in girlfriend to the ex-tank owner (I like to call him Greg)."
We are counting our blessings that we were home so we could call 911 and get our neighbors out. The fire truck drove past the house because there's a bush in the way of the basement window. You couldn't see the fire unless you knew where to look.
Its going to be a very long time (if ever) before Greg will keep fish again. I completely understand his perspective, but I really really enjoyed the sailfin. He was just a cool fish. I don't know if little reef fish are as personable, but maybe we'll start a smaller tank some time in the future. Right now we just won't be able to afford replacing all of it.
If anything, I hope the folks reading this become true believers and users of AFCI, GFI, and hardwired smoke alarms.
We are counting our blessings that we were home so we could call 911 and get our neighbors out. The fire truck drove past the house because there's a bush in the way of the basement window. You couldn't see the fire unless you knew where to look.
Its going to be a very long time (if ever) before Greg will keep fish again. I completely understand his perspective, but I really really enjoyed the sailfin. He was just a cool fish. I don't know if little reef fish are as personable, but maybe we'll start a smaller tank some time in the future. Right now we just won't be able to afford replacing all of it.
If anything, I hope the folks reading this become true believers and users of AFCI, GFI, and hardwired smoke alarms.
Stuart60611
New member
This thread scared the crap out of me so that I decided to re-do all my electrical for my system this weekend. Thanks for sharing this information because it may have saved my life and/or a lot of my property.
intricable
New member
I honestly don't know about the installation of GFI and AFCI. I would err on the side of caution and have a state certified electrician do it (just because I'm terrified of this happening again). I do know that AFCI can be expensive (up to $50 per outlet), but imo its well worth potentially saving all of your fish/possessions.
intricable
New member
The fire report came in. This is the most important line:
"I cannot rule out electrical:
Metal halide bulbs have a history of catastrophic failure. The bulb ruptures and launches hot metal globules that can start nearby combustibles on fire."
"I cannot rule out electrical:
Metal halide bulbs have a history of catastrophic failure. The bulb ruptures and launches hot metal globules that can start nearby combustibles on fire."
805reef
New member
from doing a quick google search, it looks like you can get breakers with AFCI protectio built in... so that is a very easy thing to do. I do not know about cost, but am definately going to look into this.
OP, sorry for your loss, but as with everyone else I am happy to hear you and your family are okay. I thank you for sharing this story with us, and I will take your advice and install an AFCI on the outlets I am using for my tank.
OP, sorry for your loss, but as with everyone else I am happy to hear you and your family are okay. I thank you for sharing this story with us, and I will take your advice and install an AFCI on the outlets I am using for my tank.
slathrum
New member
Wow, I'm very sorry for your loss. I know losing a pet you are attached to can be very difficult. Even fish have their own personalities. As a former electrician / student wanting to become a firefighter paramedic I may be able to give some advice.
The first thing is for anyone inspired by this to update their wiring, is make sure you know what you're doing. Not making good connections on your outlets and wirenuts is just as bad, yet every time I see work homeowners (and many electricians) do I see bad connections and they can start fires. AFCI's can be great if your wiring and equipment is in top shape. Add older wiring and equipment that sometimes leaks current into the tank and you will have a breaker on your hands that trips all the time. I don't and won't use an AFCI for this reason. Also, AFCI's are breakers, and they require a dedicated neutral. If that particular circuit uses a shared neutral, you won't be able to use one anyway unless you replace the wiring.
I do use GFCI's and test them from time to time to make sure it's working properly. I also don't place ballasts where if they overheat they will catch my stand on fire. Also, it's a good idea not to mount a spider reflector directly onto a wood canopy.
The first thing is for anyone inspired by this to update their wiring, is make sure you know what you're doing. Not making good connections on your outlets and wirenuts is just as bad, yet every time I see work homeowners (and many electricians) do I see bad connections and they can start fires. AFCI's can be great if your wiring and equipment is in top shape. Add older wiring and equipment that sometimes leaks current into the tank and you will have a breaker on your hands that trips all the time. I don't and won't use an AFCI for this reason. Also, AFCI's are breakers, and they require a dedicated neutral. If that particular circuit uses a shared neutral, you won't be able to use one anyway unless you replace the wiring.
I do use GFCI's and test them from time to time to make sure it's working properly. I also don't place ballasts where if they overheat they will catch my stand on fire. Also, it's a good idea not to mount a spider reflector directly onto a wood canopy.
intricable
New member
Thank you to slathrum for expounding on the wiring issue of GFI and ACFI. Hopefully, when we buy our own house we'll be able to control these things a little better. I'm thinking concrete ceiling, walls and floor for the fish room.
Our landlord has been a great guy in all this commotion- he's had his electrician go through the town houses and has not only hardwired ALL the smoke detectors, but also hardwired the smoke detwectors between the units that share the wood wall (vs the concrete wall we share with the other neighbor)
We greatly appreciate all the kind words we've received- it has helped the journey feel a lot less lonely.
Our landlord has been a great guy in all this commotion- he's had his electrician go through the town houses and has not only hardwired ALL the smoke detectors, but also hardwired the smoke detwectors between the units that share the wood wall (vs the concrete wall we share with the other neighbor)
We greatly appreciate all the kind words we've received- it has helped the journey feel a lot less lonely.
Unfortunately, replacing normal 15/20a breakers with AFCI is not normally an easy thing. I agree that replacing a normal breaker is not really a huge ordeal, although IMHO extreme caution should be followed since there is A LOT of amperage flowing through the connector that feeds a breaker.
Anyway, I could be off, but the issue that I have found with AFCI's is that most retrofits are not possible. Hopefully an electrician will chime in. Basically, the older breakers terminate the neutral into a common box area (simplistic term) and do not go to the actual breaker.
AFCI's require that the original neutral is removed from that common box and run to that new breaker. Then you take a special cable, that comes with the AFCI and you attach it to the place where the neutral was.
So, unless the original electrician left you plenty of slack... you are SOL?
slathrum
New member
You are correct, the circuit's neutral attaches to the AFCI break and the AFCI breaker has it's own neutral that attaches to the neutral bar. The problem arises in that many times the circuit may be sharing a neutral with another circuit. You'll know if it is or not by following the hot wire back to where it enters the panel and seeing if there is a red wire also in that same romex sheath, or if the wire itself is red. If so, the AFCI breaker will not work correctly and new wiring will have to be ran to feed the circuit. The wire length isn't a problem though. It's not ideal but you can splice the wire to lengthen it if needed. In my experience, AFCI's can be very touchy. Let's face it, not all electricians are very good. Sometimes wires get stapled down a little to tight and sometimes connections are not made very well. Both of these can cause an AFCI to trip, but under normal circumstances are not that big of a fire hazard. I know it sounds bad and it is, but you would be amazed what passes inspections and the general quality of work these days. As a former electrician, I've seen enough that if I ever build a house, I'm doing the electrical work myself.
