Warning! Ebay LED Lght-FIRE!!

BTW that mark should not guarantee anything as knock off companies or any foreign company can easily put those marks and send you a product like that. That's why it's a good idea to follow gcarroll's advice, buy from a reputable American company that will stand behind their product (or at least can be liable) and make sure quality control is meet even if their products are made in china.

Quality, warranty, support, customer service and liability for their products are usually part of their prices, and sometimes with don't consider this when paying higher prices since they are not a tangible part of products.

I posted this for others reading into this thread and not directed to Miss Janet or blaming her, I don't want to sound like the smart person saying "I told you so" when somebody is going through this.
 
This doesn't really seem like the right place for "I told you so"'s. Especially considering that the event itself doesn't really make a difference whether it was a reputable company or a chinese company. All the warranty, support, customer service and liability in the world wouldn't undo the damage. Quality, may make a difference. But then, plenty of American products have nuked tanks so...


Sorry for the loss Janetora.
 
I'm very sorry for your loss and thankfully nobody was hurt.

This loss was "sudden and accidental" so the insurance company will be obligated to pay this claim. They will try to recover money from the manufacturer if they find out that the fixture was at fault.
 
mcgyvr said:
Exactly the reason the national electrical code requires all lighting fixtures to be UL listed..

Hope that the insurance company doesn't deny the claim.. I believe they actually could as your installation of a non-listed light fixture caused the fire...
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This is not true in almost all cases. Negligence is not a reason to deny a claim. This is the same thing as saying the insurance company can deny an auto theft claim because you left the car running. Simply not legal.
 
I am sorry for had happened. However, I would be a concerned parent of having any electrical device over water that is not UL Listed. The US standards of safety are quite lacking. I would much prefer the safety certifications from other countries like CE Mark or even the ones from Japan where safety requirements are much more stringent.
 
reeferlover said:
agreed i always buy the best equipment that is also the correct price. these are the worst equipment at the right price. would you buy a chinese made skimmer? you know the pump will fail and it wont skim. same with these lights they are made in large masses and as cheap as possible they cut every corner. stop buying these things
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Yes. Ever hear of Reef Octopus? Many members of Reef Central, including myself, use these skimmers. Best pump warranty on the market, 3years! lol
 
cap032 said:
Yes. Ever hear of Reef Octopus? Many members of Reef Central, including myself, use these skimmers. Best pump warranty on the market, 3years! lol
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And using that rational means that Kia and Hyundai make the best cars since the offer the best warranty. It's called faith. Without faith there will be fewer sales. Warrantees instil faith in products that have poor reputations. Companies with excellent reputations for long lasting products don't have to offer long warranties for customers to have faith in their products.
 
janetora said:
I wish I had seen the "red flags" you are talking about! I did do research, and I didn't find nor still find anything anywhere about these units having problems.

And FYI to everyone, I just looked up EcoTech Marine Radion (the best?) on BRS and no where in the description it says it is UL listed. So how do you know which is and not.

And thank you for all the well wishers! I don't mean to sound to defensive but I tried to do everything right, and I looked at these units for months and no where on any report or forum etc, did I find a fire hazard. All pieces parts etc are made overseas!
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I hope you can someday start another reef for your kids! When you are ready, just let us know on the local forum and we will get you up and running.
<img id="ums_img_tooltip" class="UMSRatingIcon">
 
Need to buy UL certified products. These no-name lights are very dangerous. The minimal savings obviously can cost much more than money. Thankfully that wasn't the case in this instance.
 
Bilk said:
Need to buy UL certified products. These no-name lights are very dangerous. The minimal savings obviously can cost much more than money. Thankfully that wasn't the case in this instance.
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I don't think there is a LED fixture on the market that IS UL certified..
They do some "marketing tricks" saying "UL listed power supply" but thats the ONLY thing that is UL listed.
 
janetora said:
I bought this light http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=281021489328 and a 30 watt 12000K. The Actinic light caught fire around midnight the 24th of December. The fire started somewhere in the LED housing. Insurance company fire investigators now have the unit. Luckily the schools sprinklers put out the fire. Unluckily the sprinklers flooded the school. I not only lost all my fish, corals, tanks, pumps, etc to the fire, everything in my room was ruined and is now unusable because of the water damage. Years of teaching materials gone! Between the smoke and HUGE water damage to seven other classrooms, the cost of repairs is going to be somewhere between $500,000 to a Million dollars. Insurance is suppose to cover the costs but it can't bring back what is lost! :furious:
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Thank you so much for the warning. I am looking for lights for a new tank and your post brings a new awareness of dangers that had not occured to me.

You are very brave to share this misfortune and open yourself up to criticism from people who cannot wait to show their supperiority or want to blame the victim. I am grateful for your thoughtful and timely post.

I am so sorry this accident happened to you and your school. Best wishes for the future and thank you for your service as a teacher.
 
eitallent said:
Thank you so much for the warning. I am looking for lights for a new tank and your post brings a new awareness of dangers that had not occured to me.

You are very brave to share this misfortune and open yourself up to criticism from people who cannot wait to show their supperiority or want to blame the victim. I am grateful for your thoughtful and timely post.

I am so sorry this accident happened to you and your school. Best wishes for the future and thank you for your service as a teacher.
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Very well said :)
 
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