Its 5 in the morning and i wake up out of a dead sleep to find my air pump arking and smelling burnt as can be.had i not woke up out of a dead sleep i think i would have had a bad fire,it was almost melted when i unpluged it.cant explain why i woke up just something told me to,what are the odds i would have slept through this and not be here today....GFI is what im buying today ,this is a very good reason for all to take warning and get them.now the house smells like burnt metal and plastis but that is better than the alternitive....no house......
5 am fire almost !!!
- Thread starter blueoceandiver
- Start date
Wow! 
So sorry to hear that! I think GFI outlets are a great idea, and should be installed for all outlets near water.
However, I thought GFI will do nothing for an arcing appliance, as the arcing is not a "ground fault". The discussion I am getting this from was recent, about VHO end caps melting down due to the same arcing problem your air pump had. It was stated that GFI are smart to have, but will not protect in the arcing situation.
Now I am no electrician, but I think that there is Arc sensing circuits out there that may be more beneficial for this type of failure.....
Dave
Reference:http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26399&highlight=vho+and+fire
So sorry to hear that! I think GFI outlets are a great idea, and should be installed for all outlets near water.
However, I thought GFI will do nothing for an arcing appliance, as the arcing is not a "ground fault". The discussion I am getting this from was recent, about VHO end caps melting down due to the same arcing problem your air pump had. It was stated that GFI are smart to have, but will not protect in the arcing situation.
Now I am no electrician, but I think that there is Arc sensing circuits out there that may be more beneficial for this type of failure.....
Dave
Reference:http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=26399&highlight=vho+and+fire
My Jack Russel saved me from a similar fate. I sleep in the recliner in the family room due to a bad back injury. In that room is my little brother's FW 55gal. About 4am one day my dog went nuts I remember slowly waking up over a 10 minute period hearing her bark and jump up and down infront of the fish tank. During the day this is not unusual behavior so I started yelling shut up you stupid animal. After a few min I noticed I smelled fire. So I turn the light on 1 click and get up.. I'm looking around and yelling at the dog to shut up. Finally I look over at her to yell a good one and I notice through the tank fire. I run well hobble over to find the heater broke and is on fire that is the top thats not submerged due to low water, the plastic canopy at the heater is also on fire. This all is next to a wood book case and wood paneled wall and curtains and all. As soon as I get to the tank and try to unplug trhe heater recieving a nice shock, the dog shuts up. Luckily no tank inhabitants lost but 1 of the tinfoil barbs lost lots of scales, and came down with popeye, but I nursed him back in a qt tank. That little monster is now my hero. Her name is Chuck she is a 2 year old Jack Russel and the smartest dog on the planet.
Sean
Sean
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