143MPCo submitted a new Article: Thermal Reckoning, a Fire in the making... Read more about this article here...
Great write up Alex and David! My "electrical cabinet" is one of the best things I have done for the tank in a while.
Always a scary thought, you can't over do electrical safety. Watch out for cross wiring as that can be the main cause of most shortages.
Great article. I have taken my time to do everything I can to prevent as much as possible. Everything is in the room behind the tank. Nothing under the stand. The "fish room" I have added outdoor covered boxes to all the outlets and even light switch. Equipment will be all mounted in a cabinet once I finish my lay out. I will then be adding a fire/carbon detector to that room. Most importantly no clutter! Clean and clear as much as possible.
Thanks everyone!! @Humblefish only if you think it worthy. @WilRams very good points you made, clutter can sometimes be detrimental. Unlabeled, untethered, or unorganized more so, just think of the mad rush to remove a piece of equipment that flamed up among the contortion of cords! Not that we need to be obsessed and compulsive about things, but a more organized systems helps in a lot of different ways, including safety.
people should be very wary of wobbly or loose fitting connections. This is the number 1 reason for electrical fires is due the the high resistance connection of a loose plug or terminal.
Great write up! This is one of the goals of my new build. I plan to isolate as much of the electronic gear as I can inside of 1 or 2 small cabinets mounted to the wall behind my tank. My tank sits at an angle in a corner of my living room, so I have a good bit of room behind the tank. I am just hoping the wiring is long enough to reach the cabinet. I work in insurance claims and once saw a 135 gallon tank that had an electrical fire behind the tank. It set drapes on fire and when the fire got high enough, it shattered the tank and the resulting deluge of water extinguished the fire. Lucky folks there.
I am in the process of rebuilding my tank since I just move for which my power cables will be 6 ft away.
2 months after I moved in to a brand new built house back in 2012 my 54 corner tank at the time started a leak in the back I had no idea about. (This is also an apparent lesson on buying used glass, which I don't anymore). Water dripped down the cord in to the power strip, caught on fire all of the chemical boxes and effective "kindling" underneath, and thank God I was home. Stand began to burn, destroyed my carpet and damaged the wall in the area. Minimal repairs, carpet still needs replaced before I sell. Had I not been home who knows what would have happened. Take this threat very seriously folks.
Thanks @Fin!!! You might already know about these but if not google "weatherproof gaskets for outdoor electrical connections" might help with extending short power cables.
I had a big worry of overload, leaks and my small boy turning off plugs! So built a consumer unit into a seperate section of my stand and hardwired ip65 rated switches into the front so no pulling or switching live plugs when doing w/cs.. tbh the most challenging and costly part of my diy but well worth the effort and cost.. afterall you cant put a price on life : )
