DIY T5 Safety

[Blazinreef]

So I have my DIY T5 HO in my canopy with my LEDs.  I noticed the other day that it was flickering a little bit and struggling to come on.  After a while it didn't come on, so I just turned it off.  I remember when I built it that there was a little wiggle room for the bulb, but it turned on so I figured it was close enough and wouldn't be an issue.  I was wrong.  The lesson here is make sure your endcaps are holding the bulb nice and tight and there is no wiggle.  Luckily, while building my new canopy I noticed this, it didn't do any damage or burn the house down, and most importantly....my wife doesn't know!!!  Be Safe!

[Wall_Tank]

Salt creep will do that to you too. Make sure all seals are good.  I have some endcaps if you need some

[lazylivin]

Consider installing a GFCI. http://www.ohioreef.com/index.php?topic=5734.0

[Blazinreef]

Thanks wall... I have a few extras laying around.  Here's the odd thing Lazy...it is on a gfci all through the apex as well.  Not sure why it didn't trip.

[lazylivin]

Are you sure it is a GFCI and not a surge protector? Can you post up a picture of it?

[Blazinreef]

GFCI on the wall in the outlets installed specifically for the aquarium.  The odd thing was, when I was taking it down, even though I had the outlet off via the apex the wires hit and it tripped the GFI.  Not sure what was going on.

[lazylivin]

You may want to double checking the wiring on the DIY fixture and GFCI to be sure it is correct.

[bbtm64]

If the GFCI sensed any unbalance it'll still trip. Only way to keep it from tripping is to turn the circuit off. It only takes a 5ma unbalance for one to trip.

[Wall_Tank]

I would not be surprised that it didn't trip.   There is nothing in the endcap assembly to ground it.   It was just arcing and getting hot, but I doubt the current was going to ground. 

[lazylivin]

Good to have electricians on the site. Sounds like a gfci won't always protect from fire.

[Wall_Tank]

Loose electrical contacts are bad news....The only good way to inspect for problems is with a IR camera.   I have attached a picture.....this was a 3 phase breaker, but this was a result of all 3 wires being loose......

There are Arc Fault Breakers that are supposed to prevent fire causing arcs   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arc-fault_circuit_interrupter
But since this fault occurred on the output side of a ballast, I'm not sure that would have protected it either.

[bbtm64]

I should see if I can borrow one from work for a day or two. We have a couple really nice ones.