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View Full Version : Damn! Light fell in water.. help!


Jim96SC2
03/17/2011, 12:34 PM
My ATI Sunpowers adjustable line snapped when I went to move it back into position and the whole end got a dunking. GCFI tripped and scrambled, no spark or smell, the whole thing went dead immediately.

I my wife is using her blow dryer to get the water out, it wasn't in the water more then a few seconds.

Am I completely SOL?
Best way to handle the situation?
How can I tell if the bulbs get fried? One looks darker on the inside near the socket, but otherwise they are all intact.


Help appreciated. This sucks, first my tank springs a leak and now my light falls in the water. My corals are already ****ed and need the light running.

BuckeyeTodd
03/17/2011, 12:48 PM
i had this happen with my old sunpower...I did what you are doing, and in my case it came back with no problems

BuckeyeTodd
03/17/2011, 12:52 PM
mine didn't kick circuit though, it just came loose from one of the toggle bolts and one end smacked eurobrace and one side was in water for couple seconds

Jim96SC2
03/17/2011, 12:56 PM
How long did you leave it off to dry?

KafudaFish
03/17/2011, 12:58 PM
Can you open it up and dry it like you are saying?

Rice in a garbage bag?

You may want to rinse the salt water off if possible.

returnofsid
03/17/2011, 12:59 PM
I would remove all bulbs, remove reflector and get to the endcaps, ballast and wiring. I'd continue using a hair dryer to completely dry everything. Pay particular attention to end caps and the areas where the wiring goes into each end cap and the ballasts. Also look for any wiring nuts that exist. I might even suggest removing wiring nuts and making sure everything is completely dry, inside them. Saltwater is MUCH more conductive, than freshwater. Dried salt creep will even conduct electricity, very well. Make sure everything is wiped down, very carefully.

Misled
03/17/2011, 01:04 PM
Mike said to use rice!!!!

Really though. leave inplugged and make sure everything is dry before plugging it back in. It really doesn't matter if anything tripped or not. When the water hit it, the damage happened or didn't happen. Either the light will work or it won't. If it's still wet when you plug it in, it may damage it even if it isn't damaged now. Just give it time. I'd open it up, dry what I can see and run a hairdryer over it every few hours. I wouldn't turn it on for 24 hours.

KafudaFish
03/17/2011, 01:13 PM
Mike said to use rice!!!!

Really though. leave inplugged and make sure everything is dry before plugging it back in. It really doesn't matter if anything tripped or not. When the water hit it, the damage happened or didn't happen. Either the light will work or it won't. If it's still wet when you plug it in, it may damage it even if it isn't damaged now. Just give it time. I'd open it up, dry what I can see and run a hairdryer over it every few hours. I wouldn't turn it on for 24 hours.

Yes if you turn it on too soon before it dries out then it could be damaged.

Also T5 bulbs sometimes have a darker end for some reason so they may have already been that way.

Good luck.

killarsox
03/17/2011, 01:43 PM
I would think about contacting ATI, maybe it was a faulty cable? If that's the case you shouldn't be responsible for replacing light...

solitude127
03/17/2011, 01:53 PM
Once you get the fixture try enough, I'd run the internal fans for a couple of days before trying the lights out.

Anemone0524
03/17/2011, 01:58 PM
how did the line snap? I have this lighting fixture, and honestly, i have nightmares about it falling into my rimless setup.

Did it come loose from the toggle bolt?

pinnatus
03/17/2011, 03:43 PM
You can turn your oven to about 140 and put it in there for a few hours, which will help dry it out probably better than the blow dryer. Problem is salt water can make a mess of electronics. Good luck, and hope it comes back for you!

Jim96SC2
03/17/2011, 04:18 PM
Well damage was either done or it wasn't.

The lines weren't ATI, they were Sunwave irrc adjustable light hangers. Since I constantly need to get in and out of the tank it was easier to just get a bracket then went up and down. Looks like the knot I put in it gave way for some reason. They have worked flawlessly for over a year otherwise.

Had to leave, but putting the blow drier back on it now.

chadfarmer
03/17/2011, 04:48 PM
if it was me i would give it an alcohol bath you want to get the salt out too not just the dampness

garydan
03/17/2011, 05:04 PM
rinse with fresh water, give it time to dry out, a low temperature oven isn't a bad idea either as long as it's not hot enough to physically damage stuff. I know, it will feel wierd rinsing it in water. Electronics are sealed, water itself really doesn't damage anything. It's the electrical shorts that happen when powered electronics enounter water that's the problem.

If you don't rinse, salt residue combined with humidity can conduct enough electricity to short stuff out. Also, salt residue on the wiring, connectors, etc. will corrode quickly once power is applied, electricity speeds up the process. If you don't get all of the salt off it may work when you first turn it on, but it'll corrode and die in a few weeks.

I personally would open it up and thoroughly clean all of the saltwater off of everything using freshwater. Think of it as already dead, expect to buy a new light, at this point you're doing whatever you can to recover. For me thinking like that usually helps getting over the nervousness of "making it worse." It's broken, you can't make it worse.

Also, don't get in a hurry to plug it back in. If there is still any saltwater in there and you plug it in, you're going to do more damage than the original fall because the saltwater will fry stuff out without the benefit of the GFI protection that happened on the original fall. Patience is the key, salt is the enemy.

reefinder
03/17/2011, 09:04 PM
mine did the same thing, I lost two ballast and replaced all reflectors and end caps, Reef geek did it for me in my 8 by 54 watt power module for less than 250 shipped, they are cheap to fixt the ballast are only $27 dollars to replace no worries it will work agian.

reefinder
03/17/2011, 09:05 PM
do not use toggle bolts on this fixture drill it in the ceiling and buy heavy duty cable.

Jim96SC2
03/20/2011, 06:07 AM
UPDATE. Cleaned, dryed, and 36 hours it was working again.