Hot metal/hot electric motor odor

[dougdstecklein]

For the last 6 months I’ve been dealing with an intermittent odor coming from my aquarium that I would describe as hot metal or a hot motor in an electric drill.
The odor is only detectable between early afternoon and late afternoon and it does not happen everyday which has made it very hard to narrow down what is causing it.
I only suspect the Apex controller because I purchased it in June of 2017, right before the odor started.
The Apex works great, I haven’t really had any issues with it but I really need to figure out what is causing this odor, it is becoming unbearable.
Any ideas on how I can rule out the Apex as the cause?

[aaronpentz]

What equipment do you have plugged into the apex that is being used during those time frames.

What lighting
Heater
Chiller
Water flow

Do you have LED with ramping at that time.

Should be fairly easy to find since the time is pretty reproduceable

Or possibly thats the highest current draw times and you're over powering you wall wiring. What's max current during this time with everything plugged into the outlet. Not just the Energy Bar. Could be an old outlet or your pulling more then 15 amps from it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[dougdstecklein]

Originally Posted by aaronpentz

What equipment do you have plugged into the apex that is being used during those time frames.

What lighting
Heater
Chiller
Water flow

Do you have LED with ramping at that time.

Should be fairly easy to find since the time is pretty reproduceable

Or possibly thats the highest current draw times and you're over powering you wall wiring. What's max current during this time with everything plugged into the outlet. Not just the Energy Bar. Could be an old outlet or your pulling more then 15 amps from it.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I just had all of the house electrical wiring, outlets, and switches replaced around 10 years ago, but I may replace the outlet again just to rule that out.

I first suspected the led fixtures were the problem because the highest intensities coincided with the time of day that the odor was present.
So to try and rule out the lights I reduced the intensities by 75% and still noticed the odor. I also used these lights for a year before the odor started so that was further evidence that it might be something other than the lights.

I then started to suspect the Apex as the cause since I started using it shortly before the odor started. I had the light fixtures plugged into the Apex energy bar which I thought might be causing the Apex to over heat so I decided to plug them into a separate power strip but the odor has persisted.

Everything I have plugged into the Apex:
Maxspect gyre 130 - 80% of 35 Watts
Eheim heater - 250 Watts
DCT-5000 return pump- 60% of 35 Watts
Protein skimmer- 30 Watts
Apex dosers- Negligible

Everything else plugged into power strip and outlet:
Carbon reactor - 20 Watts
AI Hydras 52 - 50 Watts each

[Member No. 1]

Backstab - Worth checking your wall outlet!


https://www.handymanhowto.com/electr...sus-back-wire/

https://georgebrazilplumbingelectric...-its-dangerous

[dougdstecklein]

Originally Posted by Member No. 1

Backstab - Worth checking your wall outlet!


https://www.handymanhowto.com/electr...sus-back-wire/

https://georgebrazilplumbingelectric...-its-dangerous

Will do, thanks!

[aaronpentz]

Do you have a kill-a-watt meter. They are great about 30 bucks and give you an accurate reading on everything. Plug everything from the tank into a power strip and then plug the strip into this. And it will tell you total usage.

I would try and run only the basics. Return and heater, if the smell still persists and you suspect the apex then remove it. Go back to timers and power strips for the time being. Move the apex to a different room entirely and simulate the loads. If no smell in New location then it's probably not the apex. Coral can live just fine without lighting for a few days.

Is there possibly something else in the room that your not considering. Maybe a TV or fan or something you might not be thinking about.
Do you have electric baseboard heat or forced air or possibly do you use space heaters.

The smell your taking about if very specific and once you smell it it's very alerting. I work in industrial maintenance and always drop what I'm doing to find the cause so I understand your concern. It's not something to dismiss easily for me anyways.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[dougdstecklein]

Originally Posted by aaronpentz

Do you have a kill-a-watt meter. They are great about 30 bucks and give you an accurate reading on everything. Plug everything from the tank into a power strip and then plug the strip into this. And it will tell you total usage.

I would try and run only the basics. Return and heater, if the smell still persists and you suspect the apex then remove it. Go back to timers and power strips for the time being. Move the apex to a different room entirely and simulate the loads. If no smell in New location then it's probably not the apex. Coral can live just fine without lighting for a few days.

Is there possibly something else in the room that your not considering. Maybe a TV or fan or something you might not be thinking about.
Do you have electric baseboard heat or forced air or possibly do you use space heaters.

The smell your taking about if very specific and once you smell it it's very alerting. I work in industrial maintenance and always drop what I'm doing to find the cause so I understand your concern. It's not something to dismiss easily for me anyways.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I do have a watt meter and I can easily use it to find total wattage, I just didn’t think 400 Watts was even close to maxing anything out.

The only other electrical devices in the room are a tv, air filter, ceiling fan, and 2 computers. The tv and computers are not on during the day. The air filter was turned off for an extended time and the odor persisted. We usually have the ceiling fan on at night when the odor is not present so that can be ruled out as well. No baseboard heaters, space heaters, or anything else that I know of that could be causing the odor.

The problem with changing or turning things off to try to find the cause is that the odor is very intermittent. I smelled it 2 days ago, but haven’t since. Sometimes it smells everyday for weeks, other times it can be weeks or months before I smell it again. It makes it very difficult to find out the cause.
I think I’m going to start by replacing my outlet and power strip and if the odor persists I will move the Apex to another room and run extension cords to everything.

Thank you for all of your insight on this, it really helps to get someone else’s perspective.