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| General Reef Discussion In this forum we discuss issues related to keeping marine and reef aquariums in a friendly flame-free environment. |
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11-25-2003, 10:57 AM
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#1
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Nothing to See Here
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Montana
Posts: 5,815
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Fire!
Well I had my new PFO ballast that fires my 250ww MH bulbs catch on fire while I was cruising the board.
Heard a sound and looked over and fire was coming up from behind the ballast and it blackened the wall.
One of the MH bulbs is now not working and smells a little in the room.
I am pretty frustrated right now and may just hang up this hobby and move on--------Quite shakened up right now!
Can't get anything in the middle of nowhere Montana to fix the problem!
Lights out! Johnny 
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11-25-2003, 11:05 AM
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#2
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Ghost of reefers past
Join Date: Jan 1999
Location: Southern Oregon, Way West of Dimples ;)
Posts: 25,155
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Ouch Johnny, did you figger out why yet?
__________________
Cowboy is a verb, not a noun
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11-25-2003, 11:14 AM
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#3
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Bubble Algae Warrior
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Maine
Posts: 4,362
Reviews: 17
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Yikes, i'd be shook up too!
I'm already nervy over the lighting project me and hubby did...paranoid is more the word, even though it should be all fine...
but it sure gave me a jolt to see your subject line. i'm a murphy's law kinda person....
was it a blaze like fire extinguisher type? :eek
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11-25-2003, 12:46 PM
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#4
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lazy reefer
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: MI, clarkston
Posts: 873
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OMG i am so sorry im just glad u were home when it happend. i hope it didnt discourege you to much. but still i cant say how sorry i am.
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i cant spell so just go with it
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11-25-2003, 01:00 PM
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#5
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Maltese Reefer
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas
Posts: 490
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Whoa, stick in there man, you have been through a lot, but I have been ready to hang it up a time or two myself, and in similar situations, only I was there to turn off stuff before a fire caught. I have coil and can ballasts in a homemade metal can, and no fire, what would have happened to make a pfo ballast, reliable by all accounts, catch fire? Was there a water drip or something?
I am very sorry, I hope you get everything sorted out
BE CAREFUL!
I am also glad you were there to catch it!!
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I promise this is the last tank!!
Alan
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11-25-2003, 01:05 PM
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#6
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Birthday tracker
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Spartanburg, SC USA
Posts: 14,637
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 Ditto what everyone else said, Johnny.
but especially...don't give up and be grateful (as we all are) that you were there!
it could happen to any of us ...
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cath
-La Dolce Vita
Proud member of the BRW crowd 
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11-25-2003, 01:25 PM
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#7
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Big Fishy
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Greenville, SC
Posts: 565
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Man sorry to hear about your fire. Man, I am so glad you were there to catch it before it turned into something worse. I am getting ready to build a Hood with 2 250W MH driven by two IceCap 250W MH ballasts. Please give us a post mortem so we know what triggered the fire. Glad you are alright. Keep on trucking because this is a great hobby to be in and we have a lot of great people in it.
Earl
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11-25-2003, 01:52 PM
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#8
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shark bait
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: south of the north pole
Posts: 778
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Jeeperz, Johnny! sorry to read about your mishap  i hope the damage is minimal, and easily repaired.
don't give up!
__________________
Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. -- Dale Carnegie
Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
-- Terry Pratchett
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11-25-2003, 01:55 PM
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#9
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Eat more PIE
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Florida Panhandle
Posts: 18,610
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Johnny glad your ok and thank god you were home to catch it,hang in there buddy you will regain and be stronger.
__________________
Double your drive space. Delete Windows
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11-25-2003, 02:57 PM
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#10
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I'm Back
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Garnerville, NY
Posts: 1,684
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Fires do suck. I had one on my tank about a year adn 1/2 ago. One of the lovely Trubo snails decided to go for an adventure into the return of my CPR Bakpak. Needless to say, FLOOD. Ths dripped over the back and onto my Natural wave power strip.
I woke up the next morning and said, hmm, the tank had nothing running on it.
I noticed that the breaker had tripped on the wavemaker, so I reset it........
It looked like the 4th of July under my tank.
Anyway, Hope everything is alright and safe. Just thought I would share my fire to make you feel better.
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11-25-2003, 03:47 PM
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#11
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Big Fishy
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Martinez, CA
Posts: 568
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Wow that stinks! Didn't your GFCI trip out before the fire started?
Bill
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11-25-2003, 04:22 PM
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#12
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Big Fishy
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Colorado
Posts: 645
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You were fortunate to be home when it happened...
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11-25-2003, 05:16 PM
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#13
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Admin/ Super mod
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: New Castle, Delaware
Posts: 20,364
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hey Johnny, sorry to here about the fire,
glad you are ok. hopefully it is only minial damage to the wall.
i really hope you do not give up on your tank.i have learned a lot for your posts here on TRT, and hope to learn a lot more as time goes on.
__________________
Tim
need something to read? just ask me.
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11-25-2003, 06:11 PM
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#14
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Nothing to See Here
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Montana
Posts: 5,815
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Update everyone!
Mojoreef(Mike) called me from Washington on his cell phone and he nailed the problem for me.
The light cord that plugs into the ballast was not in firmly and a little at an angle and it shorted and send sparks everywhere and blacken the wall.
I clean the plug up and plugged it back in after taking pressure off the cord and it works perfectly now. Amazing how ignorance can make things seem alot worse but it was still a bit scarey!
Thanks everyone for your input and concerned but I am back to being a happy reefer and so are my inhabitants of the tank. I said a prayer or two to God and he made sure you guys gave me assurance and Mike to show me the way! Johnny |
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11-25-2003, 06:13 PM
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#15
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Bubble Algae Warrior
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Maine
Posts: 4,362
Reviews: 17
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wow, what a relief that it wasn't as bad as it first sounded!
can't tell you how relieved for you i am! |
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