Editorial: September 2005

The editorial this month will serve more as a warning than as a traditional editorial. This past weekend I spent time with some friends on a small island in Northern Vermont, and the topic of discussion turned to family tragedies. One such tragedy was the death of two small children due to smoke inhalation. The cause was an electrical short that caused a smoldering fire. Unfortunately, this is a too common of an occurrence. We read about fires caused by electrical wiring problems all too often.

In my opinion, as reef keepers, we are especially vulnerable to potential wiring problems. Maintaining a reef tank usually requires the extensive use of electrical connections, which often have to carry a lot of juice. But, far more problematical is the high humidity due to evaporation in and around the electrical connections. For example, not long ago I smelled the tell tale smell of electrical smoke in my house. Upon investigation, I found that the smell came from the room were I kept my reef maintenance equipment. Investigating further, I discovered that the plug from my Jacuzzi circulating pump- which draws 11 amps - was literally black and melting from the heat. This connection had been trouble free for at least two years. Apparently, over time, the plug connection with the socket became wet enough due the room's humidity to arc and overheat.

My Jacuzzi was on a separate 20-amp line and one would have thought that the developing short would have tripped the circuit breaker, and eventually it would have, but not before smoke and fire. I'm of the opinion that we have too much faith in regular circuit breakers. I'm not suggesting that we eliminate them, but that we practice excellent wiring practices also, and that whenever possible we use GFIs. Ground Fault Interrupts are very sensitive to moisture and provide much greater protection than ordinary breakers or fuses.

This tuskfish has been with me for better than 10-years. It grew from a juvenile to adult during those years, losing its false eye spots in its dorsal fin.

However, because GFIs are so sensitive many aquarists stop using them. Too often an aquarist comes home only to find that a GFI connecting a vital piece of equipment has tripped, with the result that the lack of gas exchange is seriously threatening the survival of his or her animals. Furthermore, some GFIs do not reset themselves when there is a power outage. The answer is not to eliminate GFIs, but to practice good wiring procedures. Do things like hard wire whenever possible and find ways to prevent humidity and splashed water from reaching electrical connections. If you do not understand how to accomplish this hire a qualified electrician to do your wiring! It might save your life or that of your loved ones.