if anyone is still awake pleaseee help !!!!!!!!

[greg1786]

not sure where is best place to post this so one in lighting and one in reef discussion. My girlfriend just tried to pick my 4x54 watt t5 ho nova extreme fixture up from one end and pulled it off the edge of the tank. The side where the cords and switches are was completely submerged for a good five seconds. By the time I had pulled it out the lights were barely flickering and id say about three cups of water had gotten in through the fan holes and I quickly poured it out. I took the splash guard off, removed the lights and reflectors exposing the wires and ballast. I dried with a towel what I could and used a blow dryer to dry out the actual sockets that the lights screw into. the ballast somehow didn't get wet luckily. how long should I wait to turn it back on and does anyone think it will work or have any ideas or recommendations on what, if anything else I can or should do. I'm very nervous to plug it back in for fear of electric shock. Also all of my zoas and my nem instantly pulled themselves closed. my sps corals retracted their polyps and my mushrooms shrunk. do you think this is because of all the commotion of water splashing and lights going off or possible electricution ? anything I can do for them if its the latter? I'm very concerned because all of my corals are photosynthetic and if the light is a goner I fear so is my corals. please any help is greatly appreciated thanks -Greg :-(


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[horwitzs]

As long as it dries out completely before powering it back up I think you'll be ok. Leave it in a warm dry spot for a day, maybe with a fan on it.
As for the corals, I'd be surprised if they are done for, but only time will tell.

[zakstrong]

i would recommend pulling the ballast and putting it in a bag of rice. cell phone trick. A day may not be long enough

[greg1786]

ok thanks guys I have a hair dryer running on the cool setting on it now. the water thankfully didn't make it to the ballast I'm just worried because the endcaps aren't water proof. I guess time will tell thanks again


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[MeanGreenEyes]

Originally Posted by zakstrong

i would recommend pulling the ballast and putting it in a bag of rice. cell phone trick. A day may not be long enough

+1 to the rice...

[milehigh]

Don't rush it.. your corals will be fine..
at least 24 hrs.

[greg1786]

Originally Posted by milehigh

Don't rush it.. your corals will be fine..
at least 24 hrs.

ok, that is a huge concern for me. Especially my bubble tip nem because I've been nursing it back to health after some rough housing from my clownfish that she couldn't handle. this week is the first that she's looked good and had her mouth nice and tightly closed. think she will do ok for 24 hrs?? and ill pull the ballast and put it in rice just to be on the safe side I cant afford to lose this fixture w Christmas coming I just don't have the money for a new one right now. not to mention this one is only two months old!!!!


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[warfanax]

If it was freshwater I would say you will be fine as long as it dries but when salywater dries it leaves salt behind. If salt deposits in contacts may cause a short. I would open every electrical component and ballast to clean with alcohol.

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[jake koppen]

+1 clean with alcohol. Take it apart and clean it up. Also dump the girlfriend for almost ruining your tank!jk

[Grayhead]

My t5 fixture dipped like that once. I immediately took it apart. I washed the area with fresh water and allowed it to dry. I have never had a problem with it. If you leave the salt on the contact components they will most likely corrode. Any moisture or condensation that gets to it will greatly accelerate the process. Electricity and salt water are not good combinations. Cant advise on alcohol, but i know thats better than nothing at all.

[OrionN]

1+ ^^^
I would wash the unit inside with fresh water and the last rinse with RO water. You have to get the salt off if there is any hope for it to work again. It may not work anyway but with the salt in it, it will not work.

[igadget56]

I did it to.Take it apart then spray WD 40 on it, let it dry a couple a couple of hours.
WD means water displacement.

[SuperSaltwater]

give her a good diking.

[MeanGreenEyes]

Keep us updated on how this is going...

And don't dump her...just secretly pour some skimmate in her fav. pair of shoes/purse if you can't salvage the light...

Originally Posted by SuperSaltwater

give her a good diking.

Omg...I just lol'd at this.

[greg1786]

Originally Posted by Grayhead

My t5 fixture dipped like that once. I immediately took it apart. I washed the area with fresh water and allowed it to dry. I have never had a problem with it. If you leave the salt on the contact components they will most likely corrode. Any moisture or condensation that gets to it will greatly accelerate the process. Electricity and salt water are not good combinations. Cant advise on alcohol, but i know thats better than nothing at all.

when your light hit the water did it go off instantly?? mine did and it flickered a few times before dying completely. And while the diking seems a bit much , I am a huge fan of the skimmate idea;-). when I get home from work tonight I will wash it again with fresh water and ill keep u guys updated as I vo, thanks again for your help -Greg


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[littleguy210]

Been there. Mine was fine after rice.

[JohnnySquids]

im an electrician. a wet fixture/sockets/ballest means nothing. i have opened up lights that are still operational that were completly submerged for days at a time while still running (minus the bulbs/ sockets) it happens frequently with wall packs outside. u dont need rice or alcohal. just let it dry for a few hours and put it back.

[robs.mark]

salt is an amazing conductor thought, what if it were to cause a short circuit? i would use some sort of evaprative electrical cleaner in a can like electrasol or contact cleaner.

[greg1786]

well bad news, I got the whole light fixture back together and only two of the four bulbs run. the two that don't run to the ballast closest to where water entered. I assume I was wrong about it not getting wet. I took the ballast apart but I couldn't get far because after removing the shell the wires and all electric parts were covered with a very heavy coating of some sort of black gel, I guess something used to dissipate heat maybe? anyhow I guess I need a new ballast but I'm not sure where the best place would be to order it. I doubt a local electrical supply house would have it :-/. anyway is it possible its not the ballast? I don't want to go buying a ballast and then having it be something different


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[zakstrong]

did you try changing switching the bulbs to see if it in fact was just the bulbs that were ruined. as cautious as we are telling you to be its hard to believe that it is ruined. My friends girl friend threw his cell in the toilet, he took it out, she threw it in again he took it out and it worked the next day.

[Grayhead]

I heard a funny noise from mine. Never flickered. I put it on a gfi after that. Did the water hit a circuit board? Salt water conducts electricity quite well. If it spent some time submerged is could have fried something. You can drop a phone in fresh water and usually it will be fine. I have dropped several of my phones in salt water while working or fishing. Ruins the phones instantly because of the salt water. Hope your fixture can be repaired.

[bnumair]

give it a few days to dry. run a small fan on it to dry out or the rice trick. corals will be fine without a light for 4-5 days. make sure the unit is completely dry before plugging in.

[greg1786]

I tried switching the bulbs around it wasn't that. I will give it another day to dry I put the ballast in rice, I'm not very optimistic for it though I literally took the entire fixture apart down to shell and wires and everything appeared dry


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[aquanooby]

That is a true bummer I am sorry. Why was she trying to lift it ? I'm sure she meant no harm but why o why did she mess with it

[MeanGreenEyes]

Originally Posted by greg1786

I tried switching the bulbs around it wasn't that. I will give it another day to dry I put the ballast in rice, I'm not very optimistic for it though I literally took the entire fixture apart down to shell and wires and everything appeared dry


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I'm really sorry to hear! That really stinks!

To try to lighten your mood...it's time to exact the revenge we discussed a few comments back...cheers to a full skimmer cup and her favorite shoes/purse. OR make her pay for a replacement light! lol