Light fixture exploded

Post by **JediMasterThrash** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:40 pm

While I was working out downstairs in the morning, my wife said she'd heard what sounded like me coughing, and thought nothing of it.

Later, as we were getting ready for work, she complained about the weird "burning rubber" smell in the kitchen. I could smell it too, but only in a few places in the kitchen (probably from the way air-drafts were going).

When I could find a spot where I smelt it, it was a pretty solidly a burning electronics smell (being an engineer, I've burnt or blown up enough electronics in my day to know that smell). I was quite concerned, and checked all the appliances and everything looking for where the smell could have come from. Garbage?

Then I checked the crab tank, and noticed that the rear light fixture was off. The flourescent light and rear moonglo fixture are on day/night timers, and turn on in the morning. The flourescent was on, and not the moonglos. I thought maybe the bulbs blew out.

But nope. I lifted up the fixture, and smelt quite the strong burning electronics smell. The inside was all splashed with black carbon, like a small firecracker had gone off, and some black scoring on the top of the tank. And the fixture was still plugged in, so I could still smell the warm burning coming out, and hear some weak crackling. No visible smoke though, just all the carbon scoring over the component box in the middle and over the backsplash and over the light bulbs...

So, yeah. My light fixture exploded. Seems rather scary if you think about it. What if we hadn't found it. I wonder if it would have been any good if that fixture was sitting there plugged-in, smoldering electronics all day.

Well, the storal of the morey is, make sure you're absolutely sure about the wattage rating on your light fixture. This particular light fixture was one I found at the thrift store for 3$. It had no labels whatsoever on it. The light fixture that I bought along with my tank had sticker on it that warned about the 25w bulb maximum limit. So my guess is that the unknown thrift-store fixture might only have been rated for 15w bulbs, and I just never knew it, and eventually the 25w bulbs burned out the electronics.

Kilimanjaro · Post by **Kilimanjaro** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:29 pm

That could've ended up really bad!

It's good that you found out what was wrong before something worse happened. No more thrift-store lightbulbs (at least without checking the wattage)!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:18 am

That has happened to me before too. But it happened differntly. I accidentally dropped a little bit of water on it, and BOOM it crashed and broke.

hulk · Post by **hulk** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:50 am

I had a light bulb explode too! but it wasn't above the bulb wattaged reccomended, but that does pose some thoughts of fire..and Ihave been thinking about the uth too for my leo...it seems to be getting hotter for some reason?

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 9:53 am

I know of a member on another forum who won't use lights or have any animal that requires them. The lights in her iguana's cage exploded one day when she wasn't home and burned down her house!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:52 am

Wow, Jedi! That is scarey!

Definately important to sure the info with us, though.

I bought the heavy-duty Fluker's 3-way fixtures for two of my tanks. I am using a few hand-me-downs on the other two. Thankfully, the cheaper hand-me-downs still have the wattage-max stickers on them, so I think that I am safe. (A little nervous now, though!) :roll:

Post by **JediMasterThrash** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 2:54 pm

Just a clarification: It was the fixture itself (the part where the bulbs plug into), and not the bulbs, that exploded. The bulbs are still in one piece, be-it rather scorched.

hulk · Post by **hulk** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:19 pm

oh...I had the bulb explode..but still really scarey to think of fires from lights or uth's!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 10:03 am

Checking all my smoke detectors right now. I think I'm going to add one right above each of the crab tanks. Something to think about though, they sell surge and fire protectors that will shut off the items that you have plugged in if they sense that something is frying. I have them on my electronics. I thinks they are going on to the crabs tanks now.

I'm glad you, your family and all of your crabs are all right.

Jenn