KZAAAT! (1 Viewer)

[Wildfire]

To add to my already sucky week, tonight I lost one of my stand lights to an "undiagnosed electrical failure". Here's the worst part. It IS plugged into a GFCI, but this type of light doesn't have a grounding plug (I know,dry area applications only.... don't waste your fingers, I knew that going into this, it was just never SUPPOSED to get wet you se.....)

So, even though it was on a GFCI (multiple downstream actually) it continued to kzaat and spew forth the orange-yellow smoke and acrid smell of an eletrcial fire. I got it all taken care of (I hope, still watching for any smoldering) and I'm going to pull it once it all cools down.

Just a side warning to everyone! Don't use 2-prong appliances on a GFCI / water area. I DIDN'T have a drip loop (comeon, the wire was just THAT much too short) which is what caused my untimely demise. Be sure to follow ALL electrical guidelines! Even the ones that don't SEEM like they'll be a problem.

Side Note: Did you know that a wadded up bath towel makes an adequate insulator? My finger is only SLIGHTLY tingling, rather than the sheer agony I would have been in had I tried to touch that darn thing bare handed.....

 

[crvz]

Cripes! You're quickly becoming the poster-boy of learning the hard way! I hope it all cleans up/fixes up well...

 

[cstewart79]

I am thinking the name wildfire may be well deserved.

 

[frankgrem]

This should make you feel better.


It may be the neighborhood! I almost burned down my house on Sunday, tried to pull 50+ amps through a 20 amp breaker. I would say live and learn but I knew better.

 

[BayAreaAquarium]

you know that you only have 1 "life" left...first the infection and now a possible fire. I think that you should walk around with padding and a helmet.

 

[NeoTheWicked]

In working with electrical devices for quite a few years i recall an electrician friend of mine saying that GFCI outlets will only function right it they are wired to a good ground. So there fore i would check upstream of this outlet and test that a good ground is present. Most electrical suppliers have a small device that plugs into an outlet and tells you if proper connections are there I/E HOT or line and neutral then finally ground. GFCI's work by sensing fluctuations in the current as apposed to true ground. There fore as stated above a really good ground is a must. And dont just rely on the fact that the wall outlet is a 3 prong outlet. My mothers home was built in the early 70's the previous owners had to bring it up to code in order to sell it. They just replaced the 2 prong outlets with 3 prong not running a ground wire back to the elec panel. I found this out the hard way while rewiring a window A/C unit . And i noticed you said in your post that your device was a 2 prong component these devices are supposed to be polarized and double insulated, therefore if your getting a shock in the water it is because the potting material used in the items manufacture to insulate it has cracked allowing voltage to seep out. Saltwater is a excellent conductor due to the electrolytes in it as apposed to regular water, So a little voltage goes a long way.Here is a link to the tester i mentioned before Pic http://images.ihscontent.net/MRO_images/ProductImages/2001.4/ERICSN/ERICSNC00002_142_TN_001.jpg
actual description https://www.wholesaleelectric.com/eshop/more_info.asp?pc=2751076813
hope this helps anyone having these problems David

 

[Niko5]

Sooo how did it acturaly get wet?

 

[Wildfire]

You know what happens when an overflow stops, but the sump pump don't? Water goes up and over the top, like those really cool cube tanks that everyone likes, but here's the problem.....

I've got no drain pan to catch the overflow.

Anywho, thanks David for the advice. I have 3 different models of GFCI Testers, and when I did the wiring I tested these outlets myself to ensure proper termination. I beleive that the issue was that there was no "ground fault" due to no ground pin.