A shocking tale.....

[jimbojones5678]

Hi all,

 

Luckily I'm still here to write this as I was electrocuted last night in my flower room.

 

Now I have always listened to the warnings that everyone so sensibly gives about raising ballasts etc off the floor, and checking connections but my 240v of love came from my res tank's heater exploding under water and delivering the current through 100l of nutes.

 

All my tools are plastic so when I was checking the PPM & PH nothing happened - even my stirring paddle for mixing is plastic.

But then I noticed on my Ph pen that the temp of the water was 18C - not the 24C it should be....???

 

So I reached in to feel whether the heater was warm and WHAM! I went flying across the room.

Luckily I was able to call out to my girlfriend before I passed out and when I awoke I instructed her to unplug the heaters and the air pumps. I didn't feel too bad at this point - just woozy and my hand was reddish where it had touched the water.

 

I tentatively put my hand in the water again and removed the heater to see it had exploded and the coil was exposed - same in the other tank. I had bought the heaters in Kmart because they were on sale and I don't know why they blew, nor do I understand why the safety switch didn't go off?

 

It also explains why the plants were looking really droopy - I had played with the feeding times and regularity for a few days to no avail. They were being fed with super charged water! ! literally...

 

So I guess that you can't really warn people about this happening as it was a freak thing and must have been a manufacturers fault, but I'm just glad that I'm alive and so are my girls.

 

Watch out Kmart....here comes one really angry punter. lol

 

Jimbo

[loylty gets u nothing]

shit yeah man

glad u are ok

i too have a tale to tell

1 time i clean dropped me air pump in the res

without thinking dived me hand in after it

like u i was thrown a bit..

very shaken and fucken scared of electricity

just glad u are ok man

take care and stay safe

bil

[nugget]

Shit jimbo, doesn't sound like the most fun way to spend the evening that's for sure. Glad ya ok though This is one of the reasons I stick with hand watering, I'm just too paranoid about stuff like this happening

 

 

[Frazz]

Fucking hell man !!! thats some heavy duty shit Jimbo , glad youre ok ... big worry about the safety switch thingo not stopping the electricity ... that should be looked into ...

 

Caution No Stoned Person In Grow Room Billo ? ... well that means we never can go in lmao

 

Yea a shocking reminder to us all on the dangers of the unseen electricity ... take Extra care folks ... buzzzzz

 

[Reverend]

Glad you are O.K. man. Have your breaker checked ASAP my son says you need to check them at least once a month

(He is a sparky) He said people get a little slack and just assume they will be O.K. but sometimes the switches themselfs can be dodgie, Any way glad you are here to tell the tale.

Gills

[grok]

what a shock...zzzzzttt!!!..bam!!!

 

you can buy covers for the glass aquarium heaters so that they are less likely to break but since you dont know why they shattered...

you are supposed to leave them in the water for 15mins to acclimatise to the water temp before turning them on. perhaps you forgot?..perhaps the temp differential between the heater and the water when it was first turned on caused them to shatter.?

 

...you think you are getting a bargain deal from K-mart..and it could have cost you yer life!! eeek!!

 

good to hear you are ok though mate.

 

i got hit by 240V electricity once when i was a kid...it was like a hammer to the chest or a punch to the head..bam!!... a very powerful and shocking feeling.

[brick]

Hi all,

 

Luckily I'm still here to write this as I was electrocuted last night in my flower room.

 

Now I have always listened to the warnings that everyone so sensibly gives about raising ballasts etc off the floor, and checking connections but my 240v of love came from my res tank's heater exploding under water and delivering the current through 100l of nutes.

 

All my tools are plastic so when I was checking the PPM & PH nothing happened - even my stirring paddle for mixing is plastic.

But then I noticed on my Ph pen that the temp of the water was 18C - not the 24C it should be....???

 

So I reached in to feel whether the heater was warm and WHAM! I went flying across the room.

Luckily I was able to call out to my girlfriend before I passed out and when I awoke I instructed her to unplug the heaters and the air pumps. I didn't feel too bad at this point - just woozy and my hand was reddish where it had touched the water.

 

I tentatively put my hand in the water again and removed the heater to see it had exploded and the coil was exposed - same in the other tank. I had bought the heaters in Kmart because they were on sale and I don't know why they blew, nor do I understand why the safety switch didn't go off?

 

It also explains why the plants were looking really droopy - I had played with the feeding times and regularity for a few days to no avail. They were being fed with super charged water! ! literally...

 

So I guess that you can't really warn people about this happening as it was a freak thing and must have been a manufacturers fault, but I'm just glad that I'm alive and so are my girls.

 

Watch out Kmart....here comes one really angry punter. lol

 

Jimbo

You are lucky Jimbo. All that plastic and water and you became the earth conductor. The reason your breaker did not trip was that there was no earth leakage to cause the breaker to trip. You must have had a fair belt to throw you. Safety switches only work if there is an earth connection to the appliance you are using. I assume you had shoes on other wise you would not be here telling us what happened.

[godonacid]

try a residual current device (rcd), every one should have one if they are using pumps / heaters in water.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residual-current_device

 

http://www.alia.com.au/techtopics/elcb.htm

 

oz stoners link to a safety thing

https://cannabis.community.forums.ozstoners...showtopic=12308

 

personally I dont use one but i dont have a need for on they way i am using my water, but i know people who swear by them and one mate claims he owes his life to one.

 

from what they tell me it is a required piece of grow room equipment, and i also know that new kitchens have to have rcds installed as a part of the wiring to meet some regulation.

Edited May 9, 2008 by godonacid

[spaceleaf]

It's good to hear your not pushin up mullies old mate........try lineing your resivour area with thick rubber mats, just in case this ever happens again........this should help prevent a shock of a life time...........spaceleaf.................

[mull]

Good to hear you survived jimbo.

 

Reckon brick nailed it there, the heater was double insulated, which is why the water was still alive.

 

Go a stainless heater next maybe mate. Careful with the electrickery.