Why do my aquarium lights keep catching fire?
by Aquaboy on Monday, May 3rd, 2010 | 5 Comments
I have a US Perfecto 24″ Fluorescent strip light. The first one literally caught fire. This is my second light and it is producing that smell that indicates that the end is near, and it may also catch fire. I live in the UK, but I have a home that has 110V US outlets. Can anyone give me any reason that this is happening? What can I do to fix it?
I read something about having to invert lights to DC 12 or something? I don’t know.. Any information would be appreciated.
I am using the original bulb the light strip came with. It is a Perfect-A-Strip Safe Aquarium Strip Reflector 24″ this time. It was another brand/model the first time it burned.
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i dont know much about electrical stuff in the UK, but it sounds like your bulb is too powerful for the strip you are putting it in. consider a lower wattage
make sure the wiring is correct
That is really strange on a Perfecto. They are really simple lights.
It sounds like it is getting too much power or overheating. You may be using a wrong bulb that is getting too hot for the fixture.
Is it getting wet? That might be another problem.
Get a different brand
The UK supply is 240V 50hz nominal. US Supplies are 110V 60hz nominal I believe. Are you sure you have a 110V supply in the UK, this is VERY unusual, not to mention that it will probably violate the building regs! It is common to have a 240V/120V selectable socket in the bathroom for razors, apart from that I’ve never heard of one. The choice is provided by a simple 2:1 transformer in the socket.
Any US tubes you buy will need to be connected to your US supply as they will be 110V rated. If you connect a US tube to a UK supply you will get fish barbecue! If you connect a UK tube to the US supply it will be very dull or not work at all depending upon the type.