i did a dumb thing :(

[i_love_pez]

i dunked half my T5 light into the tank. the anctinic side went out immediatly, the 10k side stayed on, as did the fan and moonlight.

how long should i let this sit outside and dry before i plug it back in?

i tried taking it apart but 2 screws were stripped and will not come out. i do not want to break it open to get to the ballast, but i want to reuse the light that still works.

its a 30" T5 light strip that looks real nice and id like to save it. im not sure of the brand though, there was nothing on it indicating what it is.

anyone know of a way to get stripped screws out?

[Instar]

You will probably have to get a special bit or take it to someone that has one for such work. You have to get the salt crystals out of the electric connections and it must be completely dry before using it again or you will get shocked.

[i_love_pez]

i got it unhooked actually, i removed the plastic cover for the light and the reflector, and there are the 2 ballasts underneath it. im gonna remove both and let them air dry out, then in the morning im gonna use a brush and get all the crystals out.

i did get a nice jolt when i took it out :(

[i_love_pez]

now im not so sure its a T5 light. the wattage on the light says 65W day light and 65W dual actinic

these would be PC lights then, yes? i thought T5 lights were like 39W a piece...

[Instar]

Actually, if something electric falls into the water, unplug it first. It won't hurt anything for the few seconds it takes to find the plug as long as you don't reach in there. Reaching in before its unpluged, no matter what kind of appliance it is, even a cracked heater can electrocute you and the fish. Always unplug it first, even if its only drenched and still in place, then fix the situation and clean it up. It's way safer that way and damage will be minimal and not shocking.

[i_love_pez]

i didnt reach into the tank, i grabbed the side that was still out of the water. i guess some water splashed up there and thats how i got a nice lil buzz. my hand feels normal again.

this isnt the first time ive been shocked either. my significant other decided one day to flip the switch on that turns on the ceiling fan in the living room. that switch is wired to a plug right below it. i happened to be using that plug for a job i was doing for a client. anywho, she turns on the light and POP! nice bright spark and i jump back and fall down and am kinda stunned. was a 500W power supply that zapped me.

amazingly enough the pc fired up and nothing was fried. told the guy what happened and he said as long as im ok then its no bother tohim. that machine is still running, 9 months later.

before i go to bed, can you answer my Q about the light? on the bulbs it has www.current-usa.com on it with a model # of 2036 for the dual actinic and model #2034 for the daylight bulb

[Shark_Bait]

OK this might sound wierd but it works. Take it apart as much as you can. You can then rinse each part in fresh RO water. Just a quick dunk not a soak to get off the crystals. then you let them dry out. Or you can put them in the oven on the lowest temp setting and dry them this way. I know it sounds crazy but it does work as I've done it on 2 different occasion. I do elecronics for the Navy and this is our procedure for trying to save parts that are in an aircraft fire or crash.

[Instar]

I've done the Navy procedure myself a couple times and agree that it works. It is harder to get the crystals off though once its dry.

The lights you refer to when saying dual actinic are PC's (Power Compaq's) at 65 watts. The bulbs themselves are about 23.5 inches long and have 2 tubes coming out of the base contact on one end only and the tubes are joined together at the other end by a thin glass connector tube. A T-5 is a very skinny little bulb, single tube, HO (high output) florecent with contact pins on both ends.

[Marlin]

I also recommend that you instal GFCI's on your aquarium equipment. It could save your life.

[SGTDirk]

The oven thing should work, but I would use distilled water to clean it up. Water doesn't conduct electricty. It's the minerals and and what not dissolved that conduct the electricity. Distilled water is pure water. Good luck with it and hope you get it working again.