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Water Change Disasters - A New Twist!!!

HerbieK

NJRC Honorary Member
NJRC Member
It's water change time! A new 45 Gallon Brute full of my custom blended IO/Reef Crystals cocktail. I turned off all of my pumps, heaters, skimmer, ATO and other tank related gear in preparation for my water change. Pumped out my 40 Gal sump and was ready to refill. My 10 year old son at the ready, he plugged in my pump that is down in my basement and I began to blissfully refill my sump. After patting myself on the back for my new bucket-less water changing system, I decided to clean up my gear and bring it back in the basement. Low and behold, the smell of burning plastic! I forgot to turn off my mixing pump and heater in my relatively new 45 gallon Brute!!! The heater kicked on after the Brute was empty and now has a silver dollar sized hole burned in the side. I pulled out the heater and placed it in the water that was left in the bottom of the barrel and it promptly cracked to pieces.

Anyone ever do this???

Am I the only stupid one?

I think I will put together a water change check list from now on to avoid such unpleasantness!!!

Red faced and looking for a new 45 gallon brute.

Herb
 
Sounds like a story similar to one that most of us, if not all of us, have told. I wouldn't be too embarassed. Just think of it as a lesson learned.
 

panmanmatt

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
What type of heater? Most of them have safeties that prevent them from coming on out of water.
 

pgordemer

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
NapoliNewJersey said:
Sounds like a story similar to one that most of us, if not all of us, have told. I wouldn't be too embarassed. Just think of it as a lesson learned.

Keep it in these terms when it comes to water on the floor/stupid things. Its not a case of If this has ever happened, its WHEN and HOW OFTEN. We have ALL BEEN THERE. That how you gets your stripes (and a lot less hair)
 

Brian

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I've done more idiotic things then I care to mention...

Maybe you can pop a uni-seal in the hole it made to save the garbage can?
 

JohnS_323

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Maybe I haven't done that exact same thing but I've done at least a dozen or more right along the same lines. No need to be red in the face. Great sotry telling, though. It definitely made me laugh!

Brian has a good point. You may be able to round out the hole to the right size and put a uni-seal in there to save the garbage can.
 

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Too funny, Herbie. 9.8 for presentation. Sadly just a 2.0 for originality. ;D
 

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
We have all done something similar. I like to use gravity to drain water from my tank. So one time I left both ends of the hose in the tank with the lid closed while I dumped the water. When I came back one end of the hose slipped out and the rug was very wet. I have a much better method now.
 
I had that problem with the siphon hose my self. One end out of the tank when i wasn't looking and a wet floor.
Then again i had the time i started pumping water up to the tank from the basement but forgot to open the drain valve. Lots of water on the floor. :'(
 
Wasn't a disaster, but I felt pretty dumb. I was filling my new 90 gallon up for the first time. My tap water is extremely cold, so I was mixing hot/cold water in an empty 30 gal on the floor on the other side of the basement, dechlorinating - then pumping it up into the 90. After I had filled/pumped the 30 gallon 3 times, the 90 still wasn't close to full. I was panicked rushing around looking for leaks. No leaks. No water on the carpet. Hmmmm....finally figured out...the water was siphoning right back out thru the pump back into the 30. :p
 

JohnS_323

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
chaoscat said:
Wasn't a disaster, but I felt pretty dumb. I was filling my new 90 gallon up for the first time. My tap water is extremely cold, so I was mixing hot/cold water in an empty 30 gal on the floor on the other side of the basement, dechlorinating - then pumping it up into the 90. After I had filled/pumped the 30 gallon 3 times, the 90 still wasn't close to full. I was panicked rushing around looking for leaks. No leaks. No water on the carpet. Hmmmm....finally figured out...the water was siphoning right back out thru the pump back into the 30. :p

D'oh! That's funny. I can imagine you running around like a maniac trying to figure out where all of the water was going. Good thing you caught it because somehow I don't think a 30g can could handle the volume from a 90g tank!
 
a water change where the end of the hose doesn't slip out of the tank and dump water on my feet or the wall isn't a real water change, it's the only way my walls keep nice and clean since I'm forever washing them all down after they are sprayed with sw.
 
I certainly would have traded this mishap for the mini-disaster I had on Monday- at least 25 gallons all over my basement carpet.

Either way, that sucks that that happened. But like every other dumb thing that all of us do, we get through it! And try to convince our wives that its 'no big deal'
 
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