Aquarists beware of defective luminaires posing fire and electricshock risks - CHOICE # 378

Fish keeping is popular here - not only as a hobby but as a Fung Shui aid (to ward off bad luck).

But plugging in all sorts of electrical gadgets to a water-filled aquarium at home can pose a real safety concern.

For the combination of water and electricity is always risky although the statistics available may not bear this out clearly.

Between 2005 and 2007, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) reported 5 cases of incident involving aquarium electrical equipment. 4 of the cases were suspected to have been caused by aquarium luminaires (fluorescent lighting) resulting in fire outbreak.

The Consumer Council, in collaboration with EMSD, have conducted a safety test on 10 models of aquarium luminaires ranging from small pendant lamps to larger fluorescent lamp tubes.

The results are far from reassuring to the fish hobbyists.

3 out of the 10 models were found to pose such potential safety problems that the EMSD had to take action to recall one unsafe model and stop the sales of 2 models to consumers.

The test revealed that the internal ballast of one model in particular might have an overheating problem during use, posing a fire hazard risk to users.

The supplier has since initiated recall of the aquarium lighting concerned. For details of the recall, consumers are advised to contact the supplier's hotlines on 2432 0880 or 2406 9992.

The supplier of the two other models concerned has also responded positively to the EMSD's request to cease sales of the products which were found to have exposed small live parts at the internal terminal of switch inside the lighting casing, posing possibility of electric shock to users during relamping without power off.

Other deviations from international safety standards include:

• Insufficient insulation distances between insulated wires and user accessible parts (6 samples).
• Inadequate resistance of plastic parts (including lampholder or starter holder) to heat or fire (5 samples).
• Reversed polarities of live and neutral supply wiring (2 samples).
• Inadequate resistance of the transparent plastic lamp covers to impact test (2 samples).
• Failure of ballast in endurance test at elevated room temperature (1 sample).
• In general, missing or wrongly marked Class of Protection against ingress of water; lamp type and number of lamps; earthing symbol; model number and/or rated frequency; some warning instructions (subject to different samples).

Aquarium users are therefore advised to exercise caution in purchasing and using aquarium luminaires, to ensure that these electrical equipment do not become a safety hazard at home. They will do well to observe the following safety tips:

• Choose aquarium appliances that come with detailed instructions, and British 3-pin plugs.
• Study fully the design of the aquarium before installing any gadget to avoid accumulation of water or accidental dropping into the water.
• Unplug the power immediately (a) if the appliance is found not to operate normally and send it for checkup or repair; and (b) whenever the appliance is dropped into the water before any attempt to pick it up.