Electricity and water are potentially lethal to mix together. The safety of aquarium luminaires must therefore be taken with the greatest of care.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), in collaboration with the Consumer Council, has conducted a safety test on 10 models of aquarium luminaires.
The test was carried out in accordance with the latest international standard on such lighting appliances - the International Electrotechnical Commission IEC 60598-2-11 first published in 2005.
The test showed that only 2 out of 10 test models were in full compliance with the new safety standard.
Of the remainders, 4 models were found with inadequate marking and the 4 others with both inadequate marking and minor deviations in the following areas:
- Insufficient power supply cord length of less than 1.5m (all 4 models).
- Ballast malfunctioning in abnormal endurance conditions (1 model).
- Inappropriate soldering of the lead wire (1 model).
There is obviously room for improvement for some of these samples which were designed before the latest aquarium luminaire standard came into place. All the test models are considered safe to use under normal operation.
For instance, according to the standard at the time, there was no requirement on the minimum cord length and some of the markings such as the symbol for minimum distance from the water level and the instruction on disconnecting the power supply before opening the luminaire.
Some advice in the safety of aquarium appliances:
- Choose aquarium appliances with detailed instructions and British 3-pin plug.
- Study in full the design of the aquarium before installing any appliances to avoid accumulation of water or accidental dropping into the water.
- If the appliance is found not to operate normally, unplug the power immediately and send the appliance for a checkup or repair.
- Whenever the appliance is dropped into the water, the power plug must be removed from the socket outlet before any attempt to pick it up.
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