[Freddy]

Yes, odd question of the day !

It's just I have this new aquarium hood with built in lights.  Turned it on (has been working fine), twenty seconds later....big pop....but not sure if it was the light unit or the sound of the fuse in the plug popping... light tubes are fine.  To this day I had never had a blown fuse, so don't know if they make a noise.  I tested the fuse with my multi meter and it was blown for sure.

It's now working again, but I want to clear up if it was the fuse I heard.

Thanks

[squarebear]

Yes I once heard a fuse pop when it had blown. Like a party popper noise yes.

[Data]

Yes I agree

Fusses can make a pop sound, ive heard them go before.

But a fuse shouldn’t blow without a reason, as a rule, if it’s a new fuse it might be faulty and blow, but older ones don’t normally blow unless something triggered it, a peak in the mains power can make things take more current and if a fuse is passing close to its limits a peak could push it over the edge.

Are the lights powered directly from the main or do they get their power from a power supply?

[Freddy]

Thanks guys for confirming the noise riddle

Yes, I am thinking it was a short.  I looked in the side of the light unit (it's all self contained) and there was a lot of condensation in there.  Thing is I haven't had the lights on as it's a new tank.  I am thinking in normal use it would probably be a lot drier due to the warmth of the tubes.  And if it was a component blowing up then I guess it would no longer work.

The fuse was brand new, got them the other day.  Three things go into a power box (specially made for aquarium set ups)...heater, pump and lights....then from there into one plug and a 5 amp fuse.  No spearate power supplies as such but the lights will have a starter in there (flourescent).   I wondered about a power surge too...might have to put them on separate plugs as the power box will only allow 5 amps...they shouldn't be pulling that much though I think.

When I first turned the lights back on again after replacing the fuse there was a crackling noise, so I switched off checked it out, then put them back on again and they were okay.  I'm keeping the light/hood off the top of the aquarium for a day or so to truly dry out and take it from there.  If I don't get any joy from that then will look into getting it replaced.

[photostill]

Sure they can.

Just because they are new, doesn't put them out of reach of suspicion. You'll find more and more that there are lots of shoddy products out there as ever it is sought to reduce the cost of manufacturing while keeping the price the same to increase the profit. So you get lots of below par materials in items.

As was mentioned, if it's been on line for a while, then look for a real problem with the hardware. If it's new, try another maker.

Even being old doesn't really help you. You can have a draw that nearly blows the fuse but doesn't. That weakens the fuse element for the next time. It's when you start seeing them blow time after time you know that you should really be looking to address the source of the problem.

...and yes, fuses do at times make a noise when they blow.

[Art]

As do lamps or light bulbs when they blow! It's sort of akin to the tiny electric element inside suddenly at its last dying moment, goes super nova...on a minature scale! - Game over!

[Freddy]

Yes it was similar to a bulb blowing.  I used to live in a house where the bulbs blew a lot, old wiring maybe...one time I was at my PC typing and the bulb above me blew off it's attachment.  I ended up with just the warm glass part sitting in my lap 

But yes, I agree with you Pohotostill about shoddy workmanship.  Generally though this aquarium set up seems quite well made.  As for the electrics you never know how good the components are.  For PC power supplies and motherboards manufacturers often mention high quality capacitors and things like that, it's something that should be done on a broader scale IMHO.

Apparently here in the UK my statutory rights say it is up to the seller to make good for at least the first six months, so I should be able to get it replaced if needs be.

[photostill]

One of the odd things I've found to be an expectation. When the weather change comes from winter to spring and again from summer to fall, is when you will find the most problems with electronics, from light bulbs to components. That change over, changes the ambient temperature around electronics and anything that is weak, tends to fail within that time frame.