why my tank water has a burnt smell to it?!?!?

[Kiko]

so the water in my tank smell like burnt plastic/ electric smell...
things ive checked and cleaned:
mag5 pump (cleaned)
powerhead (cleaned 2x in one day)
heater (checked)
air pump (checked and doesnt smell burnt)
after all this i did a 60-70% water change yesterday
today i woke up and the smell is still there... =/
any suggestions?

[BeefyG]

Did you check your power strip?

[eklikewhoa]

More water changes.

For those wondering the water itself smell, as if something set fire underwater and is carrying through

[Complexity]

I'd suspect the heater first, but it could be just about anything. I guess the only way to figure it out is through a process of trial and error.

Caution: If you have an electrical short that's in the water, this could be dangerous. I would only put my hands in the water when everything is unplugged!

To figure out what's causing the smell, first do a large enough water change to get rid of the smell. Then time how long it takes for the smell to return.

Then remove one item and do another water change of the same size as before. Wait the same length of time to see if the smell returns. If it does, then I would conclude that the item removed was not the source.

Continue doing this with each item until the smell does not return. The item you removed when the smell did not return is the source of the smell.

Meanwhile, I'd check to be sure that system is on a GFCI circuit and make sure all the cords have proper drip loops.

[eklikewhoa]

Its not something shorted cause we did the grounded/hand in water test and no shocking. LoL.

I agree though, more and more water changes!

[Complexity]

It doesn't have to be something shorted. The process of trial and error should identify whatever it is no matter what the cause. He can even do it with his decor, such as rocks, if needed.

I only added the electrical caution info to cover my own ***.

[eklikewhoa]

Put one of the toliet bowl cakes in the sump. Make it smell like mountain springs

[Complexity]

That just might fix a whole lot of the problems he's had with that tank!

[eklikewhoa]

Well most all of the equipment is new and the smell is almost like an impeller with sand in it or something of the like being overworked.

The only thing new he put in was the new pvc overflow but hand tools were used for cutting. The paint used was krylon fushion and doesn't smell like any paint I've used before(wow that one can be read really wrong).

[Complexity]

How long did he let the pvc glue and paint cure before putting it in the tank?

[barrettsline]

Check your ballast for your light. Just cleaning pumps may not tell that there going bad. Electrical insulation can begin to degrade dependent on use, age, defects. Even if the equipment is new it can still have been damaged during assembly. Check you voltage and current draw on each of the components. Make sure that your voltage levels are where they should be. Find out how much current your equipment can handle and check to make sure it's not drawing more than its capable of. Just because you've stuck your hand in the tank now and there was no notice of electrical shock doesn't mean that the heaters not breaking down. No everybody will feel electrical shock the same. Some people are more susceptible to lower voltages than others. This can be between 15-35 volts. 9 out of 10 times if you smell something that smells like electrical components burning, it is electrical components burning. I have had this issue a while back, water smelled burnt and did the same water test with my hand nothing. Two days later I finally felt it through a cut on my hand. Sure enough the heater had gone bad.

Good luck. Hope you get it figured out.

[Complexity]

Found more info on his other thread.

It appears he did not wait any time for the paint to cure. Not sure on the glue. Also, he has a noisy pump in which the impeller is questioned.

http://www.houstonfishbox.com/vforums/showthread.php?45308-mag5-pump-noise

This extra information would have been helpful to know. It's very hard to help when given only partial information. :aua:

To be honest, I don't know why the water is smelling. Maybe it's a sign.

[Kiko]

24hrs... lol... i think thats the problem... the paint combined with the pvc glue is prolly causing that smell... prolly after 2 weeks of water changes it'll go away... lol ive cleaned everything... on possibility is the air pump (im leaving it off for the day) and the paint and glue of the pvc overflow...

[eklikewhoa]

Found more info on his other thread.

It appears he did not wait any time for the paint to cure. Not sure on the glue. Also, he has a noisy pump in which the impeller is questioned.

http://www.houstonfishbox.com/vforums/showthread.php?45308-mag5-pump-noise

This extra information would have been helpful to know. It's very hard to help when given only partial information. :aua:

To be honest, I don't know why the water is smelling. Maybe it's a sign.

Yes, keeping all questions limited to a single thread would help greatly with all the problems Kiko encounters. LoL!

[eklikewhoa]

I think some febreeze would solve all problems.