Home Page link

Electrical Short...

Home| Search | About
Login Password
Register Now! Lost Password?

Home Repair - - If it ain't broken, don't fix it. Otherwise look here. 

Page 2 of 5       < 1 2 3 > last >> Bookmark this page:  YahooMyWeb Yahoo!  Google Google  Windows Live Favorites Windows Live  del.icio.us del.icio.us  digg digg  Add to Netscape Netscape
Subject Author Date
Electrical Short... Kewless 05-07-2007
If you were  Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
Posted by Kewless on May 9, 2007, 9:14 am

On 7-May-2007, Tollerwrote:

> "Chris Friesen" wrote:
> > Kewless wrote:
> >
> >> Yesterday, just as I was leaving to go to a job, my SO called me
> >> back and asked if I knew anything about a strange odor coming
> >> from the back bedroom. The odor, as I soon found out, was smoke.
> >> Apparently,the surge-protector shorted against the wire shelving --
> >> and in doing so sparked off a small electrical fire!
> >
> > That has nothing whatsoever to do with your behaviour, and everything to
> > do with faulty gear.
>
> This is a joke of some sort. I don't get it, but it is too silly to be
> true.

Nope. It's true.

When I posted this I suspected that my experience was fairly uncommon. But
I had no idea that it was so bizarre as to defy belief. Perhaps, I should have
called
the National Enquirer instead?

Posted by on May 9, 2007, 6:58 am

> (In any case, whole-house
> surge protectors are much more effective than the power-bar type, as
> they are much closer to the primary electrical ground.)
>
> Chris

True, you are assured of electrical ground...but you will not protect
from induction on the same circuit (motor switching) as your
electronics.
Also, there is induction from wire to wire in the same run or conduit.

JM$.02


Posted by w_tom on May 7, 2007, 7:58 pm
> ...
> Awhile back, I bought one of those *trendy* steel-wire bookcases
> for my bedroom office. On one shelf, I set up my monitor so that I
> could use it from bed (bad back). While on the bottom shelf, I put
> the computer itself, along with the surge-protector...
>
> I felt reasonably assured that I had enough insulation -- as
> both computer and monitor have fairly *beefy* plastic bases. As
> it turns out though, I should have been a little more concerned!
>
> Yesterday, just as I was leaving to go to a job, my SO called me
> back and asked if I knew anything about a strange odor coming
> from the back bedroom. The odor, as I soon found out, was smoke.
> Apparently,the surge-protectorshorted against the wire shelving --
> and in doing so sparked off a small electrical fire!

You are not the only one who has experienced such problems with plug-
in protectors:
http://www.hanford.gov/rl/?page=556&parent=554
http://www.westwhitelandfire.com/Articles/Surge%20Protectors.pdf
http://www.ddxg.net/old/surge_protectors.htm
http://www.zerosurge.com/HTML/movs.html

Better is a simple $4 power strip with that all so important 15 amp
circuit breaker. Short would have only tripped the breaker - would
not contain internal components mislocated where fire is a threat;
such as in those above pictures.



Posted by Bud-- on May 8, 2007, 10:48 am
w_tom wrote:
>
>>...
>>Awhile back, I bought one of those *trendy* steel-wire bookcases
>>for my bedroom office. On one shelf, I set up my monitor so that I
>>could use it from bed (bad back). While on the bottom shelf, I put
>>the computer itself, along with the surge-protector...
>>
>>I felt reasonably assured that I had enough insulation -- as
>>both computer and monitor have fairly *beefy* plastic bases. As
>> it turns out though, I should have been a little more concerned!
>>
>>Yesterday, just as I was leaving to go to a job, my SO called me
>>back and asked if I knew anything about a strange odor coming
>>from the back bedroom. The odor, as I soon found out, was smoke.
>>Apparently,the surge-protectorshorted against the wire shelving --
>> and in doing so sparked off a small electrical fire!
>
>
> You are not the only one who has experienced such problems with plug-
> in protectors:
> http://www.hanford.gov/rl/?page=556&parent=554
> http://www.westwhitelandfire.com/Articles/Surge%20Protectors.pdf
> http://www.ddxg.net/old/surge_protectors.htm
> http://www.zerosurge.com/HTML/movs.html

For anyone with minimal reading skills the hanford link talks about
`some older model' power strips and specifically references the revised
UL standard, effective 1998, that requires a thermal disconnect as a fix
for overheating MOVs. Overheating was fixed in the US in 1998.

There is no indication in the original post what caused the problem.

--
bud--


Posted by Kewless on May 9, 2007, 9:31 am

On 8-May-2007, Budwrote:

> w_tom wrote:

> > You are not the only one who has experienced such problems with plug-
> > in protectors:
> > http://www.hanford.gov/rl/?page=556&parent=554
> > http://www.westwhitelandfire.com/Articles/Surge%20Protectors.pdf
> > http://www.ddxg.net/old/surge_protectors.htm
> > http://www.zerosurge.com/HTML/movs.html
>
> For anyone with minimal reading skills the hanford link talks about
> `some older model' power strips and specifically references the revised
> UL standard, effective 1998, that requires a thermal disconnect as a fix
> for overheating MOVs. Overheating was fixed in the US in 1998.

I have no idea how old this thing was or even where I got it. It could be that
it was pre' 98...


>
> There is no indication in the original post what caused the problem.

Page 2 of 5       < 1 2 3 > last >>
Similar ThreadsPosted
electrical short February 12, 2005, 6:57 pm
Electrical short May 20, 2006, 4:26 pm
Electrical short from water? September 9, 2006, 11:45 pm
Electrical Arc or Short When Testing December 23, 2006, 12:14 am
Question - electrical short February 12, 2007, 5:59 am
Tracing short in electrical circuit March 1, 2006, 10:42 pm
Electrical problem in garage, short circuit? August 14, 2006, 8:07 pm
I Have a Short Somewhere ? November 18, 2006, 11:59 am
Short dishwasher? April 8, 2006, 6:01 pm
Need help with short in circuit May 14, 2008, 10:58 am

Contact Us | Privacy Policy

XML SitemapXML Sitemap