Hook up Cables

  • Thread starter Deleted member 5816
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And........
....."Mr Pritchard Jones said there had been a smoke detector in the caravan, but no battery."
 
A good reminder to us all of the need to fully uncoil extension leads to prevent overheating, especially when using them near to their maximum current carrying capacity.

In the report, the coroner tries to comfort the family by saying that the men had been overcome by fumes (smoke inhalation) and would not have burned to death. This is the case in well over 90% of fire-related deaths, but however tragic it always is, the real tragedy is that most deaths like this could have been prevented by the use of a working smoke alarm.

I guess that most of you will click on the link, read the report and probably feel saddened by it. But just how many of you can honestly say when you last checked or replaced the battery in the smoke alarms that you have fitted (don't you?) in your motorhomes or houses?

Most casualties of fire related incidents thought, just like us, that fires only happen to other people, and it doesn't really matter if they delay replacing the battery, or testing their alarms for a while. They usually change their opinions after a fire!

Incidentally, at your request, UK Fire Brigades routinely carry out free home safety inspections and supply and fit, free of charge, smoke alarms (usually with a "hush button") and other safety devices in your home, or in the home of a friend or relative. Just visit or phone your local fire station to arrange an appointment.

Brigades will also offer free safety advice relating to motorhomes, campsites etc.

In the meantime, change your smoke alarm batteries at least once per year (unless yours has a sealed five or ten year battery) and test them weekly by pushing the test button.
 
scampa said:
just how many of you can honestly say when you last checked or replaced the battery in the smoke alarms that you have fitted (don't you?) in your motorhomes or houses?In the meantime, change your smoke alarm batteries at least once per year (unless yours has a sealed five or ten year battery) and test them weekly by pushing the test button.
Click to expand...

I agre with the importance of ensuring one has a smoke alarm (and carbon monoxide detector) in the home and the 'van.
Ours get tested every Sunday morning in the 'van, it's an indicator that the bacon is done!
Usually hear them going off all over a camp site, in caravans and motorhomes in the mornings....:p
 
Here's the paranio and scare mongering. Yes if you are using a 3kw fire, no if you are charging your mobile phone. It's all a matter of using common sense, a rare commodity these days.
 
Make a habit of uncoiling the cable completely every time no mater what you are using on the end of it and you will always be safe - you know it makes sense. :hammer::hammer::hammer:
 
shortcircuit said:
Here's the paranio and scare mongering. Yes if you are using a 3kw fire, no if you are charging your mobile phone. It's all a matter of using common sense, a rare commodity these days.
Click to expand...

(my bold)

Sorry, but I think "paranoia and scare mongering" is a bit unfair when my earlier comments related to the news story in the original post where two men died and a two-year old girl suffered serious burns. But if it takes scare-tactics to get more people to think about electrical safety and to fit and test smoke alarms to help prevent some needless deaths and injuries, then I can live with that.

Yes, the heat generated in a cable will depend on the appliance that it's feeding, but electricity is still a mystery to a lot of people these days, especially the non-practical or non-DIY types (who can still happily enjoy motorhomes and wildcamping etc). Not everyone would think of the fire-risk caused by using a coiled up extension lead to supply an item such as the 3kw fire, so the warning is worthwhile. Common-sense, rare commodity or not, isn't always a factor. Sometimes it's down to an innocent lack of knowledge or experience. (notice how subtly I ignored any implied dig? ;) )
 
Scampa if you read the report it has "thought to" "could have" but unfortunately not conclusive.

No doubt a coiled up extension supplying a high load current can be dangerious so its needs to be assessed and used with care
 
shortcircuit said:
Scampa if you read the report it has "thought to" "could have" but unfortunately not conclusive.

No doubt a coiled up extension supplying a high load current can be dangerious so its needs to be assessed and used with care
Click to expand...

Just how many electrical fires have you attended and how many damaged and welded together extensions cables have you seen then, small loads generates an intense fluctuating magnetic field like the primary coil of a transformer, but as there is no secondary coil to absorb the magnetism it is turned into heat to disperse it

Alf
 
Get a grip Alf. We are talking about domestic appliances here not high current industrial units powered continuously. Is my phone charger going to start a fire, I doubt it.
 
Hook up

what a horrible and very sad story .
but all too familiar , many years ago i lost my workshop at the bottom of the garden and all its contents including my prize motorcycle because of a coiled extension lead .
i had the heater running on a extension lead, on the previous night and had coiled it up when i left but forgot to unplug it .
the power for the workshop was via a extension lead plugged in the house which was turned off .
but later that day , whilst i was at work the wife switched the plug on and that was the end of my workshop:mad1:
 
darrenxjr said:
whilst i was at work the wife switched the plug on and that was the end of my workshop:mad1:
Click to expand...

That's why the extension MUST always be uncoiled fully - you just don't know what load might get plugged in ...
 
The amount of heat generated in a coiled lead is purely to do with the current.
No load no heat.
 
Another forum running the same topic and find the following very interesting

"The risk is proportional to the cable load, and its cross section. A lot of so called hook-up cables are of only 1.5mm section. These can carry up to 15A, but must be fully unwound to do so. Others are of 2.5mm section and, being less prone to heating, can be used at about 75% full load while coiled. (Don't take my word for it, a number of extension reels have instructions for the load that can be applied when coiled.)

The obvious advice is, if you don't understand the risk, fully unwind the cable. However, using a coiled cable will not cause overheating if cable section, and load, are appropriate."

A lot of common sense.
 
You can leave a live cable not plugged into your van on wet grass, you don't have to have a Smoke detector or a Gas Alarm, you don't have to uncoil your Hook up Cable if you don't wan't to when in use, you don't have to have a bucket of water or a Fire Extinguisher close to your van when parked up, you don't have to stand gas bottles upright when in use and you don't need to worry about crossed polarity when using a Hook Up. It's your choice and your life at risk, I just hope you are at least 10 miles away from my van when you ignore all these common sense safety issues.
 
Gosh, I am glad I am not on what you are on! Its certainly not common sense that scarce commodity!
 
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hi malc. you forgot to add the danger of the uncoiled ehu lead in the trip sense . you could fall over them and break your arms. i think we should ban ehu. unless there are big warning notices saying ehu leads trailing across the ground. hee hee .bit like tent guide ropes on ridge tents . storm lashing should be compulsory.
we could do lashings for the offenders .
 
Nothing better than a fire bucket on an electrical fire to keep the gene pool deep.
 
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