...bites the dust. As previously typed a while ago, the washing machine died and I thought, Oh ho. All appliances purchased at the same time so more deaths to be expected. Sure enough, the tumble dryer died a few days ago.
Stripped him down and, for sure, the heating elephants and the thermo-thingy be dead. As previously, fix it at a cost? Given the many years he’s been hammering away he sure don’t owe us nothing so it’s time for a new one.
New will be delivered Thursday. The choice was my little nest of vipers; nothing too technical, just the look of him and how easy it was to open and close the door.
Back home and thought I to myself, ‘Damn! Forgot to ask how long the mains cable is.’ Appliances used to have between one and a half to two metre cables but I do believe one metre is now the standard and this is down to the manufactures stating that this length is the optimal safe length. For that you can figure the monetary savings per year on cable and decide if it’s safety or savings.
Giving that no never mind, I did one of they Google thingies to confirm cable length with no joy until I ran into a manufactures site offering instant help via a text chat line. This site assured me there were currently twenty technicians online waiting to answer questions and offer help.
It didn’t ask for any form of sign-in, didn’t want contact details or any other information so I typed in the model and asked the wot the mains cable length was.
The text response was impressively swift and went something like this, ‘Is this a new problem or has it been happening for a while now?’
How cool is that then? Bu-by.
Anyhoo, best to cover my ass so a mains socket located in a cupboard base unit will be re-positioned to be ready to facilitate one metre of cable leading from the upper right rear corner.
Oh, and be afraid, be very afraid. Code Red! We’re all going to die from weather now. Not sure which though. Heat? Cold? Drowning?
Beware! Incoming imminent; there’s a vaccine almost ready that’ll save us all...
Quote; ??
“My friend told me how electricity is measured and I was like, Watt?”
10 comments:
Mac,
I think I can explain the cable length. As you say it used to be around 1.5-2m but then along come the under-counter mains sockets. These are single 13A sockets mounted under the worktop, with an isolator above the work surface, like a cooker point. This led to a safety issue where the cable was too long and got pinched under the machine.
Its the same with fridge freezers, mine has less than a metre of cable which comes from the top and hangs down the back to the floor, pinned halfway. For this I have a special socket just above floor level, behind the freezer, with an isolator at the same level as all the kitchen sockets. I'm unsure but think that in a kitchen, the regulations state that any sockets fitted below worktop level have to have an isolator.
Be very careful when choosing a new tumble dryer as some brands like zanussi and hotpoint have poor fluff filtering which can lead to fire. There's a list of recalled brands/models on the net if you care to search for it.
Ripper,
Colour me unsurprised that you pop-in to offer advice my friend. Thank you.
I'm guessing you'll be unsurprised to learn I've got all your points covered.
After living for 15 years in a country where electricity is almost considered as some sort of magic and it wasn't a rare occurrence to step onto the apartment balcony and see smoke billowing from apartments around the city, I have the greatest respect of electricity.
To this day, everything is OFF before we leave the house or turn-in. Old habits...
I see extension leads for washers etc. are also a no-no these days.
And always have plugs in every socket.
This stops the electricity leaking out of the open holes.
I knew somebody who believed that.
Doonhamer,
I mentioned this to my little nest of vipers. She's considering it...
I must admit to using socket guards on any tucked away double outlets that only use one just to prevent bugs and dust 'leaking' in. Just old habits again.
Mac,
I thought extension leads on washers had always been a no no, considering that the first thing that comes on in a washing machine is the heater. If that's rated say, at 2000 watts, it draws almost 8.5 amps. I've never seen an extension cable rated at more than around 6 amps fully unwound, often less. Obviously the flex is going to burn.
Those 4 and 6 way are the worst, there are even 10 way. Fine for computer equipment but you can bet your next weeks pension that some fool somewhere will try one of those in the kitchen with the washing machine, a kettle and a toaster, and perhaps the microwave as well.
Useful tip that you may or may not already know, when working out electrical loads, first find out the power consumption of the appliance in watts. This is always on a sticker on the appliance, on a washer or drier the sticker is inside the door opening. Then divide by the mains voltage and you get the current draw in amps. This works all three ways - if you know any two values you can get the third.
To find voltage, its wattage divided by current.
To find current, its wattage divided by voltage.
To find wattage, its current multiplied by voltage.
Never load a double socket with more than 13 amps (3120 watts). The two sockets could handle a total of 26 amps but the cable in your wall may not be able to do so.
Regarding the socket guards, all 13A domestic sockets have an anti-tamper plate which the pins of the plug push aside when anything is plugged in. You don't need the socket guards any more but there's certainly no harm in sticking to old habits like that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBtV3oHpfDE
Ripper,
Many thanks for that. A useful tip indeed, yup, you beat me. I didn't know this. Probably because it involves maths, a subject I love...
Yup, internal guards but, as you say, old habits and a feeling of I've done all I can.
Up front tonight to help any out there considering some electrical DIY. As with the jab, if it saves one life...
Mac,
I'm the same with maths, possibly due to the amount of staring out the window in boredom at school. Nowadays, if I'm dealing with numbers greater than the amount of fingers in my possession I find myself using this weird object called a calculator. As a youngster, in the 70s however, I did develop a passion - well, obsession really, with electronics. The starting point of which came at the age of 10, when we moved out of my grandmother's house into a council house which had electricity. I found a great urge to discover all I could about this new phenomenon. Started off playing with batteries and bulbs then progressed to fixing things for friends and family, along the way highlighting to them what a rip off the repair business was. At about 15 years old I had built my own stereo, having no money to buy one. Those who knew me would bring old electrical equipment to me rather than throw it away, I used to strip it all down and use the parts for repairs and building stuff. My mother's words still ring in my ears - "Get out, and take your tool box with you". Learned most from two publications, Everyday Electronics and Practical Electronics, and much head scratching.
Ripper,
Great read and thanks for sharing.
Oh boy, how well I remember my first calculator. Utter magic.
Prior to that, I worked for a while in a timber yard. Timber by the foot?
Easy. But I dreaded the customer who wanted this feet by that feet of, say, plywood and having to calculate the price from X per square foot. Horror.
Remember when no new electrical kit came with a plug fitted? Never throw anything away before cutting off the plug. Putting a plug on new kit is what's missing from early learning these days resulting in many of the young not even having any idea how to change a lightbulb.
Aye, and always take fuse out of any plug, moulded on or otherwise.
Mony a mickle maks a muckle, ye ken.
Yes I am Scottish. How did you guess?
Doonhamer,
"Mony a mickle maks a muckle, ye ken."
This I fully understand but what are these fuses of which you speak...
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