OT - Outlet Strips

[Kevin Luxford]

Hi guys,

I think one needs to be careful about using el cheapo outlet strips.  I
know conditions down here are different from the U.S., but our fire
chief has warned of fires cause by these items.

Undersized wiring in some is a concern and more importantly the ingress
of dust through the outlet sockets builds up and may start conducting
and raising the temperature until a fire starts.  Our better units have
shutters which automatically close over when a plug is not inserted into
a socket.

  Dust is a problem particularly where the ugly things are installed out
of sight behind furniture.

Regardless of what type is used, the fire chief recommends that they
never be installed on the floor with the outlets facing upwards.

73
Kevin
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[Byron N6NUL]

On Dec 8, 2009, at 4:30 PM, elelist984 wrote:

> I think one needs to be careful about using el cheapo outlet strips.  I
> know conditions down here are different from the U.S., but our fire
> chief has warned of fires cause by these items.

My older brother, a Captain in the USN, recently returned from Iraq where he was one of the most recent officers in charge of dealing with the shoddy wiring and electrical-related fires our troops have been experiencing. When the team began fixing the problem (before my brother arrived), they were having 4-5 electrical fires a day theatre wide.

I am told analysis showed they were being mostly caused by the cheap power strips from the bazaar and shoddy ballast installation.  The ballasts were re-installed, and the soldiers issued US-standard power strips with extra long cords (like they apparently do in the Navy already).  It seems far too small a gauge wire was being used in the strips and often had empty insulation where the ground wire was supposed to be.

All of this is a long winded way of saying I, too, would caution against cheap power strips of uncertain provenance.

Byron KI6NUL
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