What voltage in Florda, USA ?

Another Palindrome masterpiece.

-- bud--

You'll find that different things are important to different people. Many people in Europe aren't so concerned with keeping the temperature at some fixed value all year round. Their concept of comfort may be quite different from yours.

Well, I put forward my theories for the higher death rate in the US. You have disagreed with my reasons which is fine, but you have also failed to come up with any reasons of your own. It really doesn't hang together too well if you keep saying this and that is safer in the US, yet fail to explain the higher death rate. It indicates you are missing something significant.

Much of what I've seen UL listed would not pass UK or EU regs. And the US would appear to have a completely different definition of double insulated (which strangely doesn't require two layers of insulation).

No one in UK (or anywhere in Europe AFAIK) has died from wirenuts as they were banned over 60 years ago. You can't generate enough pressure by twisting copper wires together to make gas-tight connections, so they're pretty much guaranteed to gradually increase in contact resistance over time, which is why they were banned. They were replaced with better quality connectors.

Look around at other countries. Better products have existed for over 60 years. But more significantly, you won't find as many flying cable connections in the first place. In the UK, you don't ever do this for bog standard wiring -- it only becomes necessary if you are doing something unusual.

It's very difficult to imagine what you're talking about here.

That's simply a custom -- there's no regulatory reason for them. You can fit ones without switches if you want to (although they are slightly harder to find because people would regard that as a "cheap" installation).

I don't think we've ever had pull chain lampholders. They sound like an accident waiting to happen.

Not for us. We solved it over 60 years ago.

I hope you're asking yourself this, rather than me.

Instant heating doesn't waste any, although the main reason is so they can run high (mains) pressure showers, and not have to dedicate space to a large water tank. Stored water showers are also common though, as are instant heated gas powered showers.

The cord fuse is to protect the appliance flex. Otherwise, the next up-stream protection would be a 32A breaker, and we don't want to make all appliances with cords thick enough to safely trip that. Having the fuse associated with the appliance also has a benefit that a faulty appliance only disconnects itself, and you know exactly which appliance is faulty without having to try them one at a time on a different circuit, exposing additional risk of re-engerising a faulty appliance in the process.

Well, that's just a silly comparison, but I'll play the game...

Well, the statistics would indicate you are significantly more likely to be killed by your electrics in the US than we are in the UK. :)

Although I spend much more time in the UK than the US, I've come across many more dead GFI's in the US than dead RCD's in the UK, so I'd go for #1 as more likely to save me. Having tripped a 30mA RCD with my hedgetrimmer which went through me to ground* I felt nothing at all.

BTW, a 30mA whole-house RCD doesn't conform to UK wiring regs (although it did ~25 years ago, and there are still some about).

• When your neighbour waves to you, don't wave back with a running hedgetrimmer in hand;-)

You are trying to make this too complicated. Americans are just more likely to take chances and do silly things. Bear in mind we pretty much invented X games, sky diving, kite surfing and George Patton. The mnotto here is "f*ck it, go for it"

Use a disconnected UPS.

Sorry about that. I do have a habit of going OT and wittering. And/or going off witter and tittering. You really should say, "enough", earlier..

No problem. Just plug it in to 230V. You'll get bigger sparks.

Not likely. They wouldn't allow smoke detectors in bedrooms to be on non-AFCI circuits. Apparently arcing at smoke detectors is a major cause of fire?

Interesting there is a non-AFCI option (assuming it wasn't removed at a later code making event). Central systems have batteries. A rationale included in requiring bedroom smoke detectors to be on AFCI circuits was that they had battery backup.

-- bud--

Wouldn't want to. I thought your post was really funny plus educational.

Who else starts gasoline engines with a model aircraft starter - a prime example of sloth-based engineering (IMHO a major engineering discipline).

The post was an example of why "you're to interesting to loose".

-- bud--

Oh sorry. I guess that I tend to be overly cautious in case the filling of the hot dog really does contain dog..

But not sloth.

I have this theory that lumberjacks are much, much smarter than fighter pilots. You see, both were all male preserves and really wanted it to stay that way. Only the pilots never thought of fitting their engines with this little cord with a T handle on that had to be pulled to start the engine.. Ever seen an electric start petrol chainsaw? I rest my case..

Incidently, the model aircraft starter will also start (small) outboards. Just steal the tyre from a kid's toy (he will learn from it and grow up wanting to be a lumberjack) and put it over the starter pinion. Then just push it against the side of the engine flywheel. Works a treat and no embarrassing trying to get back on board after the starter rope you were pulling with both hands - breaks. BTDTGT(wet)TS..

I used a dryer motor and spare fan belt on a mower that kept breaking the rope back in the '60s.

I had another that the magneto failed, so I put a four volt telco central office lead acid battery and ignition coil on, rather than spend money on a mower that the rusty deck was falling apart. I used the points to break the current in the primary I would charge the battery before mowing the grass, and it would run it down about half way. It was funny. people would tell me that it couldn't work, while standing next to the mower, with the engine running.

You know what they say about necessity and invention. ;-)