Thread: Fire risk
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Old 2nd Jan 2010, 9:19 pm   #30
Richard
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Garnant, near Ammanford, South Wales, UK.
Posts: 657
Default Re: Fire risk

Hi

I recently did a commercial kitchen refurbishment job for an insurance company after a fire, caused by a domestic fridge used to keep deserts.
Looking at the remains, the terminal block on the compressor caught fire, which set fire to the insulation above it, which in turn set fire to the plastic wall cladding behind the fridge, which then went through the ceiling/floor and the whole place needed gutting.

The TV remote is a scary one, they end up down the side of the sofa etc all the times.

On the point of fuses, when I did my PAT testing course we were taught that there are only 3 recognised fuse values; 13, 10 and 3 amp, because they are all identified by the colour of the fuse; brown, black, red.
Personally I use 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 13 selecting the lowest for the job.

The strangest thing I have seen catch fire was a small rechargeable torch which was in my tool bag and caught fire while it was in the boot of my car, I was driving and smelt the smoke, and found the cotton / canvas bag smoldering, next to my plastic spare tin of petrol .
The torch was totally melted, I assume the wiring shorted out and the nicads can provide a big short circuit current.

Richard
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