Vintage electric blanket!

[Colourstar]

With those chilly nights upon us, how about some vintage bed-warming?

I salvaged this electric blanket when my late grandmother's house was cleared some time ago. It's unusual to find one of these still with it's box and all the paperwork, including a repair ticket for a replacement switch in 1968! The blanket itself appears to date from the early 60s. It still works and although I'm all for using vintage domestic appliances, I think it's safer to keep this just for show.

Note that the box states that it's guaranteed for 3 years!

Over the years there have been lots of devices for defrosting the bed, so has anyone got anything interesting they would like to share?

Incidentally, my grandmother also had one of the first 'overnight' electric blankets in the late 70s, which I remember had a large and heavy white cube-shaped plastic control box (presumably containing a hefty transformer). This sat on the floor and had a temperature control knob on the top which when advanced caused a lamp under the knob to illuminate with increasing intensity as the knob was advanced, which I found rather fascinating as a youngster.

Steve J

[JoshWard]

Well it's got 'Safety Seal' construction so it must be alright

I see that it MUST be kept quite flat in use, not completely flat, just quite flat

[Denis G4DWC]

In the mid 50s I remember my parents had a green cylindrical metal contraption that had a lamp inside. Probably 100W I would think. This was put in the bed some time before hitting the sack.

Denis

[bobsterkent]

In the mid 50s I remember my parents had a green cylindrical metal contraption that had a lamp inside. Probably 100W I would think. This was put in the bed some time before hitting the sack.

Would that be the Belling Bedwarmer? I was given one (in faded pink) which looked like 2 woks screwed and a little red peep hole to see if the 100W bulb was lit. never used it and after 10 years i dumped it....

[Welsh Anorak]

Steve
The odd cube controller was made by firm called Windak, though I have seen them under another name - something like DeeGee? Prior to the cream one you mntion they made a metal box which was slightly more oblong, gold finish with a three-position rotary switch on the top to select temperature. The later one was very much like a variac.

They were very expensive, but were the only kind my late father would allow in the house - as an electrician he was very unhappy about having mains voltage so close to you. They were (I think) 24volt and of course the box contained a transformer, and were correspondingly heavy. You could choose to leave them on all night safely as they had thermostatic control, though you might end up rather well done the next morning!
Maybe I've inherited my father's mistrust of mains blankets, but I do think they are hazardous - does anyone else agree?
Glyn

[Dave Moll]

Originally Posted by bobsterkent

Would that be the Belling Bedwarmer? I was given one (in faded pink) which looked like 2 woks screwed and a little red peep hole to see if the 100W bulb was lit.

Mine, which I use regularly (having replaced the original 2-core cable with 3-core and earthing the metal case!) rather than a hot-water-bottle, and which is also pink, gives 40W as the maximum rating for the bulb - which gets it quite hot enough.

[newlite4]

I used one of these Belling bedwarmers a few years ago. I would leave it on in the bed all night. One morning I woke up with a scorch mark all down my right leg where I had slept and come into contact with it .
Neil

[ScopeMonkey]

Originally Posted by JoshWard

I see that it MUST be kept quite flat in use, not completely flat, just quite flat

This being a vintage appliance, they're using vintage English in the manual!

Using "quite" like that (meaning "entirely") comes across as very old-fashioned today, but that's what they mean...

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/quite

[Colourstar]

Originally Posted by Welsh Anorak

Steve
The odd cube controller was made by firm called Windak, though I have seen them under another name - something like DeeGee? Prior to the cream one you mntion they made a metal box which was slightly more oblong, gold finish with a three-position rotary switch on the top to select temperature. The later one was very much like a variac.
Glyn

That's exactly it Glyn. It was very much like a variac. I certainly recall it being a heavy lump! My modern blanket has an overnight function, but you do end up being slightly barbecued.

I think these days you are encouraged to throw away an electric blanket after only a couple of years. They do seem unique in retaining an aura of danger that most modern domestic gear has long since shaken off.

Steve

[ppppenguin]

Originally Posted by Colourstar

I think these days you are encouraged to throw away an electric blanket after only a couple of years.

My new Dreamland underblanket has a suggested life of 10 years. Not too bad for a £60 (kingsize bed) product. It works very well indeed, making the bed nice and cosy in under 5 minutes on its maximum setting. It can be left on overnight on its lower settings though I have never needed to try. It claims some pretty comprehensive overheat protection which I believe is continuous along the whole length of the element. It's even washable!

Assuming you use it for 150 nights per year over 10 years that works out at 4p per use. The electricity I use at 150W for 10 minutes is a fraction of a penny. Even overnight on a low setting it would only use 1p or 2p's worth of leccy per night. Even fully fledged members of the Tel Aviv Highlanders would be hard pressed to quail at the expense.

I worry slightly about the capacitative "leakage" current which gives a noticeable tingle when I touch my earthed bedside light. I must try an AC milliameter to see how much current is actually involved. Probably less than 1mA.

A historic blanket may be a nice curiosity but I don't think I'd try to use it. Older electric bedwarmers where you can see and test everything are another matter. Though Neil demonstrates the genuine hazards.

[dave walsh]

Yes I binned a blanket of that vintage a few months ago. There are limits and safety considerations [and I don't even fancy a modern one]. My bedwarmer in Rammy is a stone jug from the turn of the century which would have originally contained Beer or maybe Sassparilla. The address on it is from a shop a few hundred yards away. One of those plastic stoppers for wine bottles replaces the original cork and once filled with boiling water it's a cracking little storage heater [no cracks really of course]. I hadn't thought of converting it to an electrical source but it would have to be run on empty I think ie not a tropical fish tank element type solution .
Dave W

[matthewhouse]

I think I still have a couple of old DeeGee electric blanket controllers, they are 25V variable isolation transformers, one is in good shape, the other has melted a bit where the carbon brush is in poor condition.

[sentinel040]

Originally Posted by dave walsh

Yes I binned a blanket of that vintage a few months ago. There are limits and safety considerations [and I don't even fancy a modern one]. My bedwarmer in Rammy is a stone jug from the turn of the century which would have originally contained Beer or maybe Sassparilla. The address on it is from a shop a few hundred yards away. One of those plastic stoppers for wine bottles replaces the original cork and once filled with boiling water it's a cracking little storage heater [no cracks really of course]. I hadn't thought of converting it to an electrical source but it would have to be run on empty I think ie not a tropical fish tank element type solution .
Dave W

I remember as a child stubbing my toes on heavy purpose made "stone" (earthenware) hot water bottles....
Ian

[McMurdo]

I worry slightly about the capacitative "leakage" current which gives a noticeable tingle

I think I'd be worried too, is it a low voltage carbon fibre blanket with switchmode supply, or a mains one?

[ppppenguin]

Originally Posted by McMurdo

.... is it a low voltage carbon fibre blanket with switchmode supply, or a mains one?

Probably mains but difficult to tell. The controllers seem to work on a fairly slow on/off cycle so almost certainly not switchmode.

The tingles are a bit offputting but there's ample insulation between me and the element so it must be capacitance.

[ppppenguin]

Just measured the "leakage" current. About 20uA, using my Fluke 87 DMM. I'm surprised I can even feel this, I thought that about 50uA was the threshold of sensation. It is a VERY slight tingle.

[mickash]

I wouldn't use an electric blanket, mains or low voltage.
When I was about 4 or 5 one nearly saw me off.

I was staying at my grandparents and they had tucked me into bed with the electric blanket switched on.

I can vaguely remember seeing my Grandad at the bedroom door through a haze of smoke. The blanket had caught fire and luckily Grandad had not yet gone to bed and smelled the smoke.

My teddy got burnt which shows how close the flames got to me.
I suppose most of the fibres in those days were natural so there was less chance of toxic fumes being involved.

Anyway, your bed might be cold when you first get in but it will warm up in a few minutes from your own body heat

Michael.

[McMurdo]

A couple of pics from my 1937 trade catalogue.

[trickie_dickie]

Originally Posted by JoshWard

The one thing to look forwards to about growing older: Line whistle won't hurt as much

Until its replaced with tinnitus.

[richrussell]

Our modern Dreamland underblanket appears to be low voltage over carbon fibre wires, and seems to have a thermostatic function. There's a small plastic knobbly bit about knee level, which I suspect contains something like a Dallas 1-wire temperature sensor. It's noticeable that it appears to produce very little if any heat once the bed (and occupants) are hotter than the level you set the blanket at. I'm tempted to have a probe around with my scope to see if there's anything that looks like 1-wire data superimposed on the supply.

It's the 150W per side twin control 'ready for bed' one, so on full power it only takes about 10 minutes to bring a mattress and duvet up to a toasty warm temperature from around 10°C. Once you're in you set it to somewhere around '3' on the dial, which is plenty for an hour or so.