Turning off v Plugging out

keith16

Does anyone turn off the telly when there is lightning nearby?

I do. I also spray the house with holy water. And then cower under the kitchen table.

Sir Arthur Daley

keith16 wrote: »

Does anyone turn off the telly when there is lightning nearby?

I do.

What you should really do is disconnect whatever satellite/terrestrial feeds you have going to your tv or other equipment that your tv works off.

ScumLord

turnikett1 wrote: »

Always unplug, always. It takes 2 seconds to plug something in and out,

does it hell, my PC requires 7 plugs and is on a UPS, the power button on the UPS is broken so if there's a power cut in my house I just have to leave until it comes back on.

The only home appliance that went on fire on me was the electric shower, I couldn't have plugged that out.

keith16

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

What you should really do is disconnect whatever satellite/terrestrial feeds you have going to your tv or other equipment that your tv works off.

That makes so much sense.

I heard that you shouldn't take a piss during a thunderstorm cos the lightning can climb into the water and kill you stone dead.

Is that true?

danniemcq

ScumLord wrote: »

does it hell, my PC requires 7 plugs and is on a UPS, the power button on the UPS is broken so if there's a power cut in my house I just have to leave until it comes back on.

The only home appliance that went on fire on me was the electric shower, I couldn't have plugged that out.

Thats damn funny. I just picture Homer making cereal for mr burns and it catching fire

Renegade Mechanic

I dont usually leave stuff on standby myself, Ill push the button on that telly/appliance or switch off the socket if there isnt one. If you have a house full of sh*te, it really does make a difference.

Akrasia

TiltedBrain wrote: »

Just turn the power off going to your house from the fuse box.

I prefer to nuke the house from orbit. It's the only way to be sure

Akrasia

keith16 wrote: »

That makes so much sense.

I heard that you shouldn't take a piss during a thunderstorm cos the lightning can climb into the water and kill you stone dead.

Is that true?

Yes

danniemcq

keith16 wrote: »

That makes so much sense.

I heard that you shouldn't take a piss during a thunderstorm cos the lightning can climb into the water and kill you stone dead.

Is that true?

no lie someone told me recently not to have a dog near me if there is thunder and lightening as the lightening is attracted to their eyes and can travel down the chimney and fry the dog and you if you are nearby.

Turtyturd

keith16 wrote: »

That makes so much sense.

I heard that you shouldn't take a piss during a thunderstorm cos the lightning can climb into the water and kill you stone dead.

Is that true?

If you p*ss on an electric fence you become immune though.

B.A._Baracus

I know it's a inconvenience taking plugs out and all, but apart from house fires if you leave something plugged in you reduce the life of the product.

As another user said, just get a 6 plug adapator so you only have to take out the one plug.

kneemos

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

I know it's a inconvenience taking plugs out and all, but apart from house fires if you leave something plugged in you reduce the life of the product.

As another user said, just get a 6 plug adapator so you only have to take out the one plug.

And overload the socket.

Ruu

We run the gas off the electricity and the electricity off the gas..

kneemos

Sir Arthur Daley wrote: »

What you should really do is disconnect whatever satellite/terrestrial feeds you have going to your tv or other equipment that your tv works off.

Ariels act as lightning rods afaik.Doubt dishes attract much lightning anymore than other parts of the house.

Had a DVD player die on me once during a storm,everything else was fine.

ScumLord

kneemos wrote: »

Ariels act as lightning rods afaik.Doubt dishes attract much lightning anymore than other parts of the house.

Had a DVD player die on me once during a storm,everything else was fine.

Our sky box was blown by a thunderstorm years and years ago, never replaced it.

If you want to protect your electronic equipment from power spikes get an Universal Power Supply. It has a surge protector and battery backup. A lot of modern electronics are like mini PCs these days so it's best to let them shut down rather than just lose power.

miggins

My missus calls it a safety walk before bed all switches off but no plugs unplugged, if she thinks shes missed one she'll get up again to check and again and again and again. It drives me nuts at times

branners69

kneemos wrote: »

And overload the socket.

In our front room there are two wall sockets which power 15 different devices, not all the devices would be on at the same time. One wall socket has two 4 gang extension leads and the other has three.

Is that considered an overload?

ScumLord

branners69 wrote: »

In our front room there are two wall sockets which power 15 different devices, not all the devices would be on at the same time. One wall socket has two 4 gang extension leads and the other has three.

Is that considered an overload?

Probably a bit too much power to be going through two sockets. It shouldn't be as much of a problem these days (depending on how old the house is) the multiple socket extension cords should have failsafes built in to stop overload, you can look out for the kitemark which should be on all electrical plugs in Ireland, it's a safety standard mark.

You should probably look into the extension cords, goods ones should be able to isolate problems.

SpaceTime

keith16 wrote: »

Does anyone turn off the telly when there is lightning nearby?

I do. I also spray the house with holy water. And then cower under the kitchen table.

Definitely worth doing, just not if the lightening is directly overhead and you have an TV aerial or high mounted satellite dish as you're a bit too late then

Our garden was struck by lightening about 5+ years ago and it didn't hit the phone line, but it induced a huge current on it. The result was it fried the DSL modem, the alarm panel, some of the phone sockets actually blew off the wall as the Telecom ones contain a capacitor!

The phones themselves were wrecked too. Luckily nothing was connected by ethernet directly to the modem.

SpaceTime

ScumLord wrote: »

Probably a bit too much power to be going through two sockets. It shouldn't be as much of a problem these days (depending on how old the house is) the multiple socket extension cords should have failsafes built in to stop overload, you can look out for the kitemark which should be on all electrical plugs in Ireland, it's a safety standard mark.

You should probably look into the extension cords, goods ones should be able to isolate problems.

Actually, you should be OK as provided you're using normal Irish / British plugs i.e. the ones with the rectangular pins that stab you in the foot if you stand on them, you shouldn't have a major issue.

Our plugs are fused, so the maximum you can draw on one plug is 13amps and after that the fuse will blow for safety reasons.

The only big risk is where you're using those old double-adaptors. These aren't fused and will allow you to connect too much to one socket.

That's made even worse if you're connected to a ring circuit that could allow >32amps to flow before it will trip out and that's way more than a socket could handle without getting very hot.

Those trailing power-strip multi socket extension leads are probably safer for that reason as you're definitely not going to overload the socket outlet as long as the 13amp fuse is in the circuit.

If you're using multi-plug power strips in the United States or Continental Europe (or basically anywhere that doesn't use our sockets) you need to be a little more careful. In general though you'll find that the actual socket circuits are usually fused at 15A (US) or 16A (continental Europe), but it's still not advisable to totally rely on fuses.

The load on an Irish socket shouldn't really exceed 2860W (13amps by 220V)

Amps * volts will give you the maximum wattage allowed. You can assume Irish supplies are 220-230V not 240-250V (as the old UK spec was).

On the continent the sockets are 16amp, so usually it's 3520W as a general absolute maximum per socket.

In general, allow a bit of a margin for error.

Just add up the maximum wattage of each appliance and keep it below about 2800W.

pickarooney

eamonnq wrote: »

'Plug out' ? The one phrase that I really can't stand!! Unplug, Unplug, Unplug!!

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plug_out

Is it an Irish thing ?

Unplug is silly; it has no preposition. One does not simply 'plug' a television, one plugs it in. Ergo, one plugs it out.

You can plug a hole and likewise unplug it. To unplug a toaster implies removing an obstruction from within it.

I don't care how other cultures use or misuse the verb but it's lunacy to decry the more sensible, logical use.

SpaceTime

eamonnq wrote: »

'Plug out' ? The one phrase that I really can't stand!! Unplug, Unplug, Unplug!!

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/plug_out

Is it an Irish thing ?

Nope, it's called a phrasal verb and is one of the characteristic features of the English language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrasal_verb

E.g. stand up, stand down, stand aside, stand over.

They confuse the hell out of language learners!

To make matters even more complicated, the two parts can be split (as they can in German too) So, plug out gets used like "Plug the fridge out".

English isn't latin based, so we've some very different verb forms. Unplug is more like how you'd do things in a latin-based language that didn't have phrasal verbs.

topper75

Excellent post - but you messed up in the end with the claim that English isn't Latin based. It is a bastard child of Latin (Norman French) and Germanic languages.

Double-edged sword - because it makes it partially accessible for most of England's euroneighbours and their colonies, but simultaeously a pure bitch to learn for non-native speakers.

Oh and - I leave them all plugged in. If it was good for the last few decades, it'll be good for a few decades more, please God.

SpaceTime

topper75 wrote: »

Excellent post - but you messed up in the end with the claim that English isn't Latin based. It is a bastard child of Latin (Norman French) and Germanic languages.

Double-edged sword - because it makes it partially accessible for most of England's euroneighbours and their colonies, but simultaeously a pure bitch to learn for non-native speakers.

Oh and - I leave them all plugged in. If it was good for the last few decades, it'll be good for a few decades more, please God.

Actually, I didn't mess up. English isn't 'Latin based'. It's just Latin flavoured. It's very much a West Germanic Language in terms of syntax, structure and grammar and it's very close to Dutch and Modern German. You just have a huge smattering of Norman French thrown in (mostly as vocabulary rather than grammar) and some radical alterations to the spelling system to confuse people.

One little known fact is that modern English also preserves some of the syntax and grammar from Brythonic/Welsh and possibly Irish/Scots too - particularly in the use of some of the continuous forms/tenses too.

Apparently Victorian linguists didn't like that and preferred to pretend that English was highly academic and thus Latin-influenced far more than it actually was and would have gone out of their way to sweep any links to Gaelic under the carpet as it didn't suit the politics of the time.

Modern French also has a bit of that. The whole spelling system is screwed up and overcomplicated because snobby academics wanted to pretend it was latin, so introduced a whole load of grammar that spoken French doesn't actually have - hence some of the weird silent endings.

ScumLord

SpaceTime wrote: »

Actually, you should be OK as provided you're using normal Irish / British plugs i.e. the ones with the rectangular pins that stab you in the foot if you stand on them, you shouldn't have a major issue.

In the UK I'd say you could pick up any plug with confidence, they have safety standards that have to be implemented, so you can't sell a plug in the uk unless it has the kitemark. In Ireland I don't think we have that requirement although I've never seen a plug sold here that didn't have the kitemark.

topper75 wrote: »

Excellent post - but you messed up in the end with the claim that English isn't Latin based. It is a bastard child of Latin (Norman French) and Germanic languages.

It's a bigger bastard than that I think. It's been influenced by Norse and Irish too. Many town names are holding over from the vikings.

SpaceTime

ScumLord wrote: »

In the UK I'd say you could pick up any plug with confidence, they have safety standards that have to be implemented, so you can't sell a plug in the uk unless it has the kitemark. In Ireland I don't think we have that requirement although I've never seen a plug sold here that didn't have the kitemark.

It's a bigger bastard than that I think. It's been influenced by Norse and Irish too. Many town names are holding over from the vikings.

Same standards apply exactly and are specified in primary legislation i.e. actual laws.

British plugs don't actually have to carry the kite mark anymore either. BSI is one of several recognised approvals agencies.

All they have to be is fully complaint with BS1363 which is the standard that covers them. In Ireland that's transposed as IS401 and IS411.

You'll also find they're all CE marked now too as Irish/British connectors are fully compliant with European Low Voltage directives and all that stuff.

That's what would have introduced the little plastic sections on the pins and all of that as EU law doesn't allow you to have exposed terminals. Other EU countries resolved that by having recessed sockets so you can't touch the pins at all when putting a plug in.

It's actually illegal to stock, sell, supply or store anything that doesn't comply with those.

There's further legislation that covers 'legacy' and 'special purpose' plugs / sockets and connectors. That would basically just reference the latest version of BS546 (the old British round pin stuff used for lamps, and stage lighting etc), CEE 7 (modern continental system of plugs/sockets) and also the european and international IEC regulations that cover all of the industrial connectors (the big blue/yellow ones) and all of the stuff like kettle leads, computer power cables etc etc that comes in under the IEC standards.

So it's pretty comprehensive and you're very unlikely to find a dangerous one on sale here and it is actually illegal to stock, supply, sell, store etc them. So it's pretty well covered off in law.

Be careful ordering online though as there are a few suppliers selling stuff with non-fused versions of our plugs that have narrower pins yet fit the sockets. Potentially hazardous.

keith16

danniemcq wrote: »

no lie someone told me recently not to have a dog near me if there is thunder and lightening as the lightening is attracted to their eyes and can travel down the chimney and fry the dog and you if you are nearby.

lyk if you cried every time x

topper75

SpaceTime wrote: »

Actually, I didn't mess up. English isn't 'Latin based'. It's just Latin flavoured. It's very much a West Germanic Language in terms of syntax, structure and grammar and it's very close to Dutch and Modern German. You just have a huge smattering of Norman French thrown in (mostly as vocabulary rather than grammar) and some radical alterations to the spelling system to confuse people.

One little known fact is that modern English also preserves some of the syntax and grammar from Brythonic/Welsh and possibly Irish/Scots too - particularly in the use of some of the continuous forms/tenses too.

Apparently Victorian linguists didn't like that and preferred to pretend that English was highly academic and thus Latin-influenced far more than it actually was and would have gone out of their way to sweep any links to Gaelic under the carpet as it didn't suit the politics of the time.

Modern French also has a bit of that. The whole spelling system is screwed up and overcomplicated because snobby academics wanted to pretend it was latin, so introduced a whole load of grammar that spoken French doesn't actually have - hence some of the weird silent endings.

Latin-derived words highlighted in your post! As much Latin based as anything else.

ScumLord wrote: »

In the UK I'd say you could pick up any plug with confidence, they have safety standards that have to be implemented, so you can't sell a plug in the uk unless it has the kitemark. In Ireland I don't think we have that requirement although I've never seen a plug sold here that didn't have the kitemark.

It's a bigger bastard than that I think. It's been influenced by Norse and Irish too. Many town names are holding over from the vikings.

The Irish influence would not be huge - just a few words. Viking is encompassed by 'Germanic'.

kneemos

SpaceTime wrote: »

Actually, I didn't mess up. English isn't 'Latin based'. It's just Latin flavoured. It's very much a West Germanic Language in terms of syntax, structure and grammar and it's very close to Dutch and Modern German. You just have a huge smattering of Norman French thrown in (mostly as vocabulary rather than grammar) and some radical alterations to the spelling system to confuse people.

One little known fact is that modern English also preserves some of the syntax and grammar from Brythonic/Welsh and possibly Irish/Scots too - particularly in the use of some of the continuous forms/tenses too.

Apparently Victorian linguists didn't like that and preferred to pretend that English was highly academic and thus Latin-influenced far more than it actually was and would have gone out of their way to sweep any links to Gaelic under the carpet as it didn't suit the politics of the time.

Modern French also has a bit of that. The whole spelling system is screwed up and overcomplicated because snobby academics wanted to pretend it was latin, so introduced a whole load of grammar that spoken French doesn't actually have - hence some of the weird silent endings.

Most uninteresting fact of the day.

turnikett1

I think it's pretty interesting.