Five fold increase in fusebox fires

[D Skelton]

BBC News - 'Five-fold rise' in fuse board fires in London

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I wonder what the reson for this could be?????????????????

 

[telectrix]

5 fold rise = 5 week wonders, or 5 pounds per hour foreigners.

 

[Cornwall Sparks]

maybe a lot of cannabis farms ! who knows

 

[Silly Sausage]

LFB said fuse boards with faulty components, poor wiring and firms using moulded plastic, which is less fire-resistant, were among the reasons.

The fire service also asked homeowners and landlords to check that fuse boards in their properties were on the Electrical Safety First's recall list.

I wonder if the fire service also asked homeowners and landlords to check whether their 'Installer' is listed on the Competent Persons Scheme (or whatever it's called)?!?!?!

 

[Geordie Spark]

5 fold rise = 5 week wonders, or 5 pounds per hour foreigners.

Let's not forget the shyte quality of the terminal screws and the insufficient thread in the bus bars either.

 

[Geordie Spark]

5 fold rise = 5 week wonders, or 5 pounds per hour foreigners.

Whey are ye caallin' a foreigner ye Scouse git????

 

[Knobhead]

The fire service also asked homeowners and landlords to check that fuse boards in their properties were on the Electrical Safety First's recall list.

Shouldn't that be the other way around?

BTW I quite deliberately removed the hyperlink.

 

[Pete999]

How much? can't afford that I'll the handyman at work to do it, he's pretty good, NOT, think Tel is right on with what he said.

 

[Octopus]

Could there be a correlation with the rise of sales of fuseboards by big sheds etc?

 

[Fin170]

▲ No because those BG boards are pretty good, try CEF's Proteus if you want to see crap

Im going with poor install, although it does say fusebox and not consumer unit so maybe its back in the day spark's work

 

[Engineer54]

▲ Im going with poor install, although it does say fusebox and not consumer unit so maybe its back in the day spark's work

No, ....that's what lay people and journalists call all CU's and fuse boxes alike!! lol!!

 

[Guest111]

No, ....that's what lay people and journalists call all CU's and fuse boxes alike!! lol!!

yeah I hate journo's who get names wrong,pet hates are things like calling stihl saws angle grinders and telehandlers fork lifts.lol

 

[HappyHippyDad]

BBC News - 'Five-fold rise' in fuse board fires in London

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I wonder what the reson for this could be?????????????????

Sorry.. reply got duplicated below!

 

[HappyHippyDad]

BBC News - 'Five-fold rise' in fuse board fires in London

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I wonder what the reson for this could be?????????????????

Mr DS, I'm surprised at you! You normally give a very rational and professional point of view, yet here you are just giving a 'sensational' headline followed by a weighted prod towards your viewpoint.

Statistics are meaningless, unless the data is collected and collated under extremely controlled conditions. Also the full article states as the main cause:

"The increase is thought to be because many homes have fuse boards with components which are subject to a product recall."

It does give the other reasons releating to poor wiring and firms using moulded plastic but it intimates that the main reason is as above.

I'd be interested as to what your "????????????" imply?

If it is aimed at Electrical Trainee, then I'm sure you are probably partly right, but from the article it looks like the main reason is due to poor product recall of faulty parts.

 

[amlu]

old ones had a 2 screws each on incomer terminals, fuses held not by screws but spring action.... new ones are bulls*it, them wires do have thermal expansion and those screws may come loose one day.

 

[SirKit Breaker]

Probably cos the installation instructions are in English, so no one can understand them :-(

 

[D Skelton]

Mr DS, I'm surprised at you! You normally give a very rational and professional point of view, yet here you are just giving a 'sensational' headline followed by a weighted prod towards your viewpoint.

Statistics are meaningless, unless the data is collected and collated under extremely controlled conditions. Also the full article states as the main cause:

"The increase is thought to be because many homes have fuse boards with components which are subject to a product recall."

It does give the other reasons releating to poor wiring and firms using moulded plastic but it intimates that the main reason is as above.

I'd be interested as to what your "????????????" imply?

If it is aimed at Electrical Trainee, then I'm sure you are probably partly right, but from the article it looks like the main reason is due to poor product recall of faulty parts.

Are 5WWs fully to blame? No, of course not, but the enormous rise would be just too much of a coincidence if they didn't have at least something to do with it!

Product recall my backside. Yes there are some which will have dodgy components within but enough for a five fold increase?? No chance.

As for citing moulded plastic as a reason, I've never heard such crud in all my life! It may be worth reminding people that our cables are insulated with blimmin' plastic. It doesn't just catch fire for sh*ts and giggles does it? It doesn't start fires, it just burns easier than metal, and the notion that using metal or fire resistant boards will cut down on 'fusebox' fires is just bogus! A monkey putting in a metal board is just painting a turd gold really isn't he, chances are the wiring will be just as crap within.

I wouldn't even want to hazard a guess as to what proportion of these fires were caused by faulty wiring, but I'd be willing to bet that it's gonna be more than just a few. 5WWs maybe? DIYers, almost definitely!

All the more reason to pull the plug on this Electrical Trainee malarkey and prevent the sale of certain electrical goods to anyone who doesn't hold a licence.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

You may well be right but it does look a little like you are eager to accept the 'five fold increase' but not so eager to accept the reasons given.. all in the same article.. written by the same person.

IF (and thats a mighty IF) the x5 increase is correct then perhaps:

1. DIY installers
2. Poorly trained installers or just poor installers (Electrical Trainee 50%/other50%??)
3. Too few EICR's or service/check (whatever you want to call it) of consumer units.
4. Poor product recall.
5. Moulded plastic?? Agree this does seem a bit odd.

Plus I'd be interested in the statistics for the rest of the country?
If the the criteria for these statistics has changed over the past few years?
Are better records being kept?
Are managers pushing firemen harder to keep records due to government pressure? (I know I am where I work)
etc etc..

 

[ipf]

I wonder if the fire service also asked homeowners and landlords to check whether their 'Installer' is listed on the Competent Persons Scheme (or whatever it's called)?!?!?!

Instructed person and skilled person, soon. Anyone like to hazzard a guess to just what the difference is going to be....at ground level.
Are we going to get vans with 'domestic instructed person' signs all over the place ? Fat chance!

 

[jimmymac]

Has anyone considered the fact that we are in an economic disaster with unemployment high, wage increases capped, the cost of private renting raising daily, along with the cost of utilities. I'm guessing that a lot of these fire are caused by people wiring the electricity meter to try and save a few quid which could mean they can give themselves a healthy meal (or 20 Benson & Hedges and a bottle of cheap cider)