Socket shutters, Preventing accidents since 1947

[myristate]

This is a prime example of why the invention of socket shutters in 1947 was genious! Even today in north america you risk been fried if you were to follow this helpful comment hahah

 

[Knobhead]

Have you signed the E-Pettition yet?

 

[myristate]

Done it months ago.

 

[grantr37]

I have a good friend along the road from you in Cambridge MA, she's in Bedford MA (USA)

 

[grantr37]

am thinking of shipping a UK Right hand steering car over to NY, flying over to pick it up from the roll off cargo terminal then driving up to surprise her

 

[Brightspark2]

Sent from my Xperia S using next doors WIFI.

 

[grantr37]

myristate has location listed as cambridge MA USA incase anybody is wondering what I'm on about

 

[myristate]

Im originally from Inverness, Scotland but moved to Massachusetts with my wife last year. We travel back and forth 3 or 4 times a year

 

[Engineer54]

Im originally from Inverness, Scotland but moved to Massachusetts with my wife last year. We travel back and forth 3 or 4 times a year

So are by now, fully customised with the application of Twist connectors at virtually every wall accessory back box!! lol!!!

 

[myristate]

So are by now, fully customised with the application of Twist connectors at virtually every wall accessory back box!! lol!!!

I remove those horrible things whenever I see them. There is something to be said about acceptable electrical standards in the US. There are so many things that would never be acceptable in the UK. The US has so many things to offer and in many ways does a lot better than back home in the UK that been said the electrical system is not one of them, They are 50 years behind in certain things. Although to be fair every state adopts different version of the NEC and even city codes can override it but in general I feel like safety and fire hazards in the electrical industry are somewhat lacking.

 

[Engineer54]

in general I feel like safety and fire hazards in the electrical industry are somewhat lacking.

Those Twisters, are one of the main reasons for house / condo fires throughout the US. That, and the almost total lack of testing requirements!! lol!!

Did you take your test equipment out there with you, (not that most of it would be any good to you over there)?? I wonder how many of your colleagues had ever seen such test equipment, let alone use or know how to use it... lol!!!

OK, i'm mainly talking about the domestic side of things here, they do perform what would be classed as fairly minimal testing on the bigger projects, and more so on there new MV systems....

 

[grantr37]

I have a friend in the Electrical wholesale business in the USA if you ever need anything myristate, he's up in hendersonville TN.......if you ever need a conservatory or new glazing let me know, got a friend in Nashville who works in a glazing company sales office, and if you need any new sparkplugs for your gas guzzler, I know somebody in Albuquerque that can fix you up with some, they make them at work...

 

[Engineer54]

I have a friend in the Electrical wholesale business in the USA if you ever need anything myristate, he's up in hendersonville TN.......if you ever need a conservatory or new glazing let me know, got a friend in Nashville who works in a glazing company sales office, and if you need any new sparkplugs for your gas guzzler, I know somebody in Albuquerque that can fix you up with some, they make them at work...

Sounds about right, ....every Yank i know, is in Sales, ...either as their main job or as a side line!!! lol!!

 

[Rockingit]

Myristate & E54 - why don't you start a sticky on (loosely) US systems / distribution? I know I'm intrigued, for one, given the number of times I've perplexed yankee sparks with seemingly simple requests when there on jobs and/or having briefly lived.

We get the occasional American-with-passport visiting the forum, so what with Dans request for more threads..........

 

[myristate]

Even there 2 phase distribution system is weird. There entire system is based around the sample principle as electric razor and 110v construction site transformers. Centre tapped 55v on each side to give a 110v potential but you cant get a shock form it as an earth to phase is only 55v. Hence why in majority they dont have alot of earthing.

 

[grantr37]

now what should I take over there when I go for my 4 week visit I intend, to drive about......maybe an old uk cop car....or a proper old mini....or a vectra or something with a load of chrome.....lol

 

[myristate]

Taken in Glasgow i see. Ive seen that around before. There is an old FDNY fire truck aswell cant imagine how much that would of cost to ship over but someone clearly did.!

 

[grantr37]

theres a new fire truck (a Bronto skylift that was built new for the FDNY and sold surpluss as soon as it arrived-bought 9 needed 8 I think, got shipped to Glasgow for Strathclyde fire and rescue) the fire truck is the only kind available with a proper ladder setup, the ones made in europe are too small, and the german attempt was unusable, which they figured out when millions had been wasted...

shipping the big ladder engine to the UK would be about £7,000 and would be more than worth it...

shipping a car back and forth via New York is £600.00 if you book it early enough (£900 for an arrival at port on the day before the ship sails) plus $150 paperwork stateside and £34.00 notification of leaving UK via customs outbound, and best of all if I am there for less than a year I don't need to change the indicators or add sidelights and can keep my UK plates on....which for 4 or 5 weeks then send it home is ok and more fun than renting a car....maybe some people might want to take photos of it....
Have you thought about buying a Diesel over here and shipping it over to drive around? I looked into that and as long as its a model available in the USA as a petrol then you can do it, so you could buy a Toyota Prius or a BMW in france or Germany with a left hand wheel and take it over....save on Gas costs ...


by the way it takes 9 days from Southampton to sitting in the carpark in the US waiting for collection....quite fast on a RO-RO (Roll On Roll Off)

 

[grantr37]

forgot to add theres a lot of yellow buses here now for novelty use like at Hotels and tour companies etc.....somebody told me that they are actually using some brand new Yellow School buses in Aberdeen now with a factory fitted door on the left hand side for School transport, bought in straight from the USA as too many kids were getting knocked down and they thought that the Yellow Bus with the special shape would make drivers notice that it was a school run and slow down...

 

[grantr37]

sorry for going off topic...