mav
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Registered: 19th Jun 01
Location: Scotland
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Well....
in our living room our fireplace is a electric living flame fire with limestone surround really nice...But I always thought from the time we moved in it should not be running off a normal household plug...
Well I was proved right tonight....
the electrician was here from 6-9pm fitting lights and sorting out some wiring to hot water and one of the radiators etc...totally seperate issue
About 10pm I was upstairs and Karen started screaming for me..I was like what the fuck, ran down and she had moved her chair into the middle of the living room, place was stinking with smoke....
The plug socket the fire was plugged into went up in flames !!!!! She said she had her eyes closed sitting on the chair next to this socket and whatever reason she opened them and flames were going up the wall....!!!! I quickly killed the electricity to the house...In candle light inspected the socket and it's all melted including the plug to fire and black marks up wall..Least we haven't decorated living room yet...
I always knew the guy that had house before us was dodgy but FFS....I am sure the fire should run from a a spur or fused socket etc...
Socket is isoalted at moment and going to get electrician to look..When he was here early he found some dodgy stuff in fuse boxes that he fixed already...
my wee story for tonight 
[Edited on 01-11-2006 by mav]
[Edited on 01-11-2006 by mav]
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WATSON
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Registered: 16th Jun 05
Location: Fife, Scotland
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Lucky one mate  Chair could have gone up in smoke and the other half could have got burnt
Good job someone was in the house at the time.
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jamied
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Registered: 27th Oct 03
Location: Marbella,Spain Drives: C63
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unlucky dude
shame electrician never spotted it earlier when he was there. lucky really that u caught it early
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mav
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Registered: 19th Jun 01
Location: Scotland
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The suite is leather and is right next to that socket...
Electrician wasn't anywhere near here, if I had thought I should have asked him about it but he had enough to do...
Plug is always pulled when nobody in house or in bed but
we could have been upstairs or anything....
Te fire I'm positive should not run off a simple plug...Must be drawing way to much current for that I think.
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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lucky you were there
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mav
Member
Registered: 19th Jun 01
Location: Scotland
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aye nightmare...
Found alot of dodgy stuff already that we have fixed electricity wise...
Some stuff the night that electrician found in fuse box was a fire hazard..Loose connections / wires etc....
One fuse panel certain fuses being run from another fuse panel..So if you turn it off and think it's dead was still getting power etc 
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Robin
Premium Member
Registered: 7th Jan 04
Location: Northants Drives: Clio 182 Cup
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I take it the previous owner wired it himself?
My brother had a similar problem with his house, none of the sockets had switches on, not even in the kids rooms . And they get through about 10 lightbulbs a month. All because the bloke who owned their house before was a plumber, and thought he could do the wiring too.
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James
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Registered: 1st Jun 02
Location: Surrey
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Should have bought a Bush
Seriously though, sounds pretty hectic, get it sorted 
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mav
Member
Registered: 19th Jun 01
Location: Scotland
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 @ james...
Not sure if it was the guy himself or somebody else he hired but didn't do too well....
I need to get somebody to confirm when I speak to electrician that that fire should not run off a house plug socket without some safety in place.
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Icy
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Registered: 31st Jan 01
Location: Edinburgh Drives: Mk3 Golf Gti
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scary shit
good all of u's are ok
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jamied
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Registered: 27th Oct 03
Location: Marbella,Spain Drives: C63
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FIRE!!!
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Ally
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Registered: 2nd Jul 03
Location: Pontypool Drives: a Skoda
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Eeek, the fire in my living room runs from a plug -> socket
Its a small slivery leccy one, is that ok?
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Shelly
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Registered: 15th Nov 00
Location: Lancashire Drives: Astra H VXR
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I dunno whether you know but anyone installing Electric into the house needs to be qualified in testing too. Part P I think it is called.
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Tiger
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Registered: 12th Jun 01
Location: Leicestershire Drives:Astra VXR
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quote:
Originally posted by mav
electrician was here from 6-9pm fitting lights and sorting out some wiring to hot water and one of the radiators etc.
[Edited on 01-11-2006 by mav]
Yep - I see your problem......
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Andrew
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Registered: 5th May 04
Location: Skoda Octavia Estate, Ford Puma
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 Glad your missus and kids are ok Mav, cold have been a lot worse!
I'm sure it should be on a seperate fuse and have a special socket like you do for electric cookers.
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Ally
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Registered: 2nd Jul 03
Location: Pontypool Drives: a Skoda
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quote:
Originally posted by Shelly
I dunno whether you know but anyone installing Electric into the house needs to be qualified in testing too. Part P I think it is called.
Yeah, and they have to give you a certificate after all the work is done as well
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--Dave--
Banned
Registered: 17th Feb 04
Location: Essssseeeeex Drives: Black Supra TT
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wtf
Ours sounds similar to yours and runs off a plug
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blebo
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Registered: 18th Apr 02
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I would be checking the smoke detectors as well if the flames were up the wall the smoke detectors should have sounded ages before that.
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C2RL R
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Registered: 28th Mar 02
Location: Redcliffe, QLD
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not too sure about this. I have seen electric fires in many houses that are plugged in. They are usually around 2kW which means they will draw just over 8.5 amps so they can be plugged in. I suppose you should check the size of the elements in your fire.
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Melville
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Registered: 4th Jun 03
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
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Its fine for them to be "plugged" in. The problem is when the house wiring cant take the amps and causes a fire.
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Kathryn W
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Registered: 12th Oct 03
Location: Widnes, Cheshire
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Bloody hell! Sounds dangerous, good job the fire didnt get out of hand!
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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Sounds very very lucky the whole place didnt go up!!
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Colin
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Registered: 4th Apr 02
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quote:
Originally posted by Ally
quote:
Originally posted by Shelly
I dunno whether you know but anyone installing Electric into the house needs to be qualified in testing too. Part P I think it is called.
Yeah, and they have to give you a certificate after all the work is done as well
On the other hand I done all mine myself & that way I know its been done right not by some half awake apprentice that cant count past 10
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mav
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Registered: 19th Jun 01
Location: Scotland
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Tiger
quote:
Originally posted by mav
electrician was here from 6-9pm fitting lights and sorting out some wiring to hot water and one of the radiators etc.
[Edited on 01-11-2006 by mav]
Yep - I see your problem......
eh? electrician was no where near this..
Took off sockets today and no damage to wires just the actual socket...
Flames up the wall but only about 4" up not to the roof etc all smoke detectors are working too....
fire isn't being used till electrician comes back next week to do some other owrk..
not sure on wattage etc of fire as no instructions and was fitted when we moved in.....
I'll see what electrician says...He's no apprentice either..Time served was a commercial electrician for about 5 years..Worked at my work as electrician for 10 years now going out on his own. wasn't nothing to do with him...
Suppose it could have been a fault with the socket thats all...As all wores behind ok....
I am ok with electrics can do alot myself aswell...
Going to replace socket tonight but fire will not be getting plugged in, plugs all melted anyway
found alot of fualts in the house from guy before us....
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JadeM
Premium Member
Registered: 9th Feb 06
User status: Offline
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OMG Mav that sounds terrifying. I have a fear of being burned or drowning
My fear of fire prob. stems from my evil brother terrifying me when I was little, with stories about what would happen to me if the house went up in flames. He managed to talk me into practicing our 'fire drill' when I was 3 and he was 5 He told me to escape from the upstairs bedroom window, and me only being 3 climbed out and was dangling by my fingertips. Luckily a neighbour spotted me and came banging on our door to tell mum and dad. Needless to say his arse was red raw for days afterwards
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