Archive for the ‘Safety’ Category

Larry D. Spears offers us this tip

I recently had a real near miss with an outdoor electrical extension cord at my home.

I had been using the cord while it was still rolled up on a storage spool.

Extension Cord Reel

Many times in the past I have unrolled only enough cord to reach the appliance I need to power. I felt this was a good practice in order to prevent a tripping hazard, and keep everything looking tidy and neat. However, electrical cords are rated in large part by their insulation factor. They are designed to be used in environments without extreme ambient temperatures such as what we normally experience on a day to day basis.

By not un-spooling the entire cord before each use, I had unknowingly altered the temperature the cord was exposed to tremendously.

The temperature in the center of this cord bundle became hot enough to melt all of the insulation from portions of the wire.

The first thing I looked for when I discovered this was a caution on the spool indicating the proper use of the device and there it was, molded right into the side of the spool “Caution: Unreel cord before use”. I am attaching pictures so you can see what I am talking about. Also, I am asking you to please send this to everyone in your distribution list so they will realize this is a very dangerous practice. So many people I have talked to about this do the exact same thing.

Melted Extension Cord

As you can see in the last picture, the portions of the wire that were exposed (that I could see) were not damaged. It wasn’t until I was unreeling the entire cord that I found this.

PLEASE stop someone if you see them doing something you know is wrong or unsafe. Even if they have much more “experience” than you. There are many ways you can respectfully explain to someone they are doing something unsafe, so use one of them and let’s watch out for each other.

Thanks.

Larry D. Spears

LSpears@Dow.com

If the propane detector in your RV sounds even though you’re sure there is no leak it could be defective but most likely it is just a low battery.

Your RV’s propane detector is powered by the coach battery. If the voltage in the battery is too low the detector will sound.

Fully charge the battery. If the detector sounds you may have a defective unit but have it checked by an RV shop before you replace it.

If the Detector sounds when the propane is on the you have to get an RV shop to check the entire system for leaks.

One other possibility, the detector can be set off by different sprays such a hairspray and deodorants. Often times these and other spays use propane as the propellant.