 Angilion
Male, 40-49, Europe
 9554 Posts
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 4:00:05 PM
[quote">Anybody know what would cause a tv to catch fire like that? Just curious and paranoid.[/quote">
A CRT has a large capacitor that stores a lot of charge. Enough to kill you even *after* it's been unplugged for a while, if you're unlucky. The larger the CRT, the larger the capacitor. There are also very high voltages, into the tens of kilovolts. So you've got plenty of potential difference to shove the charge in the capacitor through high resistance...and that means a lot of heat.
I was curious enough to have a look and, much to my surprise, the biggest single cause of TV fires in the UK >10 years ago (i.e. when they were almost all CRTs) was...the on/off switch.
Seriously:
DTI detailed report
See, for example page 69.
The on/off switch. How bizarre. |
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 madduck
Female, 40-49, Europe
2871 Posts
|
Thursday, January 19, 2012 10:07:52 AM
Just to go over- Thanks for wishes all. Yes- I have tube T.V- everything I own is secondhand- firstly because we are skint, secondly because I prefer to not put good stuff into landfill. We have our animals insured for vet bills- but what we got once we can get again- this does not apply to people or animals ( mostly) . Apparently anything with a capacitor and dust can go up when switched off but plugged in. Angillon is correct- those in uk get good alarms free from fire brigade- so get them... |
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 slut_etta
Female, 50-59, Southern US
2140 Posts
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 9:54:21 AM
SO sorry about the family tragedy but thanks for the post. reminded me that the rent houses have smoke detectors but our big house doesn't. |
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 Flibmeister
Female, 18-29, Europe
840 Posts
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 5:41:19 AM
glad you're all ok madduck, and glad doesn't cover it. but it's the best word I have. love and support to you and yours xxx And thanks for the heads up. went and checked. scared the shizle out of my guineapig, but the batteries are fine thankyou and my alarm is fricking loud, which is lovely...
may I take this moment to warn people about faults in common rail diesel engines without turbo intercoolers? cos my car blew up this week. |
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 epiphany101
Female, 30-39, Australia
480 Posts
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 4:53:16 AM
Damn! Glad you're ok & hope you have some good support. House fires are terribly tragic, even when everyone survives. |
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 Vimto
Male, 40-49, Europe
1991 Posts
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 4:13:55 AM
Glad you're OK, will check mine when I get home. Seconded on the CO alarm, I knew a chap who died from long term monoxide poisoning, it's a horrible way to go. |
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 StompinRound
Male, 30-39, Midwest US
43 Posts
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 3:06:08 AM
off to store to buy a pack of 9v batteries...
its great that everyone is ok, thanks really
this just made realize i have not changed the batteries in my smoke alarms in 3 years |
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 xCYBERDYNEx
Male, 18-29, Southern US
4798 Posts
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 2:34:40 AM
Anybody know what would cause a tv to catch fire like that? Just curious and paranoid. |
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xCYBERDYNEx
Male, 18-29, Southern US
4798 Posts
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 2:29:15 AM
Damn Madduck, glad you and your family are ok. This sh*t scares the crap out of me, lost family in a fire before. |
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 almightybob1
Male, 18-29, Europe
4278 Posts
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 2:11:11 AM
I'm glad you're OK Madduck. |
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 Selous
Male, 30-39, Australia
1205 Posts
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Thursday, January 19, 2012 1:22:58 AM
the real message here is you should ALWAYS watch your tv |
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 crackyhoss
Male, 18-29, Western US
245 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 10:55:26 PM
glad that you guys are ok! |
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 davymid
Male, 30-39, Europe
11682 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 9:52:12 PM
Damn Madduck, glad you and your family got out safe. |
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 CrakrJak
Male, 40-49, Midwest US
14374 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 9:51:37 PM
swoop408: I have 2 tube type HDTVs, Why you may ask ? Because at the time I bought them Plasma HDTVs were extremely expensive, DLP is fuzzy as hell, and LCDs had a lifetime of 5 years.
Yes, HDTVs are much better now (and cheaper too), but I have what I have and am not buying new until one of these goes out, probably another 5 to 10 years. |
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 talon0325
Male, 40-49, Canada
341 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 7:28:38 PM
Hey Swoop. Not everyone can buy the latest stuff. Just because something is older than you does not mean it does not work, just like you. Wow, they also had a futon and brick wall. Point being that a smoke alarm saved them and left nothing else for them except each other. |
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 TKD_Master
Male, 18-29, Midwest US
4827 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 6:54:31 PM
That was a message from your TV. It was saying it is time to let it go and get a new one. |
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 Bananahammoc
Female, 18-29, Europe
312 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 4:47:03 PM
Scurry shizz. |
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 swoop408
Male, 18-29, Western US
1768 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 4:36:41 PM
You had a tube television? What century are you in? |
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 Batmanners
Male, 18-29, Canada
4012 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 4:33:23 PM
boobies. |
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 zombunny
Female, 18-29, Eastern US
2524 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 4:18:26 PM
Sorry about the fire, Madduck. That's awful, but I'm glad you and your family are okay.
I know my alarm works because it goes off every time I make dinner. |
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Angilion
Male, 40-49, Europe
9554 Posts
|
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 3:59:20 PM
I suggest something else as well - a planned way to get out of every room in your home. Plan it so that if you need to use it you won't have to think about it because it won't be a good thinking time.
You need a way out as well as a warning that you need to get out. What if the fire is between you and a door? What if your door is solid and locked and you've left the keys upstairs when you ran downstairs after the fire alarm went off?
Next to each of my windows is a way of smashing the crap out of them. Just in case I really need to get out in as much of a hurry as possible and the doors aren't reachable or usable. Maybe I'll cut myself on some glass. Maybe I'll break a leg dropping from the first floor to the pavement. But I'll survive. I should get around to buying a domestic fire escape ladder - open the box, hook over windowsill, drop ladder down, climb down. |
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 PacoP42
Male, 13-17, Western US
1081 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 3:51:24 PM
don't forget the carbon monoxide detectors! Gas leaks are just as deadly, if not more. |
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Angilion
Male, 40-49, Europe
9554 Posts
|
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 3:49:55 PM
One should change the batteries at least every six months. jmio
Really? Mine are guaranteed for 10 years and the batteries last that long. They give a different alarm when the battery is running low, too, so you know when to replace them. I have 4. Sure, I don't *need* that many. But depending on where the fire starts, having 4 might give me a little extra time to get out and a couple of pounds a year is a very small price to pay for that. Maybe I'll get some more and stick one in every room and stairway. It's not like they're expensive. I just prod the test buttons every week or so and change the whole unit every 10 years.
My local fire brigade fits them free of charge. They also know the most effective places to put them, of course. It saves them money in the long run, as well as lives.
Also, you get bona fide firemen coming to your house in a fire engine. That's a good thing in itself for many people :) |
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 greenbasterd
Male, 18-29, Canada
2132 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 3:17:55 PM
my cooking does that for me. i like the british words better.. brigade instead of department. landlord instead of bartender. and shopkeep instead of hey non-nice individual.. such polite people |
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 ingrateful
Male, 13-17, Southern US
419 Posts
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 3:03:26 PM
I have a couch similar to that |
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