Eco Lightbulb Fear

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

And we use three square pin plugs ........ I just got a USB hub adaptor off Amazon from a company in Guernsey and the plug fitted was two round pin continental. The postage to return it would be more than it cost. I feel ripped off*. Think twice before buying from the Channels Islands if you are in the UK!

*yeh I could use an adaptor but that's not the point

I used to have a kit of "world adaptors".  Nice to know the clunky square-pin one works in the UK 

))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

My electrician knows the bulbs blow and doesn't seem to think its a problem. It seems more likely what Beagle says as I buy supermarket bulbs which are cheap.

Personally?  I'd get a 2nd opinion... it ain't *his* house that's at risk... I'm just sayin'. 

He may be the nicest guy on earth, but...

[Swatopluk]

...many tea drinkers I've encountered brew tea with just hot tap water...

Don't mention this to Swato. He may never recover from the shock.

I am as uncultured regarding tea as it goes while still using boiling water

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I am as uncultured regarding tea as it goes while still using boiling water

I have to cheerfully admit, I've used the "hot tap water" tea 'brewing' method.  When making iced tea, I really don't care if it's strong or weak-- I'm really looking for flavor to plain water anyhow, and the weak, mild flavor of low-temp water brewing works very well for that.  Zero bitter oils are extracted, but you have to use more bags to get acceptable color, and a relatively longer brewing time.  No worries-- I usually just let the jar sit 'til it's room temp, extract the bags or loose teas (via fine mesh filter-screen) and put whole into refrigerator.   Weak/strong, not that important for iced teas anywho.

But, for hot teas, something I do occasionally in wintertime, I do microwave the water 'til it boils, and make it one cup at a time.   For these, I typically utilize a brand called "celestial seasoning" who prides themselves in all natural ingredients, including the bags.  No metal.    Typically herbal teas, often no caffeine.   For those, flavor is paramount, so boiling water is essential.



The microwave....that could be why us yanks don't go in for electric kettles.   

[beagle]

I used to have a kit of "world adaptors".  Nice to know the clunky square-pin one works in the UK 

The BS1363 plug is generally considered one of the safest, if not the safest, designs.  Electrically speaking that is.  You're more likely to sprain your ankle treading on it than electrocute yourself. 

[Griffin NoName]

The BS1363 plug is generally considered one of the safest, if not the safest, designs.  Electrically speaking that is.  You're more likely to sprain your ankle treading on it than electrocute yourself. 

I think one would get far worse injuries from the three prong, than one would from the rounded two pin. There should be a safety warning



Spoke to a friend today who also suffers from exploding lightbulbs and he blames the fact they are cheap bulbs. We compared manufacturers and they are the same as I use. Buy them in the same shops too. Of course, this is not statistically significant so I shall have to keep on asking people

[Aggie]

Yes, UK  uses 240V at around 13A maximum per socket.  don't know if it's true but I've heard electric kettles are less common in the U.S. because they are slower without 3KW elements.

Well, that may be true with regards to electric kettles.

It could also be due to the predomenence of a couple of things:  Cheap coffee makers that are reasonable tea-brewers too, that most houses have hot water on-tap (and many tea drinkers I've encountered brew tea with just hot tap water-- don't blame me, I drink coffee) and a distinct cultural lack of 'tea time'.  

We have coffee breaks instead: wherein a vile near-black liquid is quaffed in small quantities from paper, plastic or styrofoam cups over a running commentary of who in the office is sleeping with whom... 

Personally?  I blame much of the current economical woes on the lack of tea time in the US.

Tap water for tea?  Thank the Queen I'm in the Commonwealth (besides, don't y'all brew traditionally brew tea with seawater down there? ).

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

I used to have a kit of "world adaptors".  Nice to know the clunky square-pin one works in the UK 

The BS1363 plug is generally considered one of the safest, if not the safest, designs.  Electrically speaking that is.  You're more likely to sprain your ankle treading on it than electrocute yourself. 

Thanks....due to your link, I just spent 20 minutes reading up on the history of UK and other European electrical plugs... 

Sounds like, prior to BS1363, plugging in the UK was rather a haphazard affair, requiring all sorts of adapters. 

[beagle]

Sounds like, prior to BS1363, plugging in the UK was rather a haphazard affair, requiring all sorts of adapters. 

I'm not really old enough to remember (not often I get to say that). My granny's house had a previous standard which looked like the modern one, except with round rather than rectangular pins.  Don't think it had any shutter protection though (they lived on the edge in those days...)

[Griffin NoName]

Sounds like, prior to BS1363, plugging in the UK was rather a haphazard affair, requiring all sorts of adapters. 

I'm not really old enough to remember (not often I get to say that).

Being a bit more ancient than Beagle, I can remember a bit further back. Sockets for lamps, the sort that sit on side tables, used to be for round two pin plugs. These were phased out (but I can't remember when, presumably sometime before Beagle would have been trying to jam his baby fingers in them) with one exception. To this very day hotels still have them; this is very irritating as hotel rooms never have enough sockets for me for all the things I want to plug in and often the only available ones are these lamp sockets and I never remember to take an adaptor (why should I? it's the UK dammit).

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

From what Wiki said, those two-hole ones were originally either 3A or 5A lights-only type sockets, with limited capacity.   The newer standard plug includes some form of built-in fusing, and the sockets all have thingys that close the holes, unless there's actually a socket inserted.  Very nice-- you can get such in the US, but it's far from common, and there's no standard about the shuttering.  And, no required fusing at the plug itself, rather the circuit is assumed to be fused/breakered.... *bleah*

Back to the hotels..... I can see them refusing to change, with the reasoning being the only thing you need to be plugging in is lamps, and maybe--maybe a telly. 

This decision would have come long before ubiquitous electrics what require chargers... an' 'otels being essentially conservative with regards to such amenities (translation: slow to adapt) ... I can see it.

[Griffin NoName]

This decision would have come long before ubiquitous electrics what require chargers... an' 'otels being essentially conservative with regards to such amenities (translation: slow to adapt) ... I can see it.

I stayed in a hotel a couple of years ago that foregrounded **** Internet Access **** as one of their facilities they were proud of. When I arrived and inspected my room, what they actually had was ordinary telephone sockets (and telephones) .......  Personally I think they should have advertised that as **** Telephone Access - Phone a Friend ****  ......slow, yes, very.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

This decision would have come long before ubiquitous electrics what require chargers... an' 'otels being essentially conservative with regards to such amenities (translation: slow to adapt) ... I can see it.

I stayed in a hotel a couple of years ago that foregrounded **** Internet Access **** as one of their facilities they were proud of. When I arrived and inspected my room, what they actually had was ordinary telephone sockets (and telephones) .......  Personally I think they should have advertised that as **** Telephone Access - Phone a Friend ****  ......slow, yes, very.

Gotta love "truth in advertising" don'cha?

"I'm your father, Luke."

"Noooo...."

*** later ***

"Ben, you said my father was dead!"

"Well, from a certain point of view, he was."