Hello, I recently had a scary incident happen to me. I had one of these
"Sharper Image Ionic Breeze" air cleaner's in my office room. It was about
18 months old and it was turned on most of the time. I carefully followed
the maintenaince instructions and did everything by the book.

I happened to be at home at the time. (thank god) and came downstairs to a
strong smell of burning plastic. It was so strong I had to open the
windows.. At first I thought it was my computer burning up since its in the
same room..but it wasnt. The smell was coming from the Ionic Breeze. I
immediately took the cord out, continued to air out my house... and took the
thing apart to see what could of went wrong.

I took a picture of it -

http://www.oil-gas-prices.com/sharper-image.jpg

It doesnt look like much there, but I believe it was a couple of capacitors
that burnt out.

My question is... if I wasnt home, is it possible my house could of burnt
down? Because the burning smell kept getting worse and worse.

any info would be much appreciated.

John

I fix office machines for a living, the board traces are too small to
suppoertb real combustion so a fire is unlikely.

I would call the company they MIGHT replace it for free

"john" wrote in message

My question is... if I wasnt home, is it possible my house could of burnt
down? Because the burning smell kept getting worse and worse.

any info would be much appreciated.

Anything is possible, but it is unlikely. Some plastics can give off a
nasty smell from the tiniest bit of melting, but that does not mean there is
much fire. Housings are all made from materials that are treated not to
burn or not to burn without a source of ignition.

I repair Medical Equipment, now for about 20 years. I have seen many
boards burn up like this, and even alot worse. I have yet to see a fire
started from it......but anything is possible............being also a
vol. fireman.. I expect the unexpected.

But I doubt that this would start a fire. You should shut it off
anyways when your not home. Not just this unit.....but everything
electronic.

I repair Medical Equipment, now for about 20 years. I have seen many
boards burn up like this, and even alot worse. I have yet to see a fire
started from it......but anything is possible............being also a
vol. fireman.. I expect the unexpected.

But I doubt that this would start a fire. You should shut it off
anyways when your not home. Not just this unit.....but everything
electronic.

"john" wrote in message
...
Hello, I recently had a scary incident happen to me. I had one of these
"Sharper Image Ionic Breeze" air cleaner's in my office room. It was
about 18 months old and it was turned on most of the time. I carefully
followed the maintenaince instructions and did everything by the book.

I happened to be at home at the time. (thank god) and came downstairs to
a strong smell of burning plastic. It was so strong I had to open the
windows.. At first I thought it was my computer burning up since its in
the same room..but it wasnt. The smell was coming from the Ionic Breeze.
I immediately took the cord out, continued to air out my house... and took
the thing apart to see what could of went wrong.

I took a picture of it -

http://www.oil-gas-prices.com/sharper-image.jpg

It doesnt look like much there, but I believe it was a couple of
capacitors that burnt out.

My question is... if I wasnt home, is it possible my house could of burnt
down? Because the burning smell kept getting worse and worse.

That photo shows a typical overheating of electronic components (which
generate more smell than danger).

However, having said that, the house behind mine burnt down because nobody
was there and a computer monitor caught fire and then set the drapes on
fire.

NFPA has documented that many home fires are started by failures in
electronic equipment.

It's a complex issue.

I appreciate all the advice here..


But I doubt that this would start a fire. You should shut it off
anyways when your not home. Not just this unit.....but everything
electronic.

that would not be easy for me.. as I have a computer and security cameras
that run 24/7...

o well, looks like i'll just have to take my chances..

Any recommendations on additional preventive measures besides just "taking
the cord out" ?

As an aside, Consumer Reports has tested these units several times. The
results were they were almost worthless at eliminating odors or particles
from the air. I believe Sharper Image even sued them for their findings,
but CR won when they proved their testing methods were sound and they were
only reporting on the data.

-Tim

Tim Fischer wrote:
As an aside, Consumer Reports has tested these units several times. The
results were they were almost worthless at eliminating odors or particles
from the air. I believe Sharper Image even sued them for their findings,
but CR won when they proved their testing methods were sound and they were
only reporting on the data.

-Tim



And another aside...

The units produced significant amounts of ozone which raised hell with
rubber and certain soft plastic materials in the same room, as well as
being a health risk to folks with asthma.

I think they added an "ozone remover" to their later models.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...
And another aside...

The units produced significant amounts of ozone which raised hell with
rubber and certain soft plastic materials in the same room, as well as
being a health risk to folks with asthma.

Here's an article that supports both of our claims:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7391185/

Also more on the lawsuit:
http://www.quackwatch.org/14Legal/ionicbreeze.html

-Tim

john wrote:
Any recommendations on additional preventive measures besides just "taking
the cord out" ?


Well, this is not for everyone........but since you took the board
out.....you should be okay :-)......I would suggest doing routine
maintenance on all your electronics. Such as unplugging and giving it a
good cleaning with a vaccuum, electronics and any filters. Dust buildup
within can cause alot of heat builup and cause premature failure and
also short out components.

About your security cameras.......they are designed for 24/7. I wouldnt
worry bout them too much....but a good cleaning periodically will
prolong the life of them.......and your computer, etc.

When I stated "all electronics", I meant all "not needed" should be
turned off. Sorry for the confusion.

Also.......for a safety concern ....if you or anyone does decide to
open up any unit to vaccuum the inside. Be aware that voltage can still
be present inside even if the unit is unplugged.......especially CRT
monitors or TV's.......you must give plenty of time after unit is
unplugged for the Capacitors and/or CRT to discharge any excess
voltage. DO NOT TOUCH the back of any CRT.......ANYTIME!!......there is
MUCH voltage here............and could shock you very bad.......or even
kill you. Extreme cautine should always be taken on any electronics.

Any questions or not sure if something will have
voltage..............you should always ask before attempting.

Take care

Jeff Wisnia wrote:
Tim Fischer wrote:
As an aside, Consumer Reports has tested these units several times. The
results were they were almost worthless at eliminating odors or particles
from the air. I believe Sharper Image even sued them for their findings,
but CR won when they proved their testing methods were sound and they were
only reporting on the data.

-Tim



And another aside...

The units produced significant amounts of ozone which raised hell with
rubber and certain soft plastic materials in the same room, as well as
being a health risk to folks with asthma.

I think they added an "ozone remover" to their later models.

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

Ozone remover- yes, I love the way they marketed that as something that
turns pollution to oxygen- technically true, but most of the pollution
(ozone) was from the unit!

Brilliant marketing.

Dave

On 3 Nov 2006 05:18:33 -0800, "avid_hiker"
wrote:


Also.......for a safety concern ....if you or anyone does decide to
open up any unit to vaccuum the inside. Be aware that voltage can still
be present inside even if the unit is unplugged.......especially CRT
monitors or TV's.......you must give plenty of time after unit is
unplugged for the Capacitors and/or CRT to discharge any excess
voltage. DO NOT TOUCH the back of any CRT.......ANYTIME!!......there is
MUCH voltage here............and could shock you very bad.......or even
kill you. Extreme cautine should always be taken on any electronics.

Any questions or not sure if something will have
voltage..............you should always ask before attempting.

Take care

I remember when someone was working on a relative's 26-inch color TV,
he said the high voltage in this unit was about 35KV.

I have a gas furnace with electric ignition. The wiring looks like
it's meant for high voltage too (there's a wire that looks like the
spark plug wires in a car), but I don't know just how high.
--
52 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is
not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has
no place in the curriculum of our nation's public
school classes." -- Ted Kennedy

Tim Fischer wrote:

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...

And another aside...

The units produced significant amounts of ozone which raised hell with
rubber and certain soft plastic materials in the same room, as well as
being a health risk to folks with asthma.


Here's an article that supports both of our claims:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7391185/

Also more on the lawsuit:
http://www.quackwatch.org/14Legal/ionicbreeze.html

-Tim


When I started seeing the TV ads for the Ionic Breeze a couple of years
ago my first thought was, "That thing can't cost more than $20 to
manufacture overseas, and they're asking $350 for it?

I'm glad I didn't spring for any of that company's stock back then....

http://tinyurl.com/y4ssf4

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

If I am correct, More than likely this is 120vac or 240vac for your
fan/blower or controller. The 35kv in a TV is DC voltage.... AC voltage
is more dangerous for its alternating current(AC) which can fibrilate
your heart at a very low current.

On 3 Nov 2006 09:32:00 -0800, "avid_hiker"
wrote:


If I am correct, More than likely this is 120vac or 240vac

I just looked at the thing. It's a wall-wart-sized white plastic
module mounted on a metal plate on the side of the furnace (where you
have to remove the cover to see it). There are 3 wires connected to
it. A black and a white come from the gas valve. These look like 120V
wiring. There's also a red wire leading to the pilot light (which is
not on all the time, but is electrically lighted before turning on the
main burner). Where this red wire comes out of the module, it's
surrounded by a black plastic boot. The module also has high voltage
warnings printed on it.

for your
fan/blower or controller. The 35kv in a TV is DC voltage....

IIRC, pulsating DC at around 16KHz with a high source impedance.

AC voltage
is more dangerous for its alternating current(AC) which can fibrilate
your heart at a very low current.
--
52 days until the winter solstice celebration

Mark Lloyd
http://notstupid.laughingsquid.com

"Unlike biological evolution. 'intelligent design' is
not a genuine scientific theory and, therefore, has
no place in the curriculum of our nation's public
school classes." -- Ted Kennedy

IIRC, pulsating DC at around 16KHz with a high source impedance.

Yes, The pulsating DC here is for the Yokes of the CRT. The 35kvdc is
for the Anode of the CRT which is basically the face of the CRT.