On Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:52:00 -0500, Steve Barker
wrote:

wrote:
On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 20:32:26 -0500, Steve Barker
wrote:

wrote:
On Fri, 11 Sep 2009 11:11:28 -0700, David Nebenzahl
wrote:

On 9/11/2009 10:48 AM dpb spake thus:

David Nebenzahl wrote:

...
But yes, the previous poster's shrieks of alarm are unwarranted.
Indeed...

But, it's his personal vendetta it appears despite chastisement and
demonstration that he's simply just generally wrong on numerous previous
occasions as well...
Plus he's one of the few posters here with the annoying habit of never
quoting previous replies (small point, but not in his favor).

I will say that I think exercising due caution when doing electrical
work is important. I cringe when I see the numerous news reports of
houses burning down, just wondering whether it was an electrical fire
that was responsible. I don't *ever* want to be the cause of such a fire.

But that doesn't mean one has to be a total Cassandra about it either ...

My younger brother's old house (old crappy farm house) burned down due
to an electrical fault. The house had a LOT of K&T wiring - but it
wasn't K&T that caused the fire. The old "shack" had a sagging summer
kitchen - and the ROMEX wire going from the main house to the addition
had a "shear failure" due to movement between the 2 parts of the
building. The wires rubbed through the insulation enough to cause heat
without blowing the breaker/fuse. (Think it was the stove cable).

Anyway, it got him a new house.

WOW! you mean he actually was able to insure it?? HELLOOOOO Bob
buddy, this guy got insurance on a K&T wired house!!!! HELLO???
The house burned down 15 years ago last week.
Long before the insurance companies became "extremely risk adverse"

i doubt it was from the wiring unless it was improperly fused. (or not
fused at all) I've seen that.

s
It WAS from wiring, and the short where the wire was damaged was not a
good enough connection to draw enough power to trip the overcurrent
protection on the stove wire. 15 amps on a 220 circuit is3200 watts -
and that is a LOT of heat to be created in a small area. Definitely
enough to start a tinder-dry timber structure on fire. It takes 50
amps to blow the circuit protection on a range receptacle circuit.
That's over 12000 watts.of concentrated heat.