Not so lighthearted.

[briwy]

In the pub the other day and asked the landlord what all the fuss was about the other week down the lane.
Seems that a lady in one of the cottages had her dishwasher on, went out for a while and came back to find the house ablaze.
Said dishwasher had caught fire and the cottage is gutted.
Never really thought about it before but we generally used our dishwasher overnight when the energy is cheaper, not anymore.

 

[snowy55]

In the pub the other day and asked the landlord what all the fuss was about the other week down the lane.
Seems that a lady in one of the cottages had her dishwasher on, went out for a while and came back to find the house ablaze.
Said dishwasher had caught fire and the cottage is gutted.
Never really thought about it before but we generally used our dishwasher overnight when the energy is cheaper, not anymore.

We had our first dishwasher about 25 years ago, it nearly caught fire one afternoon when it was a couple of years old.
Never had one since.

 

[MattBW]

Sobering thought.

 

[DM]

As electrical goods and wiring have become more reliable we have all become very complacent. Any active electrical device has can fail. Any failure that results in overheating of an component, however small, can result in a fire.

We all leave devices on charge and appliances running overnight. There is allways risk. At the very least mitigate that risk by only buying goods that meet applicable safety standards. They do have to be designed to 'fail-safe' in all predictable failure modes. Look for the CE mark which all goods sold in the EU have to carry showing that they meet all applicable safety standards. I doesn't mean that they are any good but should at least be safe) or as safe as possible).

Cheap chargers and charging cables imported from China are the worst offenders. Please don't buy them - some of these are lethal. Its not worth saving that fiver. Stick to brands that you recognise and can trust or are sold by retailers that you trust.

Here endeth the sermon - but as an electrical engineer this is a subject close to my heart.