Electrical Safety First Warning.

broadgage:

A proper extension lead to a domestic air raid shelter would be acceptable in wartime, and arguably acceptable even in peacetime if in good condition and used sensibly.

The concern during the last war was bits of twin lamp flex, possibly with improvised joints, being used to supply a metal framed heater, in a metal structure that was well earthed fortuitously by circumstances.


 

Where I grew up, there were plenty of old Anderson shelters and a whole load of improvised shelters around - my neighbour had one suppled by a bit of buried lead sheathed "7/0.29" terminated into a metal tobacco tin complete with scruits to connect to a bit of colliery "shot wire" feeding 2 pendant lights an a 15A round pin socket screwed to a bit of board. It was like that into the eighties. The lead sheathed cable was basically just laid under a flagstone in the back yard


It  was also common to find electric heaters formed by hand winding an element onto a ceramic former and mounted into a good quality turkey roasting tin to act as a reflector  - most were unguarded and friction fitted into a bit of hardboard (usually papered in anaglypta) fitted into the bedroom grate - usually where the old chap was probably suffering from a mining induced lung disease (eg, we put a heater in the bedroom grate, cos Bamps has got the dust)


The house I grew up in had a batten holder screwed through the lid of a "Krunchie" pickle jar to a suitable overhang or soffit - connect up, insert lamp and screw on pickle jar for an effective outside light - it was there until I rewired the house during my apprenticeship


Regards


OMS

broadgage:

A proper extension lead to a domestic air raid shelter would be acceptable in wartime, and arguably acceptable even in peacetime if in good condition and used sensibly.

The concern during the last war was bits of twin lamp flex, possibly with improvised joints, being used to supply a metal framed heater, in a metal structure that was well earthed fortuitously by circumstances.


 

Where I grew up, there were plenty of old Anderson shelters and a whole load of improvised shelters around - my neighbour had one suppled by a bit of buried lead sheathed "7/0.29" terminated into a metal tobacco tin complete with scruits to connect to a bit of colliery "shot wire" feeding 2 pendant lights an a 15A round pin socket screwed to a bit of board. It was like that into the eighties. The lead sheathed cable was basically just laid under a flagstone in the back yard


It  was also common to find electric heaters formed by hand winding an element onto a ceramic former and mounted into a good quality turkey roasting tin to act as a reflector  - most were unguarded and friction fitted into a bit of hardboard (usually papered in anaglypta) fitted into the bedroom grate - usually where the old chap was probably suffering from a mining induced lung disease (eg, we put a heater in the bedroom grate, cos Bamps has got the dust)


The house I grew up in had a batten holder screwed through the lid of a "Krunchie" pickle jar to a suitable overhang or soffit - connect up, insert lamp and screw on pickle jar for an effective outside light - it was there until I rewired the house during my apprenticeship


Regards


OMS