Had a fire safety talk at work. The fireman asked which of us had appliances left on permanently at home. The upshot was that he advised that set top boxes be switched off at night or whenever not needed for long periods. (also televisions). Apparently there is quite an issue with fire safety when these are powered for long periods. I leave my Virgin cable box on all the time and turn my tv off at the wall every night. Just wondering about you forum members......When I got home, I put my hand on top of the Virgin box and you know, he was right!! Hot rather than warm.
On Standby permanently is a fire risk, apparently.
- Thread starter Vicario
- Start date
Sponsored Links
- Joined
- 27 Jan 2008
- Messages
- 23,662
- Reaction score
- 2,666
- Location
- Llanfair Caereinion, Nr Welshpool
- Country
Some items have all the necessary protection and others especially from China don't. The whole idea of plugging in my phone to charge and watching it through out the cycle is just not going to happen. And to disconnect my Emergency lights when not required how would they every work.
Some common sense is required and to unplug the phone from the charger but leave charger plugged in is of course wrong as is leaving a computer plugged in when the wake up on lan feature is not required but many of us do leave computer plugged in and leave chargers plugged in and to try to persuade us to get out of the habit makes sense.
The big problem is some equipment is totally switched off when we use the on/off switch on the appliance and other equipment still has some part powered up and it is common for the on/off switch to be on the extra low voltage side rather than low voltage side.
The whole idea of remote controlled sockets seems crazy where the socket has as much drain as the appliance it controls and as much chance of failure.
My Free to Air box, DVD, TV all use less than 1W on standby all have some auto update and all are left plugged in. However the Sky box is another story this does need to be left plugged in to be able to record programmed items and to keep updated but it is not less than 1W and falls foul of the 1W regulation. The LNB power is maintained at all times and it uses in excess of 10W on standby. In fact very little difference between standby and run.
My computer switch runs cold but the router runs hot. The Network drive 500Gb auto turns to standby but the 1Tb in spite of being set to go to standby mode never shuts down.
My TV booster in the loft would be a real pain to access each night after I have fell asleep to switch off to next day and so much loses it's time when switched off.
Some of the major house fires have be caused by washing machines and tumble driers yet we are encouraged to run energy saving cycles over night taking advantage of reduced electric prices the smart meters can offer.
I think to try to persuade people only to leave what is needed plugged in is a good idea but to start a scare over doing it is really OTT and the real push for fire protection needs to be aimed at manufactures not general public.
Some common sense is required and to unplug the phone from the charger but leave charger plugged in is of course wrong as is leaving a computer plugged in when the wake up on lan feature is not required but many of us do leave computer plugged in and leave chargers plugged in and to try to persuade us to get out of the habit makes sense.
The big problem is some equipment is totally switched off when we use the on/off switch on the appliance and other equipment still has some part powered up and it is common for the on/off switch to be on the extra low voltage side rather than low voltage side.
The whole idea of remote controlled sockets seems crazy where the socket has as much drain as the appliance it controls and as much chance of failure.
My Free to Air box, DVD, TV all use less than 1W on standby all have some auto update and all are left plugged in. However the Sky box is another story this does need to be left plugged in to be able to record programmed items and to keep updated but it is not less than 1W and falls foul of the 1W regulation. The LNB power is maintained at all times and it uses in excess of 10W on standby. In fact very little difference between standby and run.
My computer switch runs cold but the router runs hot. The Network drive 500Gb auto turns to standby but the 1Tb in spite of being set to go to standby mode never shuts down.
My TV booster in the loft would be a real pain to access each night after I have fell asleep to switch off to next day and so much loses it's time when switched off.
Some of the major house fires have be caused by washing machines and tumble driers yet we are encouraged to run energy saving cycles over night taking advantage of reduced electric prices the smart meters can offer.
I think to try to persuade people only to leave what is needed plugged in is a good idea but to start a scare over doing it is really OTT and the real push for fire protection needs to be aimed at manufactures not general public.
M
Mickymoody
It really is a misnomer to say to switch off, rather than leave in standby.
A skybox - it needs to maintain a heater to the LNB, in standby. If it doesn't, then the LNB will fail.
A Cable box, is essentially a computer, continually resetting it isn't good.
A TV, not putting it into standby causes less stress on its internal components.
So you get all the energy 'do-gooders' saying switch this and that off...but in reality, switching off equipment breaks it, and thus the cost, and replacement costs more to society.
Run an older car..it meets enviromental constrainsts. Build a new car, that costs more to manufacture.
The fireman that advised you OP is jobsworth.
Ask him this; due to the decline of analogue TV, why does everyone then have to go and buy a freeview receiver? So everyone had a TV, but now need to add an extra box to receive what they could before? Therefore adding to power consumption? Which will need to be stuck in standby?
A skybox - it needs to maintain a heater to the LNB, in standby. If it doesn't, then the LNB will fail.
A Cable box, is essentially a computer, continually resetting it isn't good.
A TV, not putting it into standby causes less stress on its internal components.
So you get all the energy 'do-gooders' saying switch this and that off...but in reality, switching off equipment breaks it, and thus the cost, and replacement costs more to society.
Run an older car..it meets enviromental constrainsts. Build a new car, that costs more to manufacture.
The fireman that advised you OP is jobsworth.
Ask him this; due to the decline of analogue TV, why does everyone then have to go and buy a freeview receiver? So everyone had a TV, but now need to add an extra box to receive what they could before? Therefore adding to power consumption? Which will need to be stuck in standby?
Sponsored Links
Where I work we never, ever turn off any computer hardware. Even desktop PCs. Our buildings contain approx 4k desktops PCs and monitors. In 15 years at this site not one has burst into flames. Machines are left on so that updates can be pushed out overnight and to reduce thermal stress on components. The fireman would probably be better off telling people to be aware of ventilation requirements of equipment. I wouldn't be suprised if more fires are caused by old dears putting a pretty doily on top of cheap set-top boxes....
M
Mickymoody
I recall visiting an old dear..and there was a huge sag in her......cable box. She had put a vase on top, and the box melted.
Is this actually true? I'm quite a tech-head and I didn't know this. Plus the Sky engineer didn't tell us this.
What is the purpose? To prevent ice forming on the LNB?
How does that work through a coaxial cable though. Surely it would require its own power source?
Exactly as you said, through the coaxial cable. What about coax makes the copper any less capable of conducting electricity?
A sattelite receiver powers and controls the LNB through the coax. The supply voltage controls the polarisation (as well as powering the LNB) and a 22KHz tone is used to switch frequency bands.
Provided the splitting/filtering is done correctly at each end (inside the LNB and receiver) these DC and low frequency signals have negligable impact on the RF signals.
Provided the splitting/filtering is done correctly at each end (inside the LNB and receiver) these DC and low frequency signals have negligable impact on the RF signals.
Thanks for clarifying that 
At first, I assumed that running a voltage through the coax cable would interfere with the signal and couldn't possibly work.
Thanks again! We learn something new every day.
At first, I assumed that running a voltage through the coax cable would interfere with the signal and couldn't possibly work.
Thanks again! We learn something new every day.
For what it's worth, every HiFi amplifier that I've used since 1976 has been plugged in, switched on, and left on permanently until there's been a power cut, I've needed to connect alternative sources to it, or until I've bought another amplifier.
The CD player gets the same treatment. I also leave the turntable running for months at a time.
None of them has burst into flames yet.
The CD player gets the same treatment. I also leave the turntable running for months at a time.
None of them has burst into flames yet.
i ran my pc non stop for 5 years, at just over 5 years the fan seized in it and it got really really hot, smelling of burning, i don't risk devices with fans in anymore for long times when i'm not there (i had left the pc on for 2-3 weeks without being there)
also as a result of this i had firetrace kit installed at work where we have had some server equipment powered 24/7 for over 13 years
also as a result of this i had firetrace kit installed at work where we have had some server equipment powered 24/7 for over 13 years
Some kit does have ridiculous standby power consumption though... I've got an Onkyo amp that draws 65 watts in standby if you enable the HDMI-CEC option. I have it disabled, of course. SIXTY FIVE WATTS!!! Not sure if their later generations are better, I've had this one for 2 or 3 years now.
I also have a V+ box, and (apparently) Virgin recommend that you unplug it when not in use. Well that's jolly useful, seeing as I pay them a great deal of money each month specifically so I can have a cable box that records things WHEN I'M NOT THERE TO USE IT!!!
Finally (don't worry, last thing on the list) I'm looking to get a gigabit network switch, but I'm put off by the power draw (plus noise) of many of them - You can find a 24-port 100mb switch in the sub-10W category easily, but as soon as you go to gigabit you're looking at the 60-100W class immediately. So, I'm likely to compromise on a 100mb switch with a few gigabit ports for those few machines that actually need a gigabit link.
I also have a V+ box, and (apparently) Virgin recommend that you unplug it when not in use. Well that's jolly useful, seeing as I pay them a great deal of money each month specifically so I can have a cable box that records things WHEN I'M NOT THERE TO USE IT!!!
Finally (don't worry, last thing on the list) I'm looking to get a gigabit network switch, but I'm put off by the power draw (plus noise) of many of them - You can find a 24-port 100mb switch in the sub-10W category easily, but as soon as you go to gigabit you're looking at the 60-100W class immediately. So, I'm likely to compromise on a 100mb switch with a few gigabit ports for those few machines that actually need a gigabit link.
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
