Monday, February 09, 2015
One of the best inventions
A fatal house fire in East Central Spokane reminds us yet again. The humble smoke detector is one of the best inventions of the 20th century. It won't prevent all fire deaths, but it saves a whole fucking lot of lives. And it's remarkably 'intelligent' for such a simple gadget.
A smoke detector was hanging in my house when I bought it. The detector has never given a false indication, even during power outages when I'm using a propane stove and candles. In the years when I was smoking a pipe, the detector never triggered.
The one time it did beep was exactly the one time I needed to be alarmed. It was around 2007, when I was stupefied by high blood pressure (and no exercise and prepackaged food) but didn't know it. I woke up from an afternoon nap, thoroughly hazed out. Put a pan of water on the stove and got out the prepackaged Lipton food-like substance. Turned on the burner and went into the bathroom to pee. The detector started beeping, pulling me out of my haze. I ran into the kitchen and found that I had turned on the wrong burner, igniting the Lipton package. The flame was about 2 inches high, but it could have caught the nearby curtains and started a cascade. A glass of water was enough to put out the Lipton package. Later I disconnected all the burners except the one I use, to prevent the same accident from happening again.
Footnote: Simple way to disconnect a burner on an older electric range. Yank the heating element out like you're going to clean the reflector dish. Instead of cleaning the dish, turn it at least 90 degrees so the opening isn't near the element's jack. Slip the heating element back in the hole. It still looks normal, it's still able to hold a dish or a package of food-like substance, but it can't get warm. If you turn the knob for this burner the voltage will simply go to the empty outlet under the surface, where it won't do anything. No flow, no power usage, no heat.
A smoke detector was hanging in my house when I bought it. The detector has never given a false indication, even during power outages when I'm using a propane stove and candles. In the years when I was smoking a pipe, the detector never triggered.
The one time it did beep was exactly the one time I needed to be alarmed. It was around 2007, when I was stupefied by high blood pressure (and no exercise and prepackaged food) but didn't know it. I woke up from an afternoon nap, thoroughly hazed out. Put a pan of water on the stove and got out the prepackaged Lipton food-like substance. Turned on the burner and went into the bathroom to pee. The detector started beeping, pulling me out of my haze. I ran into the kitchen and found that I had turned on the wrong burner, igniting the Lipton package. The flame was about 2 inches high, but it could have caught the nearby curtains and started a cascade. A glass of water was enough to put out the Lipton package. Later I disconnected all the burners except the one I use, to prevent the same accident from happening again.
Footnote: Simple way to disconnect a burner on an older electric range. Yank the heating element out like you're going to clean the reflector dish. Instead of cleaning the dish, turn it at least 90 degrees so the opening isn't near the element's jack. Slip the heating element back in the hole. It still looks normal, it's still able to hold a dish or a package of food-like substance, but it can't get warm. If you turn the knob for this burner the voltage will simply go to the empty outlet under the surface, where it won't do anything. No flow, no power usage, no heat.Labels: coot-proofing, TMI
¶ 5:59 PM
