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Unread 17-08-2004, 00:19
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dlavery dlavery is offline
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Re: My Wall Caught On Fire!---A Classic *Mangia*

Quote:
Originally Posted by Aignam
For the second time in a year, I've caught my room on fire.

My house has aluminum wiring. Back in the day, it was the hottest thing out in the 60s and 70s and everyone wanted to try it, not unlike certain other things, albeit less illegal. Turns out it wasn't such a good idea. From what I gather, the wire overheats with extended or profound use, causing the fittings to become loose, building up carbon. In other words, fire.

And everytime I try it, my wall catches on fire. Luckily, 2 out of 2 times the metal electrical box has burned the fire out, but nonetheless, it's not a risk I'd like to take. I would run the computers on two different outlets, but my question is, will that help? Thing is, the smoke and heat comes out of a different outlet than the one I'm using. And the amperage of the breaker should be plenty for what I want to do.
Call a certified electrician immediately, and get your house inspected and the wiring validated. Do not pass "GO." Do not collect $200. Do not do ANYTHING else before you do this! You DO NOT want to wait around on this.

If the wiring in the house is heating up to the point of ignition, particularly if the breaker is not tripping, is a SERIOUS hazard, and not to be trifled with. This is a dangerous situation, and must be corrected immediately - for your own safety and that of everyone else in the house.

Just trying to "map out" the outlets and breakers in the room WILL NOT take care of the problem. You have specific evidence that a moderate load on at least one outlet will cause ignition. Even if you move your power loads to a different outlet, how will you certify that no one else will EVER use the suspect outlet? If someone else were to load up the outlet, and it caught fire, which then resulted in damage, injury or worse, are you willing to accept responsibility? Since you know the wiring is problematic, if you do nothing to correct it you risk liability for any damage or harm that may result from a future incident.

-dave
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