What did you do today (2015)

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Mike / Keith

I had a similar experience recently. We have smoke detectors fitted to the ceilings downstairs and upstairs. Experiencing the intermittent bleep I did a quick whizz around then removed the batteries from each unit – bleep still occurring occasionally. Had forgotten about the CO detector which was sitting behind the clock in the sitting room! I'm not too sure that it's needed as we now have a heat pump for the C/H though maybe, if it ever gets cold enough to light the log burner?

Norman

 

Edited By NJH on 20/12/2015 12:26:10

[MikeParticipant @mike89748]

Thanks, gentlemen, but this definitely wasn't the low battery warning. It was constant rather than intermittent, and although it didn't seem too loud to me because I am deaf, one of my neighbours told me she could hear it all night.

[MuzzerParticipant @muzzer]

The low battery warning is a single pip every minute or so, so doesn't sound like that's the problem.

This (see graph bottom of page 2) seems to be a typical sensor element and the datasheet shows that it is sensitive to various gases / hydrocarbons, not just CO. So perhaps the products of decomposition are the cause of the alarm, like ethanol for instance.

[Jeff DaymanParticipant @jeffdayman43397]

Also possible that the sensor has gone past its' working life. Electrochemical detectors do have sensor material and electrolyte solution in the sensor cell that do not last forever. Typically they last 8 to 10 years max. Some detectors have a function built in to alarm or signal when the sensor component is no longer working properly, and call attention to this state. This is a better failure mode than just going silent/not operating when sensor is no longer working properly. It's similar in logic to the single "chirp" when battery is low. If it's more than 5 years old and alarming (high volume or low volume sound) open all windows, get outdoors immediately, do normal checks for a CO source – it may be from your neighbour's house or car, too. If you are at all unsure, call the local fire department's non emergency line and ask them to come out with their professional quality CO detector meter. Tell them you have no combustion source in the house but have a CO detector in alarm mode. If they come and check and say there is no CO present, throw out the old detector and get a new one the same day. JD

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Mike on 20/12/2015 11:24:48:

– an old carbon monoxide detector my wife had thrown out, without removing the batteries.

.

Mike,

Sorry to be a bore, but; that's not really 'the done thing' these days.

… Interesting story though !!

MichaelG.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

I think that laboratory tests in the US about 8/9 years ago showed that small quantities of CO occurred during the composting process.

Unfortunately I cannot actually find a reference of any sort in my junk now, probably got chucked out!

So maybe the rubbish had started to decompose and actually set the alarm off, of course it could also be something simple like a damp circuit board, dodgy connections, or any of the many other ideas already expressed.

The last two CO detectors I installed had a specified 7 year lifespan.

 

Michael is correct about not chucking this type of thing in the bin, you might get a visit from the "bin police", take the batteries to your local Superstore or DIY Store disposal box, do not bin the rest either, I notice some stores now have multi disposal units that take alarms and CFLs etc, local Council Tips now have disposal facilities for this type of thing as well.

Edited By V8Eng on 20/12/2015 15:50:24

[Brian Baker 2Participant @brianbaker2]

Neil, is you mystery photo a clock?

The scales are for 60 units on the Right Hand side & 12 on the Left Hand side.

Regards

Brian

[John HaineParticipant @johnhaine32865]

It could be a clock! There was a fluid digital clock in a shopping centre in Kurfurstendamm in Berlin I once saw that looked similar. It worked by filling a column up every few seconds (10?) with a measured quantity of water, so that after 6 top-ups (a minute) the column overtopped a siphon arrangement causing it to empty and dump a small amount of water as it did so into the next column, which needed 60 top-ups to cause it to empty every hour and so on with an extra column that needed 12 (or 24?) dollops of water. I remember the water was coloured and you read the time by the column height.

[Dave DanielsParticipant @davedaniels93256]

Bit baffled by this.

Right click on image > Properties … tells you it's a water clock or is it a more philosophical question?

 

Maybe I'm too simplistic ?? .. and completely missed the piont

 

Dave

Edited By Dave Daniels on 20/12/2015 20:15:42

Edited By Dave Daniels on 20/12/2015 20:16:50

[Martin ConnellyParticipant @martinconnelly55370]

No option to right click when using a tablet touch screen.

Martin

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Brian Baker 1 on 20/12/2015 17:27:40:

Neil, is you mystery photo a clock?

The scales are for 60 units on the Right Hand side & 12 on the Left Hand side.

Regards

Brian

It is indeed, by a Frenchman, Bernard Gitton.

And yes there is one of his clocks in Berlin.

Neil

Edited By Neil Wyatt on 20/12/2015 21:13:00

[Danny M2ZParticipant @dannym2z]

Yesterday watched the waterbombers sucking water from the lake.
Lake Hume holds more water than Sydney Harbour so it's not an immediate problem.

Too much smoke for decent photos as the fires are just up the road at Barnawatha and West Wodonga and the smoke detectors in the workshop kicked in, could not see far. It was time to go fishing in the Murray river. Caught two golden perch on soft plastic curly tail grubs, a first.

Today I did manage to make a tap holder to fit my tailstock dieholder (M.E.W. #233 -John Ashton) but shrunk the dimensions to suit B.A. taps. For the inserts, turned a spare length of rod to fit the holder so that pieces may be drilled to suit the tap in question and sliced off as required.

A simple device but quite handy.

* Danny M *

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

I hope the fires aren't threatening life and property this time.

Nice to hear when a design from the mag is built.

Neil

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Attended my local Astronomical Association on Friday to listen to a lecture by Damian Peach on Hi Resolution Astrophotography with some truly stunning images of the planets. As there are a number of forum members who have an interest here is the link to his website which is well worth a look. He also does a DVD course on technique (currently out of stock unfortunately)

**LINK**

It is truly astonishing the quality that can be obtained by amateurs these days with very affordable equipment.

regards Martin

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

The clock looks like its 5 mins past 4, but I can't tell if that is AM or PM, as it is light outside its probably 16:05.
BobH

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

I think there's been a dozen or so houses lost, but no loss of life so far. we should be getting the smoke this side of the Tasman by Christmas.

Had a hot day here today, 30*+, 36.5* in Christchurch, tomorrow's forecast is for about half that, that's the way the weather goes here.

Ian S C

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Martin Kyte on 21/12/2015 10:03:57:

Attended my local Astronomical Association on Friday to listen to a lecture by Damian Peach ..

It is truly astonishing the quality that can be obtained by amateurs these days with very affordable equipment.

His work is superb.

As for your second point, yes it is incredible. I've seen amateur stuff that starts to rival the pre-digital images from the Palomar 200-ince reflector – and it's in colour rather than B&W!

Neil

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

A tale of woe, again. Woke up to find the RCB had tripped during the night, so reset and it stayed in OK. Looked at a clocked stopped at 0400.

Yesterday evening it tripped again and I reset it OK. Then again woke up to find it had tripped during the night again. Called the Nephew Electritian and he tested out all the ring mains and sockets and found no fault . The possibility is that it is a Fridge/freezer or another Fridge or the Central heating and now I dont know how to test these separately. Considering the cost of a replacement upright fridge /freezer at £509 (Whirlpool) I can replace the smaller fridge quite easily as they are not expensive. The central heating is another thing altogether but as it's on another circuity I doubt it is the culprit. A PAT test may show a fault but if it is a switching fault how do I find it?

Clive

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

Hi Clive,
If you have any sockets that are not fed via the RCD you could try connecting each of the suspect items to it with a plug in RCD and extension lead in turn until you identify the faulty one. Is everything in your house fed via one master RCD or is it a split board with parts fed without RCD protection or via their own RCBOs (An RCBO is like an MCB but with a built in RCD.) An RCBO can be identified as it will have a test button.

Les.

[Roger Provins 2Participant @rogerprovins2]

You could narrow it down considerably by switching off/disconnecting everything you don't need before you go to bed. If it doesn't trip then try again with half the disconnected items back on. If it trips then try again with only half the items. If no trip then try with half of the other items connected. Repeat as required. 3/4 moves should crack it

[frank brownParticipant @frankbrown22225]

1. We used to have RCD trips associated with tap changing because the local industrial estate went home. Always a Friday between 1600 and 1800. I changed the RCD to a 100mA one to cure.

2. About 10 years later RCD going off again, traced to condensation inside ONE arm of a three armed metal chandelier dripping onto the bulb/earth!! No other moisture seen anywhere.

Bit like our case# 1, your fridge/freezer /central heating pump run 24/7 why night trip. Sounds like lecky board induced on, perhaps, a marginal circuit.

Frank

[S.D.L.Participant @s-d-l]

Posted by frank brown on 21/12/2015 17:18:07:

Bit like our case# 1, your fridge/freezer /central heating pump run 24/7 why night trip. Sounds like lecky board induced on, perhaps, a marginal circuit.

Frank

The freezer pump only runs on demand so try making the fridges and frezzers cycle by turning the freezer and refrigerator stat up and down. If a fridge freezer most but not all have separate compressors.

The central heating pump only runs when there is demand to heat hot water or the radiators.

There are bits like the motorised valves on the heating system that move then the pump runs or it moves whilst the pump is running but only for a minute so make the heating come on, increase the temperature on the wall stat to give demand and cycle pump and boiler on off with the stat.

Then put demand for hot water on and make sure that the tank stat is set high enough to give demand then check boiler and motorised valve cycles.

Steve

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

Clive

I don't know the style of property you live in but this sounds familiar to me, fault eventually traced to mice damaged T&E cable in a loft, vertigris formed around the damaged cable and sufficient path LE for a fault to trip an RCD, the same would happen with NE fault.

Emgee

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Quite common for fridge freezers to trip things, when I do a kitchen I get the sparks to put in a separate circuit just for the fridge & freezer, auto defrost ones do it quite a bit. The extra cost is negligible when you are fitting Sub-zero, Liebherr, etc

J

[S.D.L.Participant @s-d-l]

Posted by JasonB on 21/12/2015 19:39:28:

Quite common for fridge freezers to trip things, when I do a kitchen I get the sparks to put in a separate circuit just for the fridge & freezer, auto defrost ones do it quite a bit. The extra cost is negligible when you are fitting Sub-zero, Liebherr, etc

J

Also anything with heaters and water eg immersion heaters, washing machines, showers, kettles. is a good starting point for elcb trips.

Had my freezers put on their own RCbo circuits. So that trip on another circuit doesn't take out main rcd and do a forced defrost on the freezer when on holiday, learnt the lesson the hard way when pond took out main rcd.

Steve

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