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Re: London Fire
Wonder where the Whirpool exec who pushed through the Indesit/Hotpoint buy out is now? 🙁
Re: London Fire
I am sure unrelated but ironic that Whirlpool CEO has recently announced he is stepping down in October.
The focus of the police investigation is clearly the building renovation, but if I’d repaired a Hotpoint fridge freezer on the relevant floor of the tower block in the past I’d be very concerned.
Re: London Fire
As expected, only the FF175 involved gets a mention in the press article, not the numerous similar models.
Fuelled by Hotpoint themselves, who have issued a preemptive “Product Notice” for just 2 models FF175BG and FF175BP. From PartFinder, there appear to be at least a dozen similar models from Hotpoint and Indesit which don’t get a mention.
Re: London Fire
iadom wrote:Wonder where the Whirpool exec who pushed through the Indesit/Hotpoint buy out is now? 🙁
Indesit definitely avoided the bullet yet again 😡
Steve
Re: London Fire
To be fair, there’s no history of fire on that model, I can’t even find a single report of one.
And, it doesn’t even look as if it was problematic really, very little info on it.
But it does look as if a number were sold under the Ariston name across Europe.
The safety notice thing I suspect was put out there as a reaction to the fact that the fire has been attributed to that model I mean really, what else could they do? In the eyes of public opinion they’d have to react or do something even if it does prove to be a pointless waste of time.
In all of that however, there’s still no detail of how it went on fire.
For all we know it could’ve been a dodgy socket… we simply don’t know.
Therefore in my opinion, it’s way to early for looking at sending someone or a company to the gallows before all the facts are known.
K.
Re: London Fire
You run the risk with any modern frost free fridge freezer now a days.
This also applies to any modern appliance.
I have seen many PCB,s that have shorted out due to condensation and melting the cabinets, but most just stop working before they go up in flames.
This is across all makes.
The trouble is mixed with R600a you have a ticking time bomb.
That is why Mercedes Benz are refusing to use R600a in there air conditioning despite pressure from the EU.
The only way to avoid it is to go back to basics with standard stats and non ozone friendly refrigerants, but that is not going to happen as it is not what Consumers, Governments or Friends of the Earth wants.
Bob
Re: London Fire
The tree huggers have a lot to answer for, it was to comply with ‘green energy’ considerations that the iffy cladding was fitted in the first place.
Re: London Fire
not surprised these new fridges freezer full of butane gas all ticking bombs crazy :angry4:
Re: London Fire
The amount of butane in them isn’t really a problem as such, it’s not a lot only between 50 and 100 grams usually.
That’s like maybe ten disposable lighters.
Sure it’ll go pop, make a lot of fuss and whatnot but won’t do any real serious damage and, if it ignites it blows then goes out so it’s a minimal risk in the grand scheme of things.
If it gets out then it mixes with air and the danger is lessened with every second as it dissipates as it becomes less and less flammable.
Normally.
If the gas is held in an enclosed airtight space and has oxygen then gets an ignition source then sure, things get a lot more impressive. That was the working theory with the Samsung’s that blew their doors off rather impressively.
More of a danger is something I’ve seen a lot where technicians think it’s okay to keep topping up what they think is a leaking system with a combustible gas. One it’s a false premise and incorrect but if it is an internal leak, like really is, then all the gas is seeping into the insulation of the cabinet filling the space in there with stuff that goes BANG!
And that is a recipe for disaster, potential criminal negligence charges and goodness knows what else.
So the next time you think it need a little gas top up… consider the above and what I and most anyone that knows much of anything about domestic refrigeration keep on telling people… they’re sealed systems… if the gas gets out… there’s a hole.
Don’t fix the hole and there’s the real potential for a very big bang.
K.
Re: London Fire
interesting , i used to do loads of compressor changes even fix punctured evaporators . with the old r12 134a , wouldn’t touch them now ,with r 600a.another dagger to trade grrr , surely a must is to put metal all way round them now , especially at back where compressor is ,
Re: London Fire
Honestly, I really don’t see how that solves any problems in reality.
What’s to go on fire or likely to in a fridge?
Think about it.
The heater on some, yup, seen that.
Relay/klixon melting, seen that.
Defrost timers, a few (okay a fair few from a certain purveyor of perhaps Turkish origin).
Uhm… struggling now! 😕
A compressor on fire, it’s a sealed bottle if flame gets out there’s a hole, a big ‘un!
They are, by their very nature, designed to keep gas in and contain that under pressure in a vacuum free of atmosphere or they don’t work so, chances of air getting in to provide oxygen to burn… mhm, let me think… none?!
Fire around it, wires burn, relay etc, pop, trip/fuse pops and it stops doing anything, becomes an inert lump of metal.
The “plastic” backing going on fire I don’t think is the problem really, I mean have you tried to burn that stuff, it takes some effort. To burn foam even more so. And the smoke, man the smoke off that lot would send smoke detectors apoplectic to the point of waking the dead… there’d be zombies popping up in your garden they’d be going so nuts.
Anyone who’s worked on an integrated unit with a turbo torch will know this only too well. 😉
All of which gets you to a bit of logical, pragmatic thinking rather than knee-jerk reactions, often in response to people suggesting stuff that they often have little idea about.
In that, the problem with fridge going up is where the fire started, not so much on how it spreads… cure the disease, not the symptoms.
Ensure fire and smoke alarm safety. As in, they’re there and work!
Ensure that they’re installed properly, it’s staggering how many aren’t, ventilation blocked and all that, in outhouses, garages and God knows where all else.
Make sure people don’t stuff freezers to the gunnels blocking airflow, that ain’t gonna help at all on some.
To get the backing and insulation to burn you need something to get it going.
Stuff like this:
[youtube:1mucy4pq]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FbGw6tjGEc[/youtube:1mucy4pq]
Is all well and good but, how’d the flames get there in the first bloomin’ place? Don’t you think that’s more of a concern than it actually burning if you take a blowtorch to it?
Almost anything will burn under the right circumstances.
The trick is not to allow those circumstances to occur.
For me, from my own point of view, everything else is a bit like chasing your own tail. Wasted effort as you’re not solving the actual problem, merely shifting the blame about.
But then I have the luxury of not having to be politically correct. I just like to be factually correct, I find that more appealing.
K.
Re: London Fire
theirs a few whispers that it was the compressor start capacitor that caused it , causing a fire like above. ..not certain tho
Re: London Fire
There’s also stories floating about that the LFB attended, put it out, were leaving and then the cladding was seen on fire.
Conspiracy theorists will run amok no doubt.
Meanwhile I’ll keep my trap shut till I have data and facts aside what I already know to be true. 😉
K.
Oh dear.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-46363830
It is “opinion” and I have issues with it as that machine was years old and obviously worked for about a decade or more had proven to be pretty safe if you ask me and, no way to know the condition, what was done to it or much anything really but because is slapped across the media in a bullet point, expect there to be much finger pointing and waving to follow. Directly followed by the panicked public.
K.
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