Things we used to do

[Deleted member 1258]

I can remember my grandad plugging his electric shaver into the light fitting that was on a chord hanging from the ceiling.

I remember the light fittings with the extra socket on them to plug things into

 

[mybike]

I remember the light fittings with the extra socket on them to plug things into

In the days when you didn't have electric sockets upstairs. Of course we did have three types of mains socket. Here's a must watch video.

 

[marknotgeorge]

In the days when you didn't have electric sockets upstairs. Of course we did have three types of mains socket. Here's a must watch video.

I lasted 30 seconds.Is this a good or a bad thing?

 

[Deleted member 1258]

In the days when you didn't have electric sockets upstairs. Of course we did have three types of mains socket. Here's a must watch video.

I was brought up on a council estate on the Kent coast in the 1950's-1960's and had the box room, I think there was one socket in the room. In 1998 when we brought our second house it came with 5 and 15 amp round pin plugs, the previous owner left us a bag of plugs and my first job was to swap the plugs round, about a month later, after a rewire, I was swapping them back.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I lasted 30 seconds.Is this a good or a bad thing?

Its what we had in the 1950's, and it wasn't very good from the safety point of view.

 

[subaqua]

Its what we had in the 1950's, and it wasn't very good from the safety point of view.

Care to explain why ?

The ring main and 13A socket wasn't brought in purely for safety . There was a very good technical reason.

Funny how we are going back to radials now .

 

[marknotgeorge]

Its what we had in the 1950's, and it wasn't very good from the safety point of view.

If I recall correctly, they still had them in one of Bradford Uni's halls of residence when I was there in about 1990.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Care to explain why ?

The ring main and 13A socket wasn't brought in purely for safety . There was a very good technical reason.

Funny how we are going back to radials now .

I was thinking about what we've got now, trip switches in the main fuse box, fuses in plugs, plastic covered wiring, inspections and certificates. Makes the 1950's stuff of my childhood seem crude and dangerous.

 

[subaqua]

I was thinking about what we've got now, trip switches in the main fuse box, fuses in plugs, plastic covered wiring, inspections and certificates. Makes the 1950's stuff of my childhood seem crude and dangerous.

fuses operate in same time. , on a radial you couldn't pull more than 15A ( well was about 30A before fuse went, a 16A MCB would be about 22A on overload) we had inspections and certificates back in the 50s just nobody bothered( and to be fair there's a lot of people still not)

MCB added convenience, but has raised the problem of counterfeiting which will lower safety.

safety HAS improved but 2A 5A and 15A plugs are not inherently UNsafe. They protect the flex that is all

one type of "trip switch" brought in was a Voltage operated ELCB . which needed a good path to earth . if that was broken you could get 240V ( as was then ) on all the metalwork in a house. Current operated was much better and that's what we have today.

 

[Illaveago]

When I was young in the late 50s early 60s, I remember my parents having an upright piano. The only time I remember it being played was when the piano tuner came to tune it, I'm not sure if anyone in my family could play.

 

[colly]

Front rooms that were never used. Except for the occasional guest or at Christmas. Always bloody freezing, even in summer.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Front rooms that were never used. Except for the occasional guest or at Christmas. Always bloody freezing, even in summer.

Yes I remember, the front room was the best room, better decorated, best furniture and only used for special occasions and special guests. I also remember coal fires and only one room heated in in the winter, the rest of the house was freezing cold, frost on the inside of the bedroom window wasn't uncommon. Our back room had an oven and pull down thing next to the fire, in the winter our pyjama's were kept in the pull down so they were warm when we put them on, and we went to bed with a hot water bottle. I also remember getting up for school before the fire was lit, my Mum would have the oven on with the door open to heat the kitchen, the rest of the house was the same temperature as the outside.

 

[colly]

Coal fires !! Oh yes !! Especially when me mum was not around I set it and got it going. The bit when you held a sheet of newspaper held across the fire opening to encourage a fierce draught through the fire grate to fan the flames. AND BEST OF ALL WHEN THE NEWSPAPER CAUGHT LIGHT.

How I made it out of childhood I'll never know.

 

[classic33]

Yes I remember, the front room was the best room, better decorated, best furniture and only used for special occasions and special guests. I also remember coal fires and only one room heated in in the winter, the rest of the house was freezing cold, frost on the inside of the bedroom window wasn't uncommon. Our back room had an oven and pull down thing next to the fire, in the winter our pyjama's were kept in the pull down so they were warm when we put them on, and we went to bed with a hot water bottle. I also remember getting up for school before the fire was lit, my Mum would have the oven on with the door open to heat the kitchen, the rest of the house was the same temperature as the outside.

Learned to move quick in the mornings though!

 

[colly]

Frozen water in the toilet pan. If it was really really cold even a morning whizz wouldn't melt it enough.