Jaykline Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 I'm trying to find out what percentage of residential fires are related to electrical system problems. Does anyone have suggestions about where to look? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Katen Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 Originally posted by Jaykline I'm trying to find out what percentage of residential fires are related to electrical system problems. Does anyone have suggestions about where to look? Thanks. I'm not sure who keeps track of that sort of information. Have you tried starting with your local fire department? The local public information officer for the Portland fire department once told me that "electrical" is the default cause of a fire unless they discover another cause. - Jim Katen, Oregon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Beaumont Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 Hi Jay, Here is the link that you need it is to the FEMA site, you can get further information from the Association of State Fire marshalls as well: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/inside-usfa/nf ... _fire.shtm Hope this helps Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaykline Posted May 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 Thanks Gerry. A great link! That's exactly what I was looking for. I'm a little surprised by the results. I expected "electrical distribution" to be higher on the list. My interest in the answer is related to what I'm finding during my inspections. A lot of homes built in the early 70's - lots of Federal Pacific panels - Lots of homeowner fixes - and no code enforcement. Jim - I did check with our local volunteer Fire Department, and they told me the same thing. Default is electrical. Thanks again for the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Beaumont Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 Hi Jay, here's another link that puts another slant on it, you know what they say about lies damn lies and statistics: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml03/03144.html Regards Gerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcramer Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 Originally posted by Jaykline I'm trying to find out what percentage of residential fires are related to electrical system problems. Does anyone have suggestions about where to look? Thanks. Congratulations. You actually want to base your decisions on knowledge, rather than arm-waving opinion. You'll find that electrical systems are damn safe, especially compared to other risks in the home. Try the NFPA. They keep detailed stats on the causes of fires. http://www.nfpa.org/Research/index.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 I have been told by a lead arson investigator that huge percentages of fires are arson, they know they can't prove it, so it goes in the electrical fire bin. When I took fire science, we sat around and tried to start fires w/ amperage generators; it's extremely hard. Things like space heaters get thrown into the "electrical fire" bin also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian G Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 I was surfing around researching K&T about a month ago when I found an article about K&T's insulation issue. One part of the article described how the insulation industry in California had paid to have research done covering all of the residential fires in the previous 10 years. They were hoping to show that a very small percentage were related to insulating around K&T wiring. The research found none. Not one fire attributed to K&T, period. I ran across a second article where the Canadian government did something similar, and found only 2. They noted that both were found to be due to the homeowner altering the system themselves. As old as all of that stuff is, I was very surprized. Brian G. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Originally posted by Brian G. I was surfing around researching K&T about a month ago when I found an article about K&T's insulation issue. One part of the article described how the insulation industry in California had paid to have research done covering all of the residential fires in the previous 10 years. They were hoping to show that a very small percentage were related to insulating around K&T wiring. The research found none. Not one fire attributed to K&T, period. I ran across a second article where the Canadian government did something similar, and found only 2. They noted that both were found to be due to the homeowner altering the system themselves. As old as all of that stuff is, I was very surprized. Brian G. Very interesting. I believe it. Having grown up w/knob & tube in all manner of hacked together alterations, I can personally attest to it's amazing resilience. If all it was handling was lightbulbs & clocks, and it was unaltered, it's fine. Unfortuneately, so many other things occur, particuarly it's alteration. Those sorts of studies tend to frighten me, as it puts an open ended allowance on the stuff. When does it become too old & unsafe? I guess we have to wait for some fires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian G Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Originally posted by kurt Those sorts of studies tend to frighten me, as it puts an open ended allowance on the stuff. When does it become too old & unsafe? I guess we have to wait for some fires. Agreed. I present that information along with the traditional warnings about how outdated it is and how much safer a new grounded system would be. There has to come a time when it's just plain shot. Brian G. the California story http://hem.dis.anl.gov/eehem/91/910504.html the Canadian story http://www.cbc.ca/consumers/market/file ... insurance/ I was a tad off on my memory, it was 3 fires they found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hausdok Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Hi, Over the past 6 - 8 months I've been finding that some insurance companies out here are refusing to insure a home with K & T, until it's all been taken out and replaced, while others are charging significantly higher premiums. I now pass that on to my clients during the inspection and in my reports. After all, it doesn't matter if the stuff will continue to perform well for a hundred more years, if the insurance companies refuse to insure the home, the question of its replacement is moot. ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian G Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusty Posted May 6, 2004 Report Share Posted May 6, 2004 One thing is for sure. Wiring insulation does not get better with age. K&T needs free air space in which to disipate the heat created or the insulation will deteriorate, unlike more modern NMS. FEMA facts: In a typical year there are over 90,000 fires caused by electrical problems. 700 deaths and $700,000,000 in property damage. The United States Fire Administration (USFA) would like consumers to know that there are simple steps you can take to prevent the loss of life and property resulting from electrical fires. THE PROBLEM During a typical year, home electrical problems account for 90,000 fires, over 700 deaths, and $700 million in property losses. Home electrical wiring causes twice as many fires as electrical appliances. THE FACTS December is the most dangerous month for electrical fires. Fire deaths are highest in winter months which call for more indoor activities and increase in lighting, heating, and appliance use. Most electrical wiring fires start in the bedroom. THE CAUSE Electrical Wiring â⬢ Most electrical fires result from problems with ââ¬Åfixed wiringâ⬠Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.