Some of you may recall my ranting a few months ago about poor electric blanket electronics design. I have gone through a few different blankets over the last 5 years, each one failing (mercifully) during the warranty period. It seems that they were designed to fail, they just failed a bit too soon to generate more revenue for the manufacturers.
Now I have a different problem. The latest one hasn't failed (yet) but the controls are almost unreadable. Here are a couple of photos of the "heat" setting":
They are actually a bit clearer in the photo than in real life, because in real life the control is near the floor and because of the way the floor-human interaction works, you have to get on your knees to get really close.
But can you see that it is hard to make out what number is on the display?
It's moderately clear here because the camera has captured a moment in time. However in reality the back-light flickers annoyingly so that the numbers are almost impossible to read.
every blanket i've had, the fuse has always gone, infact i measured the current draw and it was pulling slightly more than the fuse was rated... which makes me curious how long it would last if never used on high...
I've never used an electric blanket. Somehow in the back of my mind, irrational or not, I'm afraid to get electrocuted or something while sleeping.
But I absolutely love my goose down feather comforter. The more you stay underneath it, the more the heat builds up generated by your own body heat and keeps it under there.
vasquo:
But I absolutely love my goose down feather comforter. The more you stay underneath it, the more the heat builds up generated by your own body heat and keeps it under there.
yes
I once had an electric blanket but I had to remove it because I felt electricity even when it was not on
My girlfriend said I was "over sensitive" so we kept one on her side. After a couple of weeks she felt it to.
So no more electric blanket but goose down feathers for me
Peter_I:
Is it a rotating disc with backlight and "almost number shaped holes" it uses for an indicator?
Yes a rotating disc with a backlight (looks like a neon from the way it flickers).
CrossRoads:
Gotta wonder - Australia - one of the hotter countries? - why do you need an electric blanket?
In Winter it gets quite cold. Also we don't have much heating in the bedroom as sleeping in a hot rooms isn't nice. So leaving the window open and keeping it fairly cool means the bed can be freezing when you get in late in the evening.
We turn it off though and use the quilt to keep us warm during the night. The blanket is just to take the chill off it.
Parts of Australia get snow in Winter. Not where we are because we are too close to the sea, but inland it gets very cold.
I don't think I see numbers. Can you create capchas with these images? I gotta thank my landlord for having enough heat in winter times. Never really felt the need for extra bedding let alone electric blanket. Where we live, large office buildings have trouble keeping up with the May weather. One day you need the heat on and the next crew are busy trying to get the AC to work. Then it gets cold for a few more days.
You got through several electric blankets in five years in Australia!
"Quite cold" seems to be a very subjective statement in Oz.
Have you tried a hot water bottle? They will take the chill of a bed but also have the advantage of very localised heat.
Built in obsolescence is a nightmare, there should be a law against it. There was a film in 1951 "The man in the white suit" with Alex Guinness, I think in part it's story line was based on nylon stockings. Apparently when these were first introduced they were almost indestructible. A great boon for women but sales plummeted. As a result design changes were made to reduce lifespan.
"Quite cold" seems to be a very subjective statement in Oz.
Too right. It gets really cold up where I am, why just the other day we we got down to about 15C overnight. The electric blankets were working over time
-40C and colder: Very Cold
-30C : Quite Cold
-20C : Cold
-10C : Chilly (unless it's been quite cold then we might call this warm)
0 and above : Grab your shorts and fire up the grill. Summer is here.
I live in a cold place too. Some people here are stubborn enough to start wearing shorts on 4/1. Too much cold and not enough protection will wear out their knees.
+40C and hotter: OK for sitting around and short walks.
+30C : Perfect
+20C : Chilly, service the heater just in case.
+10C : Cold, start looking at maps
0 and below: WTF am I doing this far south. Grab your keys and fire up the motor, it's time to head north.
