If possible it's been even more grueling for me (since only a handful of people near me have comparable intelligence; leaving me with very few companions, who are mostly already working flat-out just to fix the endless problems created by the untelligent).

The best I can hope for is that more people will develop sympathy for the isolated...

Those arrangements amuse me so much (as an Australian) that I had to start a thread just about them, so here I go. I guess it's just yet another American dogma (the USA being the land of the gullible) that "any" central heating (let's just forget the ancient open wood fires, which are pretty much the most obsolete technology on Earth ) is superior to portable "space" heaters in each room (to say nothing of conduction heating devices such as electric blankets and pads), so here's what I think of them:

Electric furnaces
The foremost folly of the bunch, these are basically just an oversized central fan heater.
The amusing part (to me anyway) ain't that the name itself isn't an apt description of how they work; just that having a different name falsely implies some kind of fundamental difference from portable fan heaters.

I have this on full power (2400W here, thermostat maxed-out for continuous operation) as I've typed this post, and according to my thermometer it warms the best part of my (admittedly small) house to a surprising degree (or several ). By the way, since Kambrook (unlike far too many other manufacturers) actually implement proper QA on even their budget-oriented appliances (although they've ultimately settled into more mid-priced brackets for many items), they've never had to recall a heater they've made (and little else for that matter, as you can see for yourself); take that, American brands!
That's not to say you can't buy utter junk here if you cheap out (or just choose a bad brand, so be careful what you buy if you go to Hardly Normal ), of course.

Baseboard heaters
Essentially large convectors installed in place of the skirting boards.
The only remotely interesting thing about their construction (that I've seen) is the form of heating element used, a tubular type with lots of fins fitted around it to increase the surface area (reducing the temperature presented to foreign materials inside the heater); not that this couldn't be done in a portable unit if desired, of course.
(Indeed some "panel" heaters do use sorts of finned elements, albeit made from ceramic since that's long been an "advanced" marketing buzz-word. Not that I'd pay the crazy prices often asked for them; I had one pair of pretentious 1kW units which were even confusing to operate, and they still weren't even appreciably better-built than a basic-but-competent De'Longhi HCM2030 is for about $60 Australian. )

Our portable convector heaters (the kind with generally-bare elements inside a vented box, as distinct from the finned oil-filled heaters) seem just as capable of the near-indefinite lifespan achieved by North American fixed baseboard heaters, provided the following conditions apply (beyond being competently built, obviously):

• The top grille (together with the rest of the casing) is made of metal, and not plastic with a marginal temperature rating (as some manufacturers have regretted quite badly, e.g. Goldair on their Turbo-Convectors of the 1990s).
• They are protected by just a resettable bimetallic switch (or two in series if desired for redundancy), not the common one-shot thermal fuses (Microtemp and equivalents) with their aging problem (especially if marginally set).
• They are kept reasonably clean, to prevent dust from building out of control (the moisture held by it can rust steel end terminals of the heating elements; those are usually nickel-plated, but only thinly in most cases).
• Their elements aren't distorted in such a way as to create glowing spots (when maintaining those heaters, I straighten such regions out if observed).

Why heating was centralized in the first place
In general, the main reasons for making home (or office etc.) heat central are:

• Getting rid of combustion fumes easily (which electric heaters don't produce in the first place; not at their point-of-use, anyway)
• Saving costs on control and protection hardware (of which electric resistance heaters need very little to begin with, of course)
• Some things (including PSUs by the way) work more efficiently when scaled up -- but not electric resistance heaters

So to implement central air heating using an electric resistance heater, completely misses the point (and indeed merely brings in the inevitable heat losses through the insulation, however good, of air ducting or water piping).
(The closest that any sensible arrangement gets is night-storage heaters which share a common timer; but the heaters themselves are still physically separate per-room.)

How central heating itself could be improved...
Observing just how good a well-designed fan heater is at distributing heat through the room it's in (I'd dare say Kambrook's current models are almost as good there as a Vornado would be), has made me ponder the prospects of fan-assisted heat exchangers (I won't take "radiator" as a synonym for those, since that's just so totally inaccurate) for central heat systems; basically they'd resemble water-cooling rigs for bleeding-edge computers, but maybe bigger (at least in the larger rooms). As a side benefit, the amount of heat delivered in each room could naturally be varied with the fan speed.

The flip-side of this, of course, afflicts air-conditioners used on their reverse cycle; since those (having been mounted high-up for their primary role of cooling) have to fight the natural order of air convection, hot and cold spots abound in practice (including my own home, and wherever else I've experienced them).
The same effect works against those wall-mounted fan heaters as commonly installed in UK (and to a lesser extent New Zealand) bathrooms; so I personally just use a portable fan heater in bathrooms with a 10A outlet, and a safe enough place to put the heater.

Of course, in a climate that's consistently cold (but not too cold for heat pumps to be effective) this problem could be avoided by mounting the indoor units at floor level; but Australia isn't like that.

The only rule I'm aware of is "Ib<=In<=Iz", which means that the load current must be smaller or equal to the overcurrent protection device's nominal current and the latter must be smaller or equal to the wiring's maximum rated current (depending on cross-section but also factors such as ambient temperature and grouping as well as length, i.e. voltage drop). An additional design guideline states that appliances larger than 1.5 kW should be supplied by a dedicated circuit but this applies to the design of new installations, not to plug-in appliances in existing installations. There's nothing in the electrical regs to keep a homeowner from plugging a 3.5 kW electric oven into the place's only 16-amp circuit. Or into an ancient 10-amp circuit that also supplies all the kitchen sockets, as I saw in an older place a few months ago. The ceramic Diazed fuse holder showed considerably signs of heat damage! I only looked at the place as it was cleared out after the tenant had passed away so I'm fairly certain it'll all get rewired or may already have been.

Austria does have a rather arbitrary rule that is somewhat similar to the US 80% rule. In any other country that I'm aware of, the rated current of an RCD (e.g. 40 or 80 or 100 amps) equals the required overcurrent protection (to protect the RCD from thermal damage). In Austria, unless the manufacturer explicitly specifies the maximum overcurrent protection, the rated current is taken to be the "thermal limit current", i.e. tied to the OCPD's trip curve! Example: a class gG/gL fuse must blow within one hour at 1.6x its rated current. Therefore, according to the regs, an RCD must be able to withstand that overcurrent for one hour and a 40-amp RCD must be protected by a 25-amp fuse. Most manufacturers have two ranges of RCDs for the Austrian market, one regular, affordable, and one much more expensive "nameplate rated" series (we're talking almost three times the price!). Eaton calls this the X-series and that's become a synonym for RCDs that don't need de-rated OCPDs. A 40/4/0.03XG would be a time-delayed 40-amp four-pole RCD that can be connected to a 40-amp main fuse according to their nomenclature. Otherwise you could also fit a 63-amp regular G-type RCD but that's as expensive as the 40-amp XG. In domestic properties in Vienna that's rarely an issue because the standard supply is only 25 amps per phase but in the surrounding areas it's a considerable problem because the standard supply is 35 amps there. In some areas of Germany it's 63 amps (three-phase) even for the smalles studio apartment, which I find slightly ridiculous.

This is were we discussed the small ground conductor
https://www.electrical-contractor.n...ed-grounding-wire-in-nmc.html#Post220515

There are a few wireway manufacturers on the net that could solve your problem and I assume your local supplier can order them too.
This is one I saw right away. Looks like a nice one, gasketed, stainless etc.
https://www.hubbell.com/wiegmann/en...res/Wireway-Fittings/T2236CHSS/p/2980658

We are supposed to trust that a properly made up metallic raceway grounds the box so this would be supplemental grounding but I do think the clip might be a better solution if it could be done in a non destructive way. I suppose a more elegant solution would be using a small diamond wheel in a rotary tool to eat out the concrete but most guys are not going to have that in their bag.

Yup....

That is correct, Wateringress. The coil in my photo is on the left side, hidden under the sheet metal fin.

I'm not sure about the whole EU, but all breakers in Germany, since many decades, have these two working mechanisms. The bimetal strip to act time-delayed in overload condition, and the coil for instant trip in short circuit situations. There's different trip curves but the most common curve is "B" where the instant trip will start working at 3 to 5 times the nominal current.
With the most common breaker for regular outlets being B 16 Amp, the fault loop impedance must be low enough to have at very least 80 Amp flow in case of a short, to trigger the instant trip. This is also something the contractor needs to prove by measurement with a special meter.
A common value for the available short circuit current in a regular panel of a German appartment is around 300-2000 Amp. Depending on the distance to the transformer and wiring. So if the wire from the breaker to the outlet is not too long, and terminations are good, you easily make the 80 Amp plus some functional reserve.

Epson Recalls Power Adapters Sold with Epson Scanners Due to Burn and Fire Hazards:

May 1, 2020
Recall Number: 20-116

Recall Summary
Name of product:
Power adapters sold with Epson scanners

Hazard:
The power adapters can overheat, melt and catch fire, posing burn and fire hazards.

Remedy:
Replace
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled adapters and contact Epson to receive a free replacement adapter.

Consumer Contact:
Epson USA toll-free at 888-367-2656 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday or online at www.epson.com and click “Support” for more information.

Pictures (and more info) available here:
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/E...on-Scanners-Due-to-Burn-and-Fire-Hazards

Recall Details
Units:
About 314,000 (In addition, 25,000 in Canada)

Description:
This recall involves the power adapter sold with Epson V-series (V30/V33/V37/V300/V330/V370) scanners. The recalled adapters are black with a power cord that connects to the scanner and to an electrical outlet. “EPSON” and internal part code “EADP-16CB B” are printed on the label of the adaptor.

Incidents/Injuries:
Epson is aware of 15 incidents worldwide of the adaptor melting or catching fire, resulting in property damage. No injuries have been reported.

Sold At:
Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, Walmart, and department stores nationwide from January 2010 through December 2015 for between $55 and $80 for the scanner and adapter.

Importer(s):
Epson America Inc., of Long Beach, Calif.

Manufactured In:
China (Adapter), Indonesia (Scanner)

Modular Robotics Recalls Rechargeable Battery Packs Due to Burn Hazard:

Recall Date: April 30, 2020
Recall Number: 20-115

Recall Summary
Name of product:
Rechargeable battery packs

Hazard:
The rechargeable battery packs can short circuit, causing them to overheat, posing a burn hazard to consumers.

Remedy:
Replace
Consumers should immediately stop using the rechargeable battery packs, contact Modular Robotics for a free replacement battery pack. Safely dispose of the defective product by following local laws for disposal of the batteries.

Consumer Contact:
Modular Robotics toll-free 24 hour hotline at 877-233-6859, or visit the firm’s website at www.dexterindustries.com and click on Recall for more information.

Pictures (and more info) available here:
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/M...rgeable-Battery-Packs-Due-to-Burn-Hazard

Recall Details
Units:
About 2,400

Description:
This battery pack was sold individually, and also within Classroom Kits and GoPiGo and BrickPi robotic bundles. It is a 9.6V 2000Ah NiMH battery pack with Max Charge Current 2A and is wrapped in black plastic. “Dexter Industries Rechargeable Battery Pack” is printed on a white label on the battery pack.

Incidents/Injuries:
Modular Robotics has received four reports of the rechargeable battery packs smoking and overheating. No injuries have been reported.

Sold At:
Online at Dexterindustries.com from March 2018 through January 2020 for about $38.

Importer(s):
Modular Robotics Inc., of Boulder, Colo. and Dexter Industries, of Restin, W.V.

Manufactured In:
China

DICK’S Sporting Goods Recalls Safety Ropes Due to Fall and Injury Hazards:

Recall Date: June 10, 2020
Recall Number: 20-133

Recall Summary
Name of product:
Field & Stream safety ropes

Hazard:
The ropes can fail when used in freezing conditions, posing fall and injury hazards

Remedy:
Refund

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled ropes and return them to any DICK’s Sporting Goods or Field & Stream store if purchased at those stores or at Sportsman’s Warehouse store if purchased there. Consumers with a receipt will receive a full refund and consumers without a receipt will receive a store credit of the purchase price.

Consumer Contact:
DICK’s Sporting Goods toll-free at 877-846-9997 from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at dickssportinggoods.com and click on Recalls at the bottom of the page, for DICK’S Sporting Goods and Field & Stream customers. Sportsman’s Warehouse at 800-286-3076 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. MT Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT on Sundays or online at www.sportsmans.com and click on Product Recalls at the bottom of the page, for Sportsman’s Warehouse customers.

Pictures (and more info) available here:
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/D...ety-Ropes-Due-to-Fall-and-Injury-Hazards

Recall Details
Units:
About 63,000

Description:
This recall involves Field & Stream Life Line, Linesman and Safety Ropes and are used to reduce the risk of a fall while climbing. The ropes are black with orange lines and were sold in a single or three pack. They have a carabineer that hooks onto the harness and a black and red label with the style number HEH01299, HEH01882Z, or HEH01530 printed in the bottom corner of the label.

Incidents/Injuries:
The firm has received one report of the safety rope failing when used during freezing weather, resulting in a concussion and knee injury.

Sold At:
DICK’S Sporting Goods and Field & Stream stores nationwide and online from June 2017 through March 2020 for between $20 and $80 and at Sportsman’s Warehouse stores nationwide from October 2019 through April 2020 for between $20 and $80.

Distributor(s):
DICK’S Sporting Goods, of Coraopolis, Pa.

Manufactured In:
China

Ushio America Recalls Indiglow LED T8 Lamps Due to Injury Hazard:

Recall Date: June 10, 2020
Recall Number: 20-134

Recall Summary
Name of product:
Indiglow LED T8 Lamps

Hazard:
The recalled lamps can overheat causing the glass tube to fall and strike those standing nearby, posing an injury hazard.

Remedy:
Refund
Replace

Consumers should immediately stop using Ushio America T8 Indiglow LED lamps and contact the firm for a full refund or a free replacement lamp. Ushio America is contacting all known purchasers directly.

Consumer Contact:
Ushio America at 800-838-7446 between 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, via email to customerservice@ushio.com, or online at www.Ushio.com and click on Product Recalls at the top of the Home Page or visit https://www.ushio.com/ushio-indiglow-led-t8-recall-information/ for more information.

Pictures (and more info) available here:
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/Ushio-America-Recalls-Indiglow-LED-T8-Lamps-Due-to-Injury-Hazard

Recall Details
Units:
About 3,000

Description:
This recall involves Ushio America’s Indiglow LED T8 backlight lamps, with a 4ft. tube. The lamps are direct drop-in replacements for 30W and 32W T8 fluorescent tubes. The firm name USHIO and brand name Indiglow are on the lamp. The manufacturing date code is imprinted on the silver aluminum end cap of the lamp indicated by 16xx or 17xx.

Incidents/Injuries:
Ushio America has received reports of five incidents involving the lamp tubes overheating and falling to the ground. No injuries have been reported.

Sold At:
Candela Corporation, Bulb America, Atlanta Light Bulbs, Dial Electric, Television Production Services, and, 1000 bulbs.com, and distributors nationwide and online at Ushio.com from March 2017 through March 2018 for about $25.

Importer(s):
Ushio America Inc., of Cypress, Calif.

Manufactured In:
China

Rexair Recalls to Repair Rainbow SRX Vacuums Due to Fire and Burn Hazards:

Recall Date: June 17, 2020
Recall Number: 20-138

Recall Summary
Name of product:
Rainbow SRX Vacuums

Hazard:
The circuit board on the vacuum can spark, posing fire and burn hazards.

Remedy:
Repair

Consumers should immediately unplug and stop using their affected SRX vacuum and contact an authorized Rainbow distributor for a free repair.

Consumer Contact:
Contact the authorized distributor listed on the SRX sales receipt, or locate the nearest authorized distributor by entering the SRX vacuum’s serial number into the distributor locator found on the Rexair website https://rainbowsystem.com/SRX-120-Repair/ or contact Rexair toll-free at 833-940-2775 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET or online at https://rainbowsystem.com and click on the recall button on the homepage for more information.

Pictures (and more info) available here:
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/R...SRX-Vacuums-Due-to-Fire-and-Burn-Hazards

Recall Details
Units:
About 38,000 (In addition, about 4,800 sold in Canada)

Description:
This recall only covers the Rainbow SRX water-based filtration vacuum cleaner with model number RHCS19 Type 120 and a Serial Number that falls within the range 22003399 through 22077889. The vacuum is predominantly black with blue trim and rubber trim around the base. The “SRX” logo is located on the right and left front panels of the vacuum. There is a clear water basin at the base of the vacuum.

Incidents/Injuries:
There have been two reports of the SRX vacuum catching fire. No injuries have been reported.

Sold At:
Independent authorized Rainbow distributors nationwide to consumers from June 2019 through June 2020 for about $3,200.

Manufacturer(s):
Rexair LLC, of Troy, Mich.

Manufactured In:
United States

Republic Wireless Recalls Relay Charging Cables Due to Overheating and Burn Hazards:

Recall Date: June 17, 2020
Recall Number: 20-139

Recall Summary
Name of product:
Charging Cable for Relay Screenless Communication Devices

Hazard:
The charging cable can overheat and partially melt, posing a burn hazard.

Remedy:
Replace

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled charging cables and contact Republic Wireless for a free replacement charging cable. Republic Wireless is contacting consumers of affected products who have active accounts to provide free replacement cables. Customers who purchased a Relay device but do not currently have an active account can contact Republic Wireless to determine if they have an affected product and to obtain a free replacement.

Consumer Contact:
By email at support@relaygo.com, online at www.relaygo.com/cableinfo or at www.relaygo.com and click on “Support Documentation” and then “Important Notice About Relay Charging Cables”, or call Republic Wireless toll-free at 833-832-0053.

Pictures (and more info) available here:
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/R...bles-Due-to-Overheating-and-Burn-Hazards

Recall Details
Units:
About 15,000

Description:
The recalled charging cables were sold individually and with some Relay Screenless Communication devices. The cables are three feet long with a USB Type-A male connector on one end and a charging head on the opposite end. The charging head has a 5 pin pattern (5 in-line “pogo” pins) that allows it to charge Republic’s Relay device. The charging head has a magnet that aids in mating the pins on the charging head with the contacts on the device.

Affected charging cables do not have the Relay logo on the back of the portion of the charging head that connects to the Relay device. This recall only applies to cables sold with some Relay devices and cables sold separately from May 2018 through May 2019. After October 2018, Relay devices were manufactured and packaged with cables containing additional circuitry in the charging head to address the overheating risk.

Incidents/Injuries:
Republic has received two reports of incidents of the charging cable overheating. No injuries have been reported.

Sold At:
Relay devices packaged with recalled charging cables were sold at Relaygo.com, Target, and Amazon beginning in May 2018 for between $49 to $100. Individual recalled cables were sold on Relaygo.com for about $15.00 from May 2018 through May 2019.

Importer(s):
Republic Wireless Inc., of Raleigh, North Carolina

Manufactured In:
China

Edwards Recalls Mechanical Heat Detectors Due to Failure to Alert to Fire:

Recall Date: June 17, 2020
Recall Number: 20-140

Recall Summary
Name of product:
Edwards Mechanical Heat Detectors

Hazard:
The recalled heat detectors can fail to activate in reaction to rising temperatures, posing a risk of failure to alert consumers to a fire.

Remedy:
Replace

Consumers who use the product in life-safety applications permitted by code (for example, in elevator shafts, or in lieu of smoke detectors, manual pull stations, or sprinklers in particular settings), or in residential attics or residential garages, should immediately contact a fire or security alarm professional for free replacement and installation of the heat detector.

Consumer Contact:
Edwards Fire Safety at 800-505-5088 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday to Friday, or online at https://edwardsfiresafety.com and click on “Mechanical Heat Detector Information” for more information, or at https://edwardsheatdetector.rsvpcomm.com.

Pictures (and more info) available here:
https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2020/E...etectors-Due-to-Failure-to-Alert-to-Fire

Recall Details
Units:
About 85,000

Incidents/Injuries:
None reported

Sold At:
Edwards’ distributors, electrical wholesalers, contractors, and fire safety professionals nationwide from January 1979 through May 2018 for between $6 to $7 per unit.

Importer(s):
Edwards Fire Safety, of Bradenton, Florida

Manufactured In:
China

I've recently had a problem with my ground fault remover but I'm not sure how to repair it, could someone help me please?

BigB,
That's quite interesting, I would have suspected something like bad brushes/ commutator in the vacuum cleaner motor.

I hope this thread isn't too old to revive.

Well, I'm one of the fortunate few (having wired my own extension cords since the age of 5 or 6); and indeed ironically seem to be way more of an engineer than many of the newbies put in charge of recent standards amendments (which often end up taking costly and ineffective "shotgun" approaches, to problems that could be fixed properly at lower cost with a better understanding). The original standards themselves, developed from the beginning into the 1980s, were generally much better thought-out from what I've gathered; and of course the biggest dangers are from junk which meets no standard.

Even in my spare time, I can put current mainstream "reviews" (made of course by terminal sufferers of the Dunning--Kruger effect) of simple items to shame as you can see in my mini-review thread at Hardware Insights (where I'm a staff member):
http://www.hardwareinsights.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2160
I also catch a lot of junk just by astute observations, as you can see in my recalls thread there: http://www.hardwareinsights.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2279

Here's hoping that at least a few people will follow my example, so simple items can be held to the same high standards as more complex technology (and therefore become as trouble-free as they rightfully should be).

Yeah, that's quite disturbing given the target market.

Here in Australia (and Europe) our fan heaters from reputable manufacturers (Kambrook, De'Longhi etc.) use much stronger frames which won't break this easily. (Although I'm quite sure there's not such a difference among the cheap generics which of course typically use the same casings worldwide; just with different elements, fan motor, and cord basically.)

Welcome to our world

The reality is the safety people have decided 30ma is well up into the freeze category. (where you can't let go)
It will protect equipment but it is still too much current to reliably protect people.

We are starting to cover exposed copper at tower sites with big globs of roofing tar, hoping the druggies won't bother with it.