Testing an Electric Blanket

That's nothing...I used to have one that went all the way up to *11*!

jak

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So you don't really know how much the blanket was actually used. Ours are in daily seasonal use. My wife never uses less than 5 even on new blankets so that must shorten the life considerably. Not unusual to wake up sweating just from the heat from her side.

Present blanket goes all the way to Hi. :^b

Ian -

You are right - thanks for the lecture.

I phrased my objection badly, but I was responding to a previous post that suggested a GFI could protect against line-to-line shorts, or shorts across part of the heating element. I stand by my statement that if there is no ground anywhere, there cannot be a ground fault. So the question becomes, as another poster noted, where will you find a ground connection if you are snug in your bed, and if the power cord (a two-wire cord) doesn't bring a ground into the picture? I suppose that if you set up your bed in a bathtub, you might do it. But as I look back, I have never had a ground connection within casual reach of any bed I have ever slept in.

OK, so now all of you lecturers can tell me about beds set up against steam radiators, copper water pipes run along the wall, radio antennas tacked to the wall, antique light switches, etc. I'm not sure that does the OP any good. On the other hand, if he uses and trusts a GFI, based on your comments, he could be in big trouble in case of a real short.

Bill

In that case you need the new arc detect circuit breaker that kills power when something sparks. The US electrical code requires them for new construction because a lot of electrical fires start in bedrooms due to damaged cords and appliances. I am in the process of making a new control cable for my hospital bed. If it was the power cord that was damaged, I could have had a nasty fire.

I think I've seen blankets with them. I know I've seen hair dryers with them. If the OP suspects his current (no pun intended) blanket as having a defect, perhaps it would be better to discard it and obtain one with the latest safety features.