why in old houses did they.....

[sedgy34]

Up until 1980 my nan had a twin tub and a mangle. Many happy days getting my fingers trapped in that.

By looking at your avatar you sure it was just your fingers that went through the mangle lol

 

[sedgy34]

more like this one,was the 70's.modern times:1eye:

View attachment 14177

So you found my pants give them back lol

 

[Strima]

By looking at your avatar you sure it was just your fingers that went through the mangle lol

I may have tried to get my head in at some point knowing me... :lol:

 

[Darkwood]

Im a bit late on this one and probably already suggested but here's a few reasons and myths;

Myth- They were wired close the windows due to war era and the thought that enemies may shoot at shadows cast

Truth- In the days of lead wiring etc the cost of fabric was high thus ppl couldn't afford heavy thick curtains and the consequence was they were similar to the net curtains we have no for fancy, but this revealed all if you passed between the light and the window so positioning close to window solved this.

Another thing was that fitting were used as plug sockets as well and in some rooms were offset to allow for irons etc to be run off the lampholder adaptor (pre 17th ) where having them central normally would mean ironing in the center of the room but more beneficial if you ironed near the window with natural light.... although this wasn't the original reason it kept the trend going for many decades after.

Believe it or not ive been to a house of a very old lady still plugging an old iron to the cotton wrap drop but it was 10yrs ago and believe shes now passed away.

 

[Geordie Spark]

And another one, radiators were always put under windows to mask the draught from single glazing and unsealed casements,

I almost always fitted them under the window - regardless if the property had double glazing or not.

My thinking being that you can't shove a wardrobe in front of a window (well .. you can, but ..) so put the radiator there & leave a wall clear for wardrobes etc.

 

[Geordie Spark]

more like this one,was the 70's.modern times:1eye:

View attachment 14177

That's like the one me Ma had in 1953.

There's a car wash place near where I live that hand washes cars & they have two of those to wring-out their cloths.

 

[Robotstar5]

Another thing was that fitting were used as plug sockets as well and in some rooms were offset to allow for irons etc to be run off the lampholder adaptor (pre 17th ) where having them central normally would mean ironing in the center of the room but more beneficial if you ironed near the window with natural light.... although this wasn't the original reason it kept the trend going for many decades after.

I remember the "Y" adapters, some with switches so you could plug iron etc. in and use bulb as well. You had to use the light fittings as the first house we had in the 60's only had 2 15A sockets, one upstairs and one down!. When I rewired it, I found a mix of lead sheathed & VIR cables.

 

[Jimmy Boy]

I had a Town gas powered fridge when I was a kid not seen one for while except in camper vans I believe you can still get tumble dryers on gas tho.
J

 

[Geordie Spark]

I had a Town gas powered fridge when I was a kid not seen one for while except in camper vans I believe you can still get tumble dryers on gas tho.
J

Yes, I've just bought another one. I've had three of them over the past 35 years & they're brilliant.

They're made by Croslee / White Knight & are identical to the electric version except they have a gas burner instead of an electric element to heat the air.

They cost a bit more to buy than the electric one, but the running costs are lower - and they dry your clothes faster too.

I can highly recommend them. Here's a link for anyone interested: White Knight Eco Gas Tumble Dryers

 

[tidyboiler]

was it like ours?

i keep telling her to grease the gears.

A good friend of mine lost the end of his finger using one of these. He went on to become a drummer. :drool5:

 

[SPARTYKUS]

i kid you not , my dog does actually look like wile e coyote lol ,
View attachment 14175

Biff

That socket looks on a ski slope on the back wall ;-))

 

[Guest55]

Biff

That socket looks on a ski slope on the back wall ;-))

That socket is levelled straight beyond the realms of technological accurracy , its the house thats subsiding.

 

[daveelectrician]

Ive heard it was for during the war for protecting against snipers (Silhouette) probably a load of crap though

 

[Strima]

Ive heard it was for during the war for protecting against snipers (Silhouette) probably a load of crap though

Couldn't move for the amount of Third Reich snipers in Watford... :lol:

 

[Jimmy Boy]

^^^^lmfao^^^^

 

[Fin170]

Never mind pendants near windows, I've seen that in some modern homes, I still want to know what the thinking was for fused neutrals

And who kept using old VIR as the main feed to newly rewired lighting circuits....

 

[Darkwood]

Ive heard it was for during the war for protecting against snipers (Silhouette) probably a load of crap though

Already expressed it a load of codswollop when houses were wired prior WW2 we didn't predict an invasion of europe especially from a strategic electrical installation sense, and when all the service men went to war there was no house rewires been done (Qualifications were scarce as Part P tutors were fighting on the beaches ).......

But it would have been the first time they would have been useful to society if it was the case!

 

[grantr37]

Im a bit late on this one and probably already suggested but here's a few reasons and myths;

Myth- They were wired close the windows due to war era and the thought that enemies may shoot at shadows cast

Truth- In the days of lead wiring etc the cost of fabric was high thus ppl couldn't afford heavy thick curtains and the consequence was they were similar to the net curtains we have no for fancy, but this revealed all if you passed between the light and the window so positioning close to window solved this.

Another thing was that fitting were used as plug sockets as well and in some rooms were offset to allow for irons etc to be run off the lampholder adaptor (pre 17th ) where having them central normally would mean ironing in the center of the room but more beneficial if you ironed near the window with natural light.... although this wasn't the original reason it kept the trend going for many decades after.

Believe it or not ive been to a house of a very old lady still plugging an old iron to the cotton wrap drop but it was 10yrs ago and believe shes now passed away.

I have been into an old sandstone house in Glasgow city centre that was used at the time (5 years ago) as storage for some tools etc instead of a shed, the owner lived about 20 miles away from the house, which had been un- occupied since about 1975.....it had not been rewired (or painted or anything for that matter) since before the second world war.....and there were old wooden based Brass bayonet type light fittings at waist level wired with old twisted black vulcanised india rubber flex and bakelite switches, these were used all those years ago as sockets long before the 3 pin round plugs even came in, which eventually changed to the 3 pin rectangular plugs we have today.......

The light fittings were used to power vaccum cleaners, Irons, kettles and some fold down type early toasters, commonly ones in the middle of the room would be used to power Irons and there were double headed fittings with a lightbulb in one and the other used to plug into with the pull chord lightswitch turning on both the light and the appliance at the same time....this was an old 6Amp maximum load system...

 

[Philpot]

Never mind pendants near windows, I've seen that in some modern homes, I still want to know what the thinking was for fused neutrals

And who kept using old VIR as the main feed to newly rewired lighting circuits....

Well I think that the L and N fuses came from the days before PME. I have 1904 electricians pocket book with all the different voltages and frequencies AC and DC. I'm not sure when PME came in but it was possibly when the supply company's were nationalised. Eack town would have anything up to 4 or 5 supply companies plus the town council.

VIR/VRI was still being used for meter tails when I was an apprentice in the early 60's. They also had PI/PVC cable Polythene Insulated / PVC sheath. If it got hot the insulation just dripped off, lost of fun.
Phil

 

[Philpot]

History lesson....... Timeline of the UK electricity supply industry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia