Posted By john o'meara
What's under your PC?

A recent and useful thread wondered about fire sprinklers situated over PCs.

Have you ever checked what's under your PC? Or those dozens of PCs spread around your workplace?

A fire broke out in the middle of the night on a passenger ferry at sea. One thousand people on board. Extinguished by the competent crew, so no catastrophe.

The fire was in the photo shop. A low cost power lead was attached to a PC on a desk. The lead was laid across the floor under the desk.

Cardboard boxes full of paper photo envelopes were stored under the desk. On top of the cheap lead.

On top of the desk was the PC and monitor.

Get the picture?

Over time, the boxes compressed and distorted the insulation inside the lead. This night, the insulation broke down, arcing occurred and the lead took fire.

That's the lead under the boxes under the desk under the monitor. Up she went.

I read this report,looked at the pictures and then examined my own workdesk.

I had a monitor on a light weight pine table. Under the table, lots of cables including three power leads, the cheapest I could buy of course.

And heavy cardboard boxes full of files and papers, sitting on top of the cables. A natural place to store such stuff. It had never crossed my mind that constant pressure could destroy the insulation of a cable.

So what's under your PC?

J.