Repurposing appliances is dangerous
These DIY repair fanatics must be contained and prevented from touching anything to do with electricity.
Every family has its DIY fanatic who leaps up with overwhelming enthusiasm and joy when something has been announced as broken. The enthusiast dives, with Olympian skill, for the tool box to do the repair and solve the problem.
Every family knows that feeling of forboding that starts as a ripple at the pit of your stomach, and grows into white, grab the heart pills, fear when the fanatic does not bat a dilated eyelid when the repair requires specialised or technical skills.
Armed with hammer and drill and other scary paraphernalia acquired from the hardware store, the second-hand dealer and possibly the vengeful neighbour, the fanatic heads for the “disaster” area with the glee and guile of Freddy Krueger on a death and destruction rampage.
These DIY repair fanatics must be contained and prevented from touching anything to do with electricity.
Eskom tell us that every year innocent lives are lost and people are seriously injured as a consequence of the unsafe use of electricity.
Some of the biggest contributors to these electricity-related incidents are: contacts with low-hanging electrical cables and fallen power lines, illegal connections, vandalism, cable theft, substandard wiring and repurposing of appliances.
The repurposing of appliances takes place when our gung-ho enthusiasts get creative and an appliance that is meant for one use is changed to perform an alternative task.
An example is when a gas or a primus stove is changed to be powered by electricity. These stoves don’t have the correct electrical parts and the wires are exposed, among other (explosive?) dangers.
This practice is very dangerous as the appliances have no safety features and people can be injured or killed if they touch the stove.
Without the insulation (lining) which helps keep you protected from live electricity (but not the enthusiast), these appliances pose a very serious danger to your safety.
The risk of fire is also high when you use these repurposed appliances in your home.
Make your DIY fanatic write out 3000 times: “Only use appliances as they were meant to be used or purchase the correct appliance for a new purpose if you need to,” or threaten to electrocute him.
Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.
Please read our WhatsApp broadcast list disclaimer.
Join us on BBM at 59015786
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here, or if you’re on desktop, scan the QR code below.
