DIY Amp / house insurance / fire ?

[Brian Guralnick]

Originally posted by Christer
I don't know how much it would help to argue for your case, but
if you are worried, make sure you follow all safety regulations
for mains wiring etc., document on paper how you have done
this and take close-up photos showing the actual wiring and
solutions. Oh, and don't forget to store these documents and
photoes somewhere else than in your house.

Personally, I'm not worried. Trust me, I have my house custom set up for the first 2 floors on a home made UPS 2kw inverter through the fuse box, 3 DIY amps, 1 DIY satelite reciever, & 1 semi DIY 37 inch multiscan monitor.

I have a few friend who want some of my old DIY projects, but, they are not engineers and they are worried.

[Brian Guralnick]

Originally posted by Nelson Pass
What amplifier?

I'm designing a SOZ variant, CC pullups where I wish to get around 75w-100w with an under 1kw supply.

I'll post it under a separate thread...

[purplepeople]

Would a GFCI outlets help? And would they screw up the sound?

:)ensen.

[Nelson Pass]

GFI's will likely prevent a shock, but not a fire. They only sense
non-common mode current.

[Christer]

Originally posted by Brian Guralnick

I have a few friend who want some of my old DIY projects, but, they are not engineers and they are worried.

Think twice about that. If you get killed yourself from electric
shock or burn down your own house, that is bad. But how
would you feel if your best friend dies because of your DIY
amp, even if there was really nothing wrong with it and the
cause for the accident was just unfortunate circumstances?

[Brian Guralnick]

Originally posted by Christer


Think twice about that. If you get killed yourself from electric
shock or burn down your own house, that is bad. But how
would you feel if your best friend dies because of your DIY
amp, even if there was really nothing wrong with it and the
cause for the accident was just unfortunate circumstances?

You actually brought up a point which I havn't even considered. I've already managed 2 UL & FCC aprovals on 2 comercial products I've designed & I'm begining a third. I know that my amp would also pass if put to the test. I didn't consider the possibility of possible "unfortunate circumstances".

[Coulomb]

Actually if you used a circuit a with an AFCI breaker it will detect leakages in the wiring that are indicative of impending wire failure. There are some new standards recently put on the books to have these installed in certain areas of the house. They are very expensive costing from $100 to $300 per breaker, but thet are designed to prevent Fires by detecting the conditions that can cause them.

Regards

Anthony

[MikeZ]

The UL, CSA, TUV stamp on a part makes everyone feel good and safe about the part they are purchasing, but should it?. Lets just talk about UL because I have had more experience with them.

If a device has 'UL' stamped on it what does that mean? It simply means the device was tested to a UL standard test and met that test requirements.

Lets look at one example:
you buy an electrical connector that has 'UL' stamped on it. Lets assume you bought the connector for use in a wet environment ( a boat ) so you are concerned with the 'water tightness' of the connector. So you purchase a UL stamped connector assuming it meets 'water tightness'. The connector may have been tested at UL or a UL approved lab for 'flameproof'. The part then gets stamped with 'UL' by the manufacturer because it met UL for the 'flameproof' test, in this example the UL stamp has nothing to do with the UL test for 'water tightness'.

Unless the manufacturer specifies the UL 'standard number' the device is tested to, you really have no way of knowing what test criteria the device meets. So dont let yourself have a false sense of security based upon a UL stamp.

Someone who works with UL regularly may have better insight to this than me, but the following point is important, for UL as well as any other standards organization.

You must know "specifically" what UL standard the part was tested to.


........Or just make sure the cord you buy for your DIY has "UL" stamped on it, now your DIY project has instant "UL" approval without all the expense and paperwork (of course if your house burns down because of your project the cord with the UL stamp on it will be burnt up and you will have nothing to show the insurance company!)

[purplepeople]

First of all, keep the receipts. They are a legal document that goes a long way towards credibility. Also, take pictures. Even photos from project log will add credence, especially if they clearly show the UL markings on the cables.

If you get PCBs made by a contract mfg, use flame retardant board material and then make sure your purchase order and invoice clearly shows the grade of material used for the board. Even if you make your own boards, choosing better materials and documenting them with receipts and photos will go a long way towards protecting yourself. Of course, if the photos show a design fault that actually caused the fire, then you have tied your own noose...

It will also help if you can use UL/CSA rated external stand-alone power supplies since mains do not go inside the project. Many small consumer devices now use this method of avoiding that particular safety certification.

:)ensen.

[VEC7OR]

Probably not on point on insurance BUT common sence - If you have your amp on you listen to the music, if something goes wrong in the amp you'll notice that Very quickly, apart from that amp has no parts that can set your house on fire instantly(well caps can explode but not likely to set smthng on fire). If turned off amp cought on fire then blame the one who built it... < very little chance...