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pyatClaire, our youngest, is a very adventurous child. She can climb a chainlink fence higher than my head. She does very willful and headstrong things. Sometimes, dangerous things.
For example, she knows never to play with lightbulbs and sockets.
Sometimes she forgets. Ah well. She unplugged a night light and removed the light bulb. No big worry. I'll put the light bulb back in, no problem. But... huh... it won't go in. Because there's a piece of metal in the socket. Good thing it was unplugged!
Uh... except it wasn't, originally. She removed the light bulb and jammed in an IKEA widget while the night light was plugged in. You see all the burn marks inside, and on the metal widget?
I'm buying a solar powered night light tomorrow morning.
For example, she knows never to play with lightbulbs and sockets.
Sometimes she forgets. Ah well. She unplugged a night light and removed the light bulb. No big worry. I'll put the light bulb back in, no problem. But... huh... it won't go in. Because there's a piece of metal in the socket. Good thing it was unplugged!
Uh... except it wasn't, originally. She removed the light bulb and jammed in an IKEA widget while the night light was plugged in. You see all the burn marks inside, and on the metal widget?
I'm buying a solar powered night light tomorrow morning.
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Date: 2009-08-09 05:42 am (UTC)Also, Pyat, consider installing GFCI outlets if you don't have them, especially in the bedrooms but also around the house. They're not too expensive (cf. this one from Home Depot (http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053&N=5yc1vZ1xr5Zbm4n&R=100561821)) and they're extremely worthwhile.
I don't think they trip on arc faults (fork stabbed in both slots, Ikea doohickey across a light socket); that duty goes to your circuit breakers. However, they do trip on ground faults, which are more important than a shower of sparks; they protect from the "kid-to-ground" sort of fault, like hairdryers dropped in the sink, frayed cords, and the like. It doesn't protect against everything, but for the extra personal safety, there's no reason not to have them now that they're cheap.