DHS arrests 1000s of hair dryers at border

I'm amazed. We have people crossing the border, including plenty of OTM (Other Than Mexicans). The deficit is going to kill us all, we have illegals driving with out licenses, and killing US citizens.

And, we're waging a war on hair dryers? Somebody tell me this is a spoof?

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"U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized thousands of hair dryers recently that were determined to constitute a "substantial product hazard" under U.S. law, for failing to have adequate immersion protection," DHS announced. "The potentially dangerous hair dryers were identified through a nationwide targeting operation by the CBP Import Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC)."

Unbelievable BS. The decision to put GFIs onhairdryers was an industry decision because they were afraid they'd get sued by the relatives of some idiot who decided to dry their hair the the bath tub, not any kind of federal law.

The problem is that GFI outlets have been required in bathrooms for over 40 years now, and stacking GFIs on appliance cords adds absolutely no additional protection. So everyone gets to pay a GFI tax on the millions of hairdryers sold each year so one idiot living in substandard housing doesn't fry themself.

But thank goodness the government is out there protecting us from hairdryers. I mean it's not like terorists are trying to get through the border or anything.

No GFCIs I expect.

Not to worry though. Bargain hunters will still be able to find this model at China Harbor Freight.

I'm glad the government stepped in. Many houses do not have GFI outlets. Some could not have them added without rewiring. A person could get a hair dryer wet while plugged in somewhere besides the bathroom.

They had a wholesale value of about $1.70 but sold retail for about $15.30. That's more than a lot of models with the legally required GFI.

I'm glad the government stepped in. Many houses do not have GFI outlets. Some could not have them added without rewiring. A person could get a hair dryer wet while plugged in somewhere besides the bathroom.

They had a wholesale value of about $1.70 but sold retail for about $15.30. That's more than a lot of models with the legally required GFI.

...... Many houses do not have GFI outlets. Some could not have them added without rewiring. ........

???

Please explain.

I know a local house wired and inspected in 1981 with no GFI. The NEC required GFIs for bathrooms as of 1975. Evidently the local code hadn't yet adopted that.

THE GFI outlets I've seen require a grounding wire. My bathroom would have to be rewired from the breaker box. The NEC didn't require grounding wires in bathrooms until 1962. In many areas, the change may have come years later.

Explain why you're glad the government stepped in. And no, it is not self-evident.

As he could with an electric drill, vacuum cleaner, weed-whacker, TV set, trouble light, computer, clock, microwave, lamp, or thousands of other electrical implements.

So what? That somewhere in the supply chain, a vendor gives up three dollars in profit?

I'm sure I explained in my post. You must have overlooked it.

They aren't often left on bathtubs where children bathe. Hundreds have been electrocuted. Wherever a hair dryer is used, it will probably contact a wet head. The NEC and the UL have required GFI in hair dryers more than 20 years.

Around here, the city electrical code can be stricter than The NEC.

TDD

When I left college I went to work for an electrical supplier and we would hear all the electrocution stories from around the area. Some idiot was using a power saw in his backyard while standing in a puddle of water. He had it plugged into the ground fault receptacle for the outdoor power and the safety tripped whenever he pulled the trigger on his saw. Well, the Darwin Award contestant opened his bedroom window, dropped an extension cord out the window, plugged in his saw, pulled the trigger once and was killed on the spot. He won The Darwin Award!

TDD

It certainly would be nice to have a ground at a bathroom receptacle.

But no GFCI requires a ground wire.

The code allows them as replacements where there is no ground. (They need a label if there is no ground.)

There are still plenty of bathrooms without GFCIs, many millions of them. I have no problem paying the small incremental cost of putting GFCI protection in hair dryers. How many hairdryers do you buy? I also would not characterise anyone living in a house or apartment without GFCIs as an idiot. Could be some poor person renting for example.

UL or some other authority may require it, but it's not the NEC, which has nothing to do with hair dryers

Thanks, Bud.

According to the Federal Register, NEC Article 422-24 (1990 Edition) requires hair dryers to have protection against electrocution from immersion with the switch on or off. It surprised me to read it.

It's described in the Jan-Feb 2004 issue of the International Association of Electrical Inspectors Magazine.

You speak 1/2 truths. There's no GFI police going door to door, citing people for no GFI's. True, new homes must have them, but not everyone must upgrade.

You'd be better off not listening to hate radio. The fear factor took over any common sense you may have had.

Great, another idiot caring about cheap Imported products.