Most of the air conditioners in accidents are outdated products with "overdue service" or even "sickness"
The air conditioner also has a service life, it is best not to exceed 10 years
This summer is extraordinarily hot. "My life is given by the air conditioner" is no exaggeration.
However, while many people rely on air conditioners to continue their lives, some air conditioners that "catch fire when they are used" also surprise people.
Recently, there has been a significant increase in reports on air-conditioning safety accidents in the media. A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily found that many of these air-conditioning accidents were outdated air-conditioning units that had “overdue service” or even “worked with illness”, and some air-conditioning units had even been used for 20 years. as long as!
Many people may not know that, in fact, even if the air conditioner is not broken, it has a service life. It is quite dangerous to force the air conditioner to "extend service"!
In this regard, a professional told the Beiqing Daily reporter that a normal air conditioner is not afraid to use, even if it continues to operate from day to night, there will be no problem. The main short-circuit fault is below.
event
Air-conditioning spontaneous combustion occurred in many places
Some air conditioners are 20 years old
With the arrival of the hottest period of the year and the rare high temperature encountered in many parts of the country this year, air-conditioning accidents have also increased significantly in various places recently.
In just one or two months, the media reported air conditioner fire accidents in many places in China——
On July 19, a fire broke out in a residential building in Changsha, Hunan Province. The cause of the fire was the spontaneous combustion of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner.
In the early morning of July 16, a resident in Chaoyang Village, Qiaosi Street, Yuhang District, Hangzhou caught fire. According to preliminary information, the building that caught fire was a 5-story brick-concrete building, and the burning material was an air conditioner. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
On July 12, a fire broke out in a residential building in Wuhan, Hubei Province. The fire was caused by a short circuit of the air conditioner's external unit.
On July 6, a fire broke out in a residential building in Gongshu District, Hangzhou. After on-site investigation, the fire started in the cabinet-type air conditioner in the living room.
On the afternoon of June 27, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner caught fire in a community in West Lake, Hangzhou.
On June 20, on the 4th floor of a self-built building in Xihe Bridge, Xingtian Street, Xingning City, Guangdong Province, an air conditioner caught fire, and only a husk was left.
It is understood that among the air conditioners that have suffered accidents, quite a few are old air conditioners that have been used for too long, and some air conditioners that have caught fire have even been used for 20 years.
reason
Air conditioner is too hot
Hot days can also cause "heat stroke"
"Actually, air conditioners are also afraid of heat. If the weather is too hot, they will strike due to 'heat stroke'!" Zhao Binghua, director of customer service at Suning Tesco, introduced in an interview with a reporter from Beiqing Daily that according to the current manufacturing standards, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner will reach At 43 degrees Celsius, the cooling effect will weaken, and the user can already feel that the air conditioner is not so effective.
Often at this time, some users will set the temperature lower.
The operation of the air conditioner itself will dissipate heat, which will cause the ambient temperature of the air conditioner to become higher and higher.
In order to ensure safe operation, the air conditioner will have a thermal protection device. Usually, when the ambient temperature of the outdoor unit reaches 48 degrees Celsius, the air conditioner will automatically shut down and stop running.
Zhao Binghua emphasized that this shutdown is a self-protection measure for the air conditioner, not only to prevent the equipment from malfunctioning, but also to use it safely.
Some users do not understand this self-protection function. As soon as the air conditioner stops, they have to start it up immediately. If they find that it cannot run, they think that the air conditioner is broken.
In fact, as long as you stop for a period of time and wait for the temperature of the outdoor unit to drop, the air conditioner can be turned on again.
investigation
Why do old air conditioners
Fire accident?
For an air conditioner that is also afraid of heat, once it cannot dissipate heat well, it may cause a malfunction or even an accident.
Zhao Binghua analyzed several reasons for the fire of the air conditioner to a reporter from Beiqing Daily, mainly focusing on the old and even sick air conditioners.
From the accident case analysis, the main reason for the fire of the air conditioner is the short circuit caused by overheating.
When the air conditioner is running, the wires and the electronic control system will heat up due to the passage of current. In the case of high temperature, if the insulation effect is not good, it is easy to cause a short circuit between the wires and cause a fire.
This situation mainly occurs on old air conditioners.
As we all know, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner hangs outdoors all year round, which is easy to age the equipment. Once there is a problem with the insulation, a short circuit may occur, especially at high temperatures.
In addition, the internal capacitor capacity of the air conditioner with a long service life will also change, which will increase the load on the compressor, and the temperature will rise due to the increase in current, which are also prone to safety accidents.
In addition, there is another situation where the thermal protection of the air conditioner fails, and the temperature will not be shut down if the temperature is too high, resulting in higher and higher temperatures and fire accidents.
remind
Let the outdoor unit breathe more
reduce failures
Since the air conditioner is afraid of heat, let it ventilate as much as possible to dissipate heat faster, which is helpful for the safe use of the air conditioner.
According to the specification, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner should be placed in an environment with ventilation on three sides, which is conducive to the heat dissipation of the air conditioner.
However, a reporter from the Beiqing Daily found in the interview that either because of the design of the air-conditioning space in the building itself, or because of the user's own beauty or safety, sometimes the outdoor unit of the air-conditioning unit is intentionally blocked, leaving only a few ventilation holes and External connection.
This overly closed design is not conducive to the heat dissipation of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, and it is easy to make the temperature inside the machine rise rapidly.
In addition, it should be reminded that even if the standard air conditioner is installed, the outdoor unit is backed against the wall. Since the corners of the wall are prone to accumulation of debris such as dust and leaves, and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is ventilated from the back, it is easy to inhale the debris. The chassis is then adsorbed on the condenser, which will also seriously affect the heat dissipation.
Moreover, some dry dust flocs are also prone to safety accidents at high temperatures.
Therefore, some professionals remind that when using the air conditioner, you should always check whether the outdoor unit has debris inhaled, especially when the air conditioner is used when catkins and leaves are falling, and the debris should be cleaned regularly.
This group of articles / reporter Zhang Qin
Coordination/Photo courtesy of Yu Meiying/Visual China
focus on
The safe service life of the air conditioner is ten years
A reporter from Beiqing Daily learned that although my country does not have a unified mandatory standard for the service life of household appliances, in fact, industry associations and manufacturers have recommended service life for home appliances including air conditioners.
In 2020, the China Household Electrical Appliances Association has successively formulated a series of association group standards for the "Safety Service Life of Household Appliances", which define the safe service life of commonly used household appliances. Among them, the safe service life of refrigerators and air conditioners is ten years. Eight years for clothes machines, gas stoves and range hoods.
In this regard, some professionals said that due to the large differences in the use of air conditioners in different regions and even different families in my country, for example, the air conditioners in the northern region may only be used intensively for one or two months a year, while the southern regions may use five or six years a year. month, so users can flexibly adjust the usage period according to their usage.
But in any case, using an air conditioner for 20 years has a great safety hazard.
At this time, even if the air conditioner is still operating normally, it is best to replace it.
At present, many consumers still hold the mentality of "replacing home appliances when they cannot be used", resulting in a large number of home appliances that have been in use for more than 10 years or even longer.
"Actually, people don't have money but they don't have the awareness to replace home appliances." According to a person from the China Household Electrical Appliances Association, according to 2020 estimates, there are about 180 million home appliances in my country that have reached their safe service life and are still in use, of which washing machines exceed 37 million units, over 52 million air conditioners, over 58 million refrigerators, over 18 million electric water heaters, and 14 million range hoods.
In fact, for these over-aged household appliances, although they can still be used, their performance has declined significantly, and energy consumption such as water, electricity, and gas will also increase significantly.
More importantly, the longer the overdue service life of home appliances, the greater the potential safety hazards that may arise.
In July this year, my country announced the nationwide implementation of "trade-in" and "home appliances to the countryside", and provided financial and policy support in areas where conditions permit.
A relevant person from the China Household Electrical Appliances Association said that this is actually a good opportunity to update many home appliances that have exceeded their service life but are still in use.
Take household appliances in rural households as an example. At present, many products are still the products of the last round of household appliances to the countryside, and the replacement period has just arrived. They can be replaced in time by a new round of subsidy policies to ensure performance and safety.