Stinking Kids

[jordan86]

Let me start by saying how much I love my kids...That said, no matter how many times I tell them they still occasionally screw with my gear without asking. Ugh.

This weekend, they left two of my amps on for probably 36 hours before I went down to the basement and noticed it this morning. One was left on without the speaker cab attached. It seems to be alright. Sounds great still. Should I be concerned about long term damage to my OT? There was nothing plugged in, so no signal present.  Just sat there powered up without a load. That's slightly better I think than having signal in it.

"fortunately"?!?...the other amp was plugged in to a cab..I had some cheap old EL84s in it, so no harm there. Just burning up tubes.

[sluckey]

No concern.

[PRR]

I used to have tube gear powered-up 24/7 for months at a time. Look in any 1960 broadcast, military, or radar shack, most of that stuff was on most of the time.

Present a bill for the wasted electricity. (Make them figure it too; that may be worse than the actual cost.)

Get a metal tool/tackle box. Dent the rim. Put amp-plugs in and lock it.

[bmccowan]

I have some Fisher HiFi gear. The manuals say to leave the amps on all the time. I guess they liked selling tubes. I love PRRs answers, but here's another idea. Auto shutoff timers - I was forgetting to turn off my HiFi tube equipment, so now I use Belkin timers and set it for 3 hours. There are others, some that allow you to talk with Alexa, but she scares me.
https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Conserve-Energy-Saving-Outlet/dp/B004LXK8PO/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2JE6HOTBI587H&dchild=1&keywords=belkin+auto+shut+off+outlet&qid=1604957506&sprefix=belkin+aut%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-4

[shooter]

no matter how many times I tell them

when Pam n I would travel, I'd hire one of the "trusted" kids to house sit, 20yrs of it nothing major, BUT;


something was "off" in the garage, some prodding n I got to watch a video of John, airborne! along with a fireball that engulfed the whole inside of the garage.  John wondered what my can of black power would do if he lit a pile of it 


other than no eyebrows or arm hair n a few bruises, all was well, and John lern't something that day 

[bmccowan]

Oh Lord Shooter, reminds me of when I was 10 and my friends and I cut open many of Dads 16 gauge shotgun shells and made a science project out of it - lucky we survived; both the event and my Dad's Scottish wrath.

[jordan86]

Spoke with my 9 year old tonight. It was the neighbor kid friend that turned them on without asking. She informed him shortly thereafter that the amps are off limits but they quickly got distracted and didn’t turn them off.

Glad to know there’s no long term damage.

[bmccowan]

It was the neighbor kid friend that turned them on without asking.

Hmm, why does this sound so familiar?

[acheld]

Heh, just shows how smart the daughter is!

[PRR]

I realize this crisis is passed. But sometimes we do need to lock-out electric gear. It hit me that this must be a big business, like the tamper-proof outlets and plug covers to prevent toddlers from learning about electricity.

Of course this puts the onus on YOU to put the plug in the lock-out. And hide the key.

https://www.rockfordsystems.com/product/lock-a-plugs/  Rockford's prices are, uh, creative.

https://www.amazon.com/Induschoice-Plug-Lockout-Device-Lockouts/dp/B07KF8K3QQ

https://www.familysafe.com/shop/control-your-tv/plug-locks/lock-a-plug/
https://www.familysafe.com/product-category/control-your-tv/plug-locks/

https://www.masterlock.com/business-use/product/S2005

[dwinstonwood]

Since I have a box of left over PC power cords, I'm using these now, and stowing the cord away if I don't want anyone messing with an amp.

I also like having the hookup wires anchored to the receptacle as opposed just having a cord that can get tugged on and put stress on the wire connections.

[PRR]

........I don't want anyone messing with an amp....

I'll just take the cord on Dad's PC.

[dwinstonwood]

........I don't want anyone messing with an amp....

I'll just take the cord on Dad's PC.

Yeah, when I was nine I would have found a way.

[yorgle]

........I don't want anyone messing with an amp....

I'll just take the cord on Dad's PC.

Yeah, when I was nine I would have found a way.

Yeah.. I was only five or six when my brother and I figured out how to drain gasoline out of dad’s tractors for use in our go-cart!  Kids simply cannot be trusted. 

[shooter]

Kids simply cannot be trusted.

that's kinda harsh, most fess up, they're so busy learn'n stuff, they cut corners every now and then, how else can they become creative, productive adults 

[bmccowan]

As long as we are telling stories...When I was 7 we lived in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Not far from where the Cuyahoga river caught on fire a couple times. My friends and I asked Dad how that happened and he explained that it was oil, gas, trash, driftwood floating on top was what burned. So when he left for work the next day we took oil, gas, trash and scrap wood out of the garage; floated it atop our inflatable kiddie pool and set it afire. My mother refused to believe that it was the neighbor kid's idea and that I tried to talk him out of it.