EU & Vacuum cleaners

[Grumpy Northener]

What the hell next Bloody interfering EU bureaucrats are now restricting the size of vacuum cleaners that we can purchase to less than 1600 watts - they are off there heads - ok I release the bigger picture / carbon footprint and all that but surely there are far more critical issues that require addressing first - the amount of money that the Euro MP's overpay themselves being one of the first to start with
http://home.bt.com/techgadgets/technews ... 3929903081

[TerryG]

I suspect an imminent UK re-negotiation or exit from the EU so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I am more concerned about the debate they are holding about the limitations on the wattage of kettles! (can you tell I don't bother about my hoover but am fuelled almost entirely by tea) If they do that I may be forced to buy half a dozen to keep in the loft. I replaced my 13 year old kettle a few weeks ago, if this one lasts as long then 6 spares should see me out.

[Mitsuru]

The stronger the sucking power the better one way of getting the dirt out of those hard to
reach places as you don't need the nozzle to reach all the way there! The stronger the kettle
the better not just for a quicker cuppa, but for the need for loads of hot water quickly.

Are these EU laws imminent, or are they a ploy by the media to get us worked up on getting
out of the EU like the media went nuts for that Banana thing a few years ago which was total
fiction they made up!

If they are real then are you voting UKIP at the next general election?

[TerryG]

They are on the list of things being debated by the EU so I would assume that they are real even if they don't come to anything.
When I heard about this last week I looked and found my ancient Dyson is 1400 watts (I had never looked at it before). Some of the bagged hoovers and "shop vacs" are pretty powerful but no bagless machines seem to be affected.

[Luxobarge]

Oh, don't get me started!

Has it not occurred to them that if the vacuum cleaner is less powerful then the job will take longer, so it's switched on for longer?

Apparently in 2017 they're planning to extend this to hair dryers, kettles, lawnmowers etc. - the same argument applies to all of these, e.g. a lower wattage kettle simply takes longer to boil! It will certainly take longer to come to the boil than I do, I'm livid about this stuff, all they're doing is achieving nothing other than making all these jobs take longer and p*ssing people off.

I do a LOT of building and DIY work, and the vacuum cleaner is one of the most useful and heavily used tools, so thanks EU for making my life just that little bit harder....

The sooner we get out of the EU the better - I just hope folk use their votes wisely next year

[tractorman]

Apparently this was all debated and agreed on some time ago and not something "They" (the faceless EU bureaucrats) forced on us!

It amuses me that people think more power is the only way to sweep carpets (or suck dust). None of my machines would worry the Green Lobby - the biggest is 1100W (bought because it will work as a dust extractor) and the everyday Hoover (35 years old or more) is well under 1Kw. While my carpets may not be surgically clean, they aren't horrifically dirty either and the ones that see most traffic are about the same age as the Hoover. OTOH, I know of some with high powered machines who have proper wooden floors and the voids below are probably as clean as the carpet above - or more so, the dust is sucked through the cracks and has often left stripes where the gaps between the boards are!

No, I don't have a problem with the EU regulations over this.

My kettle isn't very powerful, but do I need coffee (or tea) NOW - don't forget that tea takes three minutes to "mass" to get the good stuff into the brew - a few seconds more to boil is nothing and, if you don't fill the thing to the top every time you use it, it will be even quicker - I just have tome to draw two pairs of curtains when boiling water for the first morning cuppa - or to get the biccies for my mid morning coffee break!

As for hair driers that use more power than my heat gun...

[TerryG]

I own a hair dryer, it's damn handy for removing stickers. I wouldn't use it on my hair as I worry that it would blow what's left of it off!

[Mitsuru]

Terry I must have your share of hair then as mine raches down my back

I have a hair dryer but it is not used on me but the family dog and he loves teh feeling

[mr rusty]

It's not something I'm losing sleep over, all that will happen is that, much as with modern car tax bands and little 3 cylinder engines, we'll get very efficient smaller electric motors, something to applaud as progress, surely?

I mean, sad to say, Mrs Rusty's modern 2 litre diesel MPV horror turns out roughly nearly 45 bhp than my older 2 litre six pot Vitesse.....and its a lot faster all round. that's design progress for you!

Much like vacuum cleaners and kettles, you can now do a lot more with a lot less...but it was amusing that idiotscwere panic buying hoovers of all things

[JPB]

.....much as with modern car tax bands and little 3 cylinder engines, we'll get very efficient smaller electric motors, something to applaud as progress, surely?.....

Common sense at last!