Yes so it seems though the topic as it turns out - for me at least - was
far from Mundane and quite interesting when I went to shop for an
Electric Blanket.
I have in the past thought of Electric Blankets as a child would think
of scary monsters in the night, in fact we had a house fire in 1989
caused by an Electric Blanket and that incident only hardened my resolve
never to buy one.
The fire thankfully didn't cause all that much damage.
So fast forward to the present and I have to tell you that the Winter -
and even the beginning of the Spring time in my part of Australia - has
not been a pleasant one, temperatures have been low to the point of one
never actually feeling warm so often I've spent time in bed reading,
watching documentary shows with a hot water bottle but being cold did
bring my thoughts back to those scary Electric Blankets, just about
every electrical device on the planet has evolved so had Electric
Blankets kept up? Are they safer now than they once were?
Turns out that both the above questions can be answered with a
resounding "Yes" and the Sunbeam Sleep Perfect Electric blanket I just
purchased is a shining example of what technology can do to allow the
enjoyment of both a warm and peaceful sleep.
Firstly the Blanket has sensors enbededin it which monitor the
temperature of the blanket and cut off the current should it get to
anywhere near overheating point.
Then there's the safety fuse, should any of the wires in the blanket
break the micro processor detects a problem and blows the fuse thus
isolating the blanket from the mains power circuit.
Further sensors on the blanket measure the ambient room temperature.
A box with some clever technology plugs into the Blanket proper and sits
on a lead between mains power and blanket.
The box has two controls, a 3 position timer switch and a 9 setting
temperature control.
The positions on the timer switch are off, 12 hours and 75 minutes.
In the 75 minute position the blanket stays on for that amount of time
and no longer, not until the switch is reset so this mode would be
useful if you wish to go to sleep quickly and have the blanket switch
off after 75 minutes.
You might use the 12 hour mode on extremely cold nights to keep your
body warm.
The temperature adjustment is in the form of a dial so - as I couldn't
see the settings marked on it - it took me a little while of
experimentation to get my near perfect temperature and I'm in no doubt
that I'll probably be adjusting the temperature dial again if it gets
any colder, that's a real possibility given I live near Melbourne, the
world capital of the four season type day.
Remember those old electric blankets where you switched them on a few
hours before going to bed to be sure they'd warm the bed for you? That
procedure is long gone, the Sunbeam Sleep Perfect heats the bed in 10
minutes, Sunbeam aare using a different type of heating element in their
Sleep Perfect blankets.
It is claimed that the Sleep Perfect range of Electric blankets can be
put through a washing machine and tumble dried and - if that weren't
enough - these blankets can be used as conventional under blankets
during the Summer months, just remove the controller and store till the
colder nights come, the controller can be plugged back into the blanket
in a matter of seconds.
The Sleep Perfect blanket was easy to fit, just like a conventional
Under Blanket, no tying of cords under the mattress.
Many different versions of the Sunbeam Sleep Perfect are available from
thin polyester to luxurious Wool types in a range of sizes from single
to king size.
Okay, its a bit nippy out here so back to beddy byes <smile>.
