Hair curling irons in ship

MEHtraveler

As I go thru the literature for the upcoming trip, I see that no hair curling irons can be used. Does anyone have comments a bout this issue?...For a woman, it's an issue.!! I have one that runs on butane and is OK to take on the plane in carry on, per the TSA...can they be used?....comments from anyone?

Claudia Sails

Yes you should be fine with using your butane one. I believe the ban on the electric ones is the power draw.

British

On a previous thread about curling irons we learned they do not draw much power, I am wondering if it is because of potential damage to countertop surfaces or say, bedding if they are left on and unattended, or I guess fire. Last night I was in a show and plugged in and unattended and forgotten curling irons were all over the ancient dressing room. I had to pull one out when clothing was put over them and someone else had to mention they might damage the ancient painted surface on the dressing tables. There must be documented incidences of danger and damage with both curling irons and irons in hotel type establishments. I have a friend who used to own a motel. I visited when she first took over the establishment and just one year later I could not believe all the damage sustained by people leaving burning cigarettes on furniture and so on.

Sealord

Fire! It is the most dangerous hazard on a ship ... unless your on Costa. (;-). I don’t know anything about butane curlers. But I’ve read that if you plug U.S. curling irons into 220, some will catch on fire. Thus, they want you to use their curling irons which they know are a proper voltage match. Flat irons are also not allowed. I discovered that some Canadians are in the habit of bringing their toasters with them when they travel. One morning in Canada I discovered that I had slept through the fire alarm ... a toaster event.

Claudia Sails

This is the verbage from the Before You Go section:

"Due to limitations in your riverboat’s electrical system, heat-producing appliances from the U.S. or Canada (such as curling irons and hair dryers) may not be used in the 110 V outlets on the ships. These devices may only be used in the 220 V outlets with an appropriate voltage converter. Even with the use of a voltage converter, there is a slight risk of damage to the device. "

And it could also be people forgetting and leaving them on.

BKMD

Doesn't make sense. Curling irons are about 100W, similar to a light bulb. Nowhere close to that of a hair dryer.

AlanS

BKMD wrote:

Doesn't make sense. Curling irons are about 100W, similar to a light bulb. Nowhere close to that of a hair dryer.

Like Sealord, I was in the Navy. Yes!! Fire is the most dangerous hazard on a ship!

All participants in this thread may know that 100W @ 120V draws only .3 amps which isn't much, but do they know a thin wire can be made to glow and become a source of ignition if simply connected to a small D battery. And not everyone knows which appliances draws the most current and which are fire hazards. After seeing MANY posts here by people who don't know a VOLT from an AMP from a WATT or a converter from an adapter, it would not surprise me in the least if many people might bring the wrong devices if allowed. Also, what if someone leaves the iron on unattended while at dinner and it is near something flammable*, what if there is a partial short which causes the current draw to triple and the heat to go up, etc. etc. etc. It is Scylla's boat so they have the right to set any limitation they want.

*As a reference, most curling irons heat to 280-300°F but according to online sources, " . . . you can find curling irons that go up to 400 degrees" or higher. "Advanced ceramic curling irons reach temperatures over 400°F" "Rheostat control dial with variable heat settings up to 430°F." That is not far from Fahrenheit 451 : ) If you haven't read the book or seen the movie, 451°F is combustion temperature of paper (actually some newsprint can ignite at 428°F. The ignition point of cotton is 400° - 410°F.

BKMD

AlanS wrote:

All participants in this thread may know that 100W @ 120V draws only .3 amps which isn't much,

Actually, it's 0.83 amps. I=P/E = 100/120.

What doesn't make sense is that it's OK to use in a 240V outlet, so it's 0.4 amps.

I understand the bit about fire, but any device can go ablaze. I know someone whose iPhone charger started a fire. That's what - about 10W?

AlanS

BKMD wrote:

Actually, it's 0.83 amps. I=P/E = 100/120.

What doesn't make sense is that it's OK to use in a 240V outlet, so it's 0.4 amps.

I understand the bit about fire, but any device can go ablaze. I know someone whose iPhone charger started a fire. That's what - about 10W?

Yup, I dropped the 8 somehow. : )

They are likely concerned someone will plug in a 120V device in a 240V outlet. But no use trying to understand- it is their rules and their boat, they may or may not have a reason that is reasonable or based on sound engineering.

Sealord

I was also in the ‘safety’ business in the Navy............ You can’t eliminate all risk, but you can limit the number of hazards. Eliminating ‘heating’ devices, flat irons, electric curlers, toasters, cigaretts, cigars, etc., limits the number of ‘hazards’ that passengers can bring aboard. Sure, cell phones and chargers can catch on fire, but they were not ‘intended’ to make heat. The ship provides hair dryers, but most will only operate if you are holding on to them. And they have a rather sensitive thermal protection that shuts them off if they get a little bit hot. My wife often has to wait for it to cool off in order to finish her hair. I did two cruises on a carrier (callsign Sealord) that caught fire when my brother in law was aboard. They lost 44 men before they could get the fire out. Before that and another fire, only ‘firefighters’ went to fire fighting school. After those, everyone went to firefighting school.

MEHtraveler

Thank you all for your comments....I have been fortunate to have lived and traveled around the world and never had an issue with a curling iron (110/220). However, in this case, I will use my butane one while on the ship and my regular (110/220) one while in the hotels. Thanks again, all the information was very helpful....

Any other input on issues while onboard will be appreciated.