# Rogers modem catches fire nearly burns house down.



## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

Heard this on the news. A Rogers modem burst into flames and destroyed itself and the homeowners computer.
Rogers denies all responsibilty, but is checking out what is left of the charred remains of the modem. Homeowner is on his own to replace the computer
on his household insurance. 




> "Like, I'm not talking a small flickering. It was a raging inferno," he said. "Like flames shooting out of it two feet high. It hadn't just caught on fire, it had been burning for some time. There was black soot everywhere. Luckily I do have a fire extinguisher, so I grabbed it and we put the fire out."





> "It was apparent the computer didn't start the fire. It was right basically where the power plugs into the internet modem."


Obviously these Chinese made modems are not CSA certified and probably have no fusing to blow when some component overheats.
These modems should be in a metal box, away from the computer with a smoke detector next to it.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitch...-burned-down-house-says-ontario-man-1.3133391


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## sags (May 15, 2010)

I thought all electronics sold in Canada had to be CSA approved ?

Now you got me wondering about those cheap multi-outlets I have in use.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

So I guess the rest of the family wasn't home all day and they had no smoke detectors in house, that could have turned out badly.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

sags said:


> I thought all electronics sold in Canada had to be CSA approved ?
> 
> Now you got me wondering about those cheap multi-outlets I have in use.


 It used to be that way with any electrical or electronic equipment manufactured in Canada and UL in the US,
Apparently not anymore. The CSA and UL labels don't seem to appear on the Chinese made products that don't support the CSA codes.



> CSA exists to develop standards. Among the fifty-seven different areas of specialization are climate change, business management and safety and performance standards, including those for electrical and electronic equipment,......


..... etc etc.



> Most standards are voluntary, meaning there are no laws requiring their application.The CSA mark is a registered certification mark, and can only be applied by someone who is licensed or otherwise authorised to do so by the CSA.


So this is an example of what can happen if the right conditions happen. Apparently he placed the modem on TOP of his desktop computer after he removed the
fan (noisy fan) and the heat from the computer power supply/processor heat sink + any built up heat inside this cable modem was enough to cause some component
in the modem to catch fire.

My conclusions"
1. Chinese made Rogers modem was not CSA certified.
2. Modem subjected to more heat than its circuit board could handle.
or 
3. Outright failure of one of the components on the modem that caught fire (he mentiond "two foot high flames coming out of it" and plastic case that was not
fireproof. 

Years ago, pretty much most electronic components were made with metal enclosures. metal has become expensive on the world markets, and the Chinese manufacturers cut back on their costs. Plastic everywhere and no fusing to protect the device from burning up. 


At the line cord you have up to 15 amps at 120VAC. With np line cord fusing,
that can cause a serious fire and burn your house down! 
Rogers, obviously did not test their products against point of ignition for fire codes.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

sags said:


> I thought all electronics sold in Canada had to be CSA approved ?
> 
> Now you got me wondering about those cheap multi-outlets I have in use.


Those would not be CSA approved unless there is CSA stamped, or molded on the device, or a sticker with the CSA label. ..even then...








Now the other thing I should mention, is that some Asian manufacturers just printed off stickers and stuck them to their products without going through the full CSA destructive testing, which would cost the Asian manufacturer money upfront to become a compliant member of CSA and the cost of the destructive testing.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

sags said:


> I thought all electronics sold in Canada had to be CSA approved ?
> 
> ...


No, you're information is outdated. This was changed some years ago. Product certification is a much more open, competitive business now. There is more than one accredited certification agency for electrical/electronicsa accepted in Canada now. Besides CSA, UL does a lot, and I think ETL does some. But the test standards they use have to meet the appropriate CSA standard; or a harmonized Canada/US standard; or sometimes an international standard.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

carverman said:


> ...Apparently he placed the modem on TOP of his desktop computer after he removed the
> fan (noisy fan) and the heat from the computer power supply/processor heat sink + any built up heat inside this cable modem was enough to cause some component
> in the modem to catch fire....


If this is what he did, then it is no fault of either Rogers or the modem manufacturer.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

OhGreatGuru said:


> If this is what he did, then it is no fault of either Rogers or the modem manufacturer.


I'm not saying that he was innocent in contributing to what happened. Obviously an oversight on his part not thinking of appropriate cooling requirements for both the modem and his desktop. Stacking the cable modem on top of the cooling vent was not a smart idea, but the fact remains that the Rogers cable modem was not fused correctly to avoid a fire as per CSA guidelines. Btw, he claims he removed the fan grate not the actual fan on the computer. 



> Barbier said that the computer was on at the time of the fire, and that while *he had removed a fan to create an opening in the case*, the computer generated very little heat and had a case that was solid aluminum, which is widely used in the computer parts business because of its efficiency at dissipating heat.


"*It's not like I just set this up*," Barbier said. *"I've run it in that configuration for at least two years, 24/seven, 365 [days]*."



> <fire investigator> noted that the modem, which was *sitting on top of a computer, may have overheated and caught on fire.*





> Barbier,* who works in IT and repairs computers for the University of Guelph,* says he went into the basement, where his family keeps the modem, to investigate.





> "If it would have started at 9 a.m. our house would have burned down, no question," he said, *adding he'd be seeking some compensation from Rogers*.



I've had the desktop case cooling fan make noises on my desktop and not wanting to hear the constant noise. I ordered a replacement fan from a TigerDirect, an online parts place.

As I mentioned, Rogers does not claim responsibility but are investigating, but certainly as an IT guy, he should have known better than to do that.


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

OhGreatGuru said:


> No, you're information is outdated. This was changed some years ago. Product certification is a much more open, competitive business now. There is more than one accredited certification agency for electrical/electronicsa accepted in Canada now. Besides CSA, UL does a lot, and I think ETL does some. But the test standards they use have to meet the appropriate CSA standard; or a harmonized Canada/US standard; or sometimes an international standard.


Just checked a few of my electronics at home..Big screen TV is ETL rated certified, so is the HD DVD player. However, not all wall AC adapters have these markings.
I just found a Made in China , 9 volt AC transformer-adapter for an old modem that doesn't carry any certification marks. 

Most of the computer peripherals will have adapters that plug into the wall socket and that will have some marking as to it's rating. 
Old comp flat screen monitor is UL rated and the plug in AC cord goes into a metal box. Same with the old backup HP computer that has UL + a lot
of other designations like FCc



> The FCC Declaration of Conformity or the FCC label or the FCC mark is a certification mark employed on electronic products manufactured or sold in the United States which certifies that the electromagnetic interference from the device is under limits approved by the Federal Communications Commission.


ETL markings: 
http://www.intertek.com/marks/etl/

Now it is possible that a low voltage component on the actual circuit board overheated and shorted out starting the fire inside the plastic modem.

A of components can be damaged with excess heat..if that was what happened. For instance, an electrolytic capacitor can explode inside the plastic box
and cause a short condition that could short out other components on the board..or a diode rectifier at the power supply end could short out
and that will cause a smoldering smoking fire that could ignite eventually, especially if there is no internal fuse to protect the circuit board from burning up.

UP to 15 amps @120 volts AC is available at the input of the modem if it is directly connected to the line voltage (no AC adapter) and it depends on how many amps the low voltage side of the transformer can draw in shorted condition. It is very possible that it was not the guy's fault.


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## hystat (Jun 18, 2010)

carverman said:


> Apparently he placed the modem on TOP of his desktop computer after he removed the
> fan (noisy fan) and the heat from the computer power supply/processor heat sink + any built up heat inside this cable modem was enough to cause some component
> in the modem to catch fire.


how long before China refuses to sell these in Canada because Canadians are too dumb to use them?.. lol


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

hystat said:


> how long before China refuses to sell these in Canada because Canadians are too dumb to use them?.. lol


After further reading investigating, apparently he claims he did not remove the computer fan..just the grate..don't know why he would do that?
He also claims that he's had it that way for around 2 years running 24/7..so it's a bit of a mystery now as to what happened.

Most desktops have a screened air input that is used to cool the processor and there is a case fan at the back to blow the hot air out. The switching
power supply (around 500 watts) has it's own integral fan. 

So I don't know how he managed to stack the modem on top of the computer.
Normally the modem should be vertical or if not have some air space underneath it for convection airflow. 

From the pictures, the resultant fire damage seems to have consumed pretty much of the modem, so it's hard to tell where it started as
the computer also was damaged by the fire.


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## philipmikey (Aug 4, 2015)

Well, that sucks man lol


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