Electric blankets

This is probably a daft question, but I've never had an electric blanket before.

What do you do with them? I know the go underneath, kind of making it not a blanket, so should probably be called an electric sheet. But do you put a normal sheet on first, then the electric one? Presume you also put a normal sheet over the top of them?

 

I had one years ago before central heating and it went on top, the under ones were, at the time,
just for warming the bed and you had to turn them off before going to bed.

Dont know much about them now but I used to like my over blanket when the frost was on the insides of the windows.

 

I keep away from them, we had one when I was little and it went on fire !

 

We have a dual control one. They go under the bottom sheet. They are very safe these days and you can go to sleep with them on. Ours has four settings. We have had them for years, even before we left the UK 21 years ago. You can just put them on for a half hour/hour before you go yo bed.

 

We had one when we stayed in the flat but since moving here Mrs Jocko has never felt the need. I am always later to bed so it is always nice and warm.

 

.

I would still not feel comfortable sleeping on something with an electric current running through it.

 

As far as I am aware they are low voltage and double insulated. The reduction in voltage is a function of the controller. You can even wash them in the washing machine. Ours is (I believe it is still in a cupboard) a Silentnight.
Some mornings I would wake up, having a hot flush, only to find her indoors had found it a bit chilly so put the blanket back on!

 

That's why we have dual controls. T'other Half likes it hotter than me.

 

Like a house?

Joking aside though, I agree. Not because of the fear of getting electrocuted. I'd be more concerned about getting skin burns if it gets too warm. I remember nearly jumping out of my seat once when driving my lovely old Volvo with heated seats. I don't know if maybe the thermostat malfunctioned or something but it warmed up nicely as usually, only this time it didn't stop. It just got hotter and burned my posterior. To be fair I wasn't actually burned, it just got uncomfortably hot but not actual burning hot. I switched it off and had to drive a few hundred meters with my bum sort of lifted out the seat while it cooled down because I couldn't even pull over as it happened on a busy dual carriageway.

I also had a cheap Chinese electric throw thing once. I fell asleep on it and woke up to a smell of burning and an excessively hot back.

The new one I've bought is Silent Night. The plan is to put it on for an hour prior to bed, to warm the bed up, but switch it off when we get in, because we tend to warm up anyway once in, but it's awful getting into a freezing cold bed.

 

That's not the same as lying on a blanket with live wires going through it I make sure most things are switched off when I go to bed. I only leave the fridge and freezer on but would put them off too if I thought they'd wouldn't defrost by the morning