Homeowner Scare.....

Guest · #1 Postby **Guest** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 10:25 am

I am at home today. I got the scare of my life. I walked into the kitchen to fix my husband's lunch before he went to work and my kitchen was filled with a acrid burning smell. There was no smoke - just a horrific smell. I ran into the bedroom and told my husband - he jumped out of bed and went to feeling the walls. floors and cabinets to see if anything was on fire. We had a similar smell like this yesterday - but it went away.

It keep getting stronger and won't go away. We turned all the power off in the kitchen and the game room and he decided to go in the attic and see if he find anything - I was scared he would find a smoldering fire or something and be trapped up there - I had the phone in one hand and waited for him to crawl around up there for close to one hour checking everything out. Thank goodness he found nothing and didn't smell anything in the attic. By this time we both had to call into work and take the day off - I wasn't leaving my house without know what and where the burning smell came from...But the smell was still in the kitchen and game room. He then took the light switch plates off of the switches in both rooms and check for burning wires and etc - found nothing then he did the outlets and still nothing. The only thing left was the light fixtures. We then turned the electricity back on because the odor was fading - once we turned it back on - we realize that the flourscent light underneath the kitchen cabinet was burning - it was making the worst smell. Needless to say we turned the power off again and took out the light and removed it from the house and sure enough we opened it up and there were the smoldering wires.

I know this has been a long story - but I learned several lessons today - first and foremost - have a working fire extingusher in the house. We had one - but it was so old that it didn't work. Also - LEARN how to use a fire extingusher - if my husband won't have been here and this would of happened - I shiver to think - because with electricital fires you don't use water to put them out and I had no earthly idea how to use a fire extingusher. And who has time to read the instructions in a crisises.

So after I post this I have a kitchen to clean up - getting that smell out is my challenge - I am going to wipe everything down and take all the dishes out of the cabinet that was above the lite and wash them and the use a whole bottle of febreeze.

Wow what a way to use a vacation day!
Patricia

#2 Postby **bfez1** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 10:38 am

So glad you and your family are safe.
I had a similar experience yrs ago. Burning wire in the light switch.
And yes, it is a scary feeling when you smell something burning and cannot find it. Well try to enjoy the rest of the day off!

Amanzi · #3 Postby **Amanzi** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 10:39 am

Goodness Ticka! Im just glad nothing serious happened, and you didnt ignore the smell!

I will second that! KNOW how to use the extinguisher!

When I first moved here, I had never had a dishwasher before. One night just after we had gone to bed, I was awoken by the smell of burning plastic, it smelled like it was coming out of the A\C ducting. I woke hubby up and we shut down the power also did the searching around the fixtures, walls etc. I finally went to the dishwasher and opened it. A plastic lid from a tupperware dish had landed on the element and melted inside. The smell was soooo bad and had gotten into the A/C. It really did take a few days to get the smell out totally. I learned my lesson, Dont put small plastic things in the diswasher that can fall onto the element!

Good luck on the smell remover

#4 Postby **Stephanie** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 11:24 am

I'm glad that everything came out alright! That is very scary! I do have a fire extinguisher, but another point I'd like to make is that you need to make sure that it will work. The household ones have a gauge that you can easily see if they are in working order or not!

therock1811 · #5 Postby **therock1811** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 1:17 pm

Glad you got that light in time! Good luck on the smell!

isobar · #6 Postby **isobar** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 2:19 pm

Sorry to hear about your ordeal ticka, but your lesson about fire extinguishers is important. Thanks!

Pro-Storm · #7 Postby **Pro-Storm** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 5:15 pm

Wow ticka....Being an electrician all my life (after hi-school of course) I have re-wired plenty of old houses. Some of them were on the verge of burning down due to the old wire deteriorating. I always got a good feeling being the one whom saved the customers home from total loss. And then, I've whitnessed some very shoddy electrical work by un-qualified workers that obviously had a golden tounge. I am expensive, as any qualified electrician should be....remember, there's fire in the wire!!! :grrr:

mf_dolphin · #8 Postby **mf_dolphin** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 5:20 pm

I'm glad you stayed with the search until you found it! Keep that fire extinguisher charged and ready! ;-)

rainstorm · #9 Postby **rainstorm** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 5:48 pm

i burned bread in my microwave once, and i cant ever get rid of the smell

Miss Mary · #10 Postby **Miss Mary** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 6:33 pm

Ticka - what a scare you had! And yes, thankfully you could smell it. Imagine if it didn't have an odor....well, let's not imagine that. Shame you had to use a vacation day this way. I'm sure as you were scrubbing you thought of better uses of your time. :-(

Rainband · #11 Postby **Rainband** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 6:40 pm

OMG i am so gald you found the source of the problem!!! Great that no-one was hurt and no fire occured..It's a good thing you had a vacation day!!!!! The most important thing is..learn how to use that extinguisher :wink:

weatherlover427 · #12 Postby **weatherlover427** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 6:44 pm

Good thing you are OK! :o That is one heck of a scare!!

firefighter16 · #13 Postby **firefighter16** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 6:56 pm

I'm very happy to hear you and your family are O.K. You and your husband should be congratulated on smart , common sense, thinking and keeping a cool head. Not everyone pays attention to small signs like a little odor.

azsnowman · #14 Postby **azsnowman** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 6:56 pm

What was burning I'm sure was a ballast (a starter for a floures. lights), yup......those suckers STINK, man do they stink! So glad to hear everything is O'TAY!

Dennis

Stormsfury · #15 Postby **Stormsfury** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 8:40 pm

azsnowman wrote:What was burning I'm sure was a ballast (a starter for a floures. lights), yup......those suckers STINK, man do they stink! So glad to hear everything is O'TAY!

Dennis

Dennis, I know Exactly what you're talking about ... I had one burn up when I was a mechanic in a bowling center some years back ... they aren't fun, smell putrid of electrical smoke, and a pain in the arse to replace ...

Glad that you found the problem before it became a serious problem, Ticka.

weatherlover427 · #16 Postby **weatherlover427** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 8:43 pm

I am not even sure how to use a fire extinguisher myself ... now is the time I guess! :o

#17 Postby **azskyman** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 9:38 pm

So glad that you didn't leave and go to work. A tiny spark or an extended exposure to high heat could have started a flame. Good thinking!

Saw a car on the way to work this morning that wasn't so lucky. The "Car-B-Cue" probably started with a bad smell too, but rarely do any of us carry a fire extinguisher in our cars.

Thanks for sharing your lesson...from the side of safety!

weatherwunder · #18 Postby **weatherwunder** » Mon Jun 09, 2003 10:20 pm

I had the same thing happen a few months back, glad everything worked out for you.

Homeowner Scare.....

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