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Our house could have burned down!

post #1 of 22
5/3/11 at 9:05am
Thread Starter 
For those who don't know, we live in a duplex owned by my aunt and uncle. They live in the other half of the duplex and it's a great situation all the way around! They are quiet, charge us very reasonable rent and always have things taken care of ASAP when needed.

On the weekend we were doing laundry when we smelled something burning. We thought it was coming from the dryer. Dana took the dryer apart, checked for lint build up, etc. but he couldn't find anything. He thought maybe it was something in the load we were drying but it continued to happen. Dana decided to unplug the dryer and that's when we noticed the dryer plug was melting! We told my uncle Sunday night and he had the electrition there first thing on Monday.

So the electrition is working away, and then says "I don't mean to scare you, but come take a look at this.". He showed me the electrical wires that were connected to thedryer outlet and they were COMPLETELY corroded. The inside of the outlet was all melted as well. He said it's a good thing we caught this when we did or the whole house could have burnt down. He also said that he knew of a house that recently DID burn down because of the same problem!

It's all fixed now, but HOW SCARY! We have insurance, but the kitties are IRREPLACEABLE and I would be beyond consolable if anything ever happened to them...
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post #2 of 22
5/3/11 at 9:44am
How scary!!!! I'm so glad that you were home and didn't throw things in the dryer and run out of the house like so many people do! So many don't think about things like lint build up and faulty outlets and take it for granted that it's safe to leave appliances such as dryers running unattended.

I'm happy that no one was injured and that it was caught before a fire broke out!!
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post #3 of 22
5/3/11 at 9:49am
Oh my gosh! I'm glad you are ok! I hate leaving any appliance on when we are not home. (Ok so the refigerator and that kind that would have to be...) Not even my crock-pot! My husband gets annoyed with me for it sometimes; but this is exactly the reason why! Thank the Lord it was all caught!!
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post #4 of 22
5/3/11 at 9:56am
Oh that's scary!!!

I'm so glad you guys found the problem and everyone is safe and sound
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post #5 of 22
5/3/11 at 10:12am
WOW! How awful......!

Thank goodness all is ok!
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post #6 of 22
5/3/11 at 11:19am
I am glad you were home and saw the problem. It is good to never leave home with a clothes dryer running.
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post #7 of 22
5/3/11 at 11:22am
Thank God you were home and didn't run out after you started the dryer. Just reminds me not to do that. So many times we leave our dryer running and then go out. So glad you are all alright!!!
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post #8 of 22
5/3/11 at 11:26am
Too Scary!

I'm neurotic about the dryer - I turn it off if I have to leave the house before a load is finished. I'm so glad you caught that!
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post #9 of 22
5/3/11 at 11:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoochNNoodles View Post
Oh my gosh! I'm glad you are ok! I hate leaving any appliance on when we are not home. (Ok so the refigerator and that kind that would have to be...) Not even my crock-pot! My husband gets annoyed with me for it sometimes; but this is exactly the reason why! Thank the Lord it was all caught!!

I'm always getting the "eye roll" too from people I know cuz I insist on unplugging everything or not leaving appliances running that's a potential fire hazard when I'm not at home. I don't care how much they laugh at me: I have no desire to have my furkids burn to death if anything were to happen while I was away. I would never be able to forgive myself. I even run around checking all the rooms to do a head count and make sure they're all okay before going somewhere.

Thank the Lord that you were at home when it happened, and everyone's all right! How horrifying!
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post #10 of 22
5/3/11 at 11:49am
Yikes! I'm glad you got the problem fixed before anything disastrous happened!!

I never leave the house with the dryer on, but besides the electrical fire hazards, my main reason is that I need to take the clothes out immediately when it stops, or just before, so they don't wrinkle. I don't believe in ironing.
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post #11 of 22
5/3/11 at 12:39pm
I used to set the washing machine off when i went to work or into town, but when i read about one that caught fire several years ago it gave me a wakeup call.

Like you say you can't replace the fur kids, so the machine is only on when i'm at home
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post #12 of 22
5/3/11 at 1:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KittKatt View Post

I'm always getting the "eye roll" too from people I know cuz I insist on unplugging everything or not leaving appliances running that's a potential fire hazard when I'm not at home. I don't care how much they laugh at me: I have no desire to have my furkids burn to death if anything were to happen while I was away. I would never be able to forgive myself. I even run around checking all the rooms to do a head count and make sure they're all okay before going somewhere.

Thank the Lord that you were at home when it happened, and everyone's all right! How horrifying!
Me too, to all of it!

Kailie, did the electrician say what caused this to happen? Or how to prevent it?
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post #13 of 22
5/3/11 at 2:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by CarolPetunia View Post
Me too, to all of it!

Kailie, did the electrician say what caused this to happen? Or how to prevent it?
All I know is it was the corroded wire attached to the outlet, so I'm assuming just old wiring? We are going to be SO paranoid now though! I'm just so thankful that nothing happened before we got it fixed... I just keep getting horrible mental pictures of my babies caught in a fire.
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post #14 of 22
5/3/11 at 4:10pm
I know -- every time I leave the house, I have to fight those thoughts. I'm going to unscrew all our outlets, one by one, and just make sure the wiring looks clean... especially where your problem occurred, behind the washer and dryer, because it occurs to be that moisture might have caused the problem. We've had a couple of floods in our laundry room (from outside, during storms), so now I'm especially concerned! Thank you so much for giving us all a heads-up!
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post #15 of 22
5/3/11 at 5:50pm
OMG that is scary!
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post #16 of 22
5/3/11 at 6:34pm
Thank goodness you are all okay!
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post #17 of 22
5/4/11 at 3:06am
Its actually not that uncommon, and the failure point is typically the receptacle either from corrosion or from coming loose over time, as it is generally the highest power draw electrical appliance in the home.

On the positive side, if the home is modern, a short still usually doesn't cause a fire and will trip the breaker after melting the housing. Unfortunately, there are a LOT of people that store all their dirty or clean flammable laundry in a basket right by the outlet which is just an accident waiting to happen.

Personally, I don't understand why so many homes are setup for electric rather than gas driers. Gas is far more efficient and economical than electric driers.
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post #18 of 22
5/4/11 at 6:20am
Actually a solar dryer (aka a clothes line) is more economical!

Having wood heat I have a clothes rack that I hang up as much as possible on it in the late fall and winter months so I only do one dryer load a week. From now until October I use my clothes line.
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post #19 of 22
5/4/11 at 7:14am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GailC View Post
Actually a solar dryer (aka a clothes line) is more economical!

Having wood heat I have a clothes rack that I hang up as much as possible on it in the late fall and winter months so I only do one dryer load a week. From now until October I use my clothes line.
Actually I would love to have a clothes line, however my uncle/landlord doesn't want one on the property because he thinks they are tacky looking.
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post #20 of 22
5/4/11 at 9:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by GailC View Post
Actually a solar dryer (aka a clothes line) is more economical!

Having wood heat I have a clothes rack that I hang up as much as possible on it in the late fall and winter months so I only do one dryer load a week. From now until October I use my clothes line.
Touche'!

That is very true. Considering how hot our summers are, I don't know why I don't dry my clothes and bedsheets on a line outside. That would be far more environmentally friendly.
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post #21 of 22
5/4/11 at 9:17am
Do you have a smoke alarm by the laundry?

I once asked a fire fighter what's the best thing to do to prevent fires at home and he said use dryers only when you are home (and not asleep!), and always unplug coffee makers and toasters when you aren't using them.

Glad it all turned out okay!
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post #22 of 22
5/4/11 at 9:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Natalie_ca View Post
How scary!!!! I'm so glad that you were home and didn't throw things in the dryer and run out of the house like so many people do! So many don't think about things like lint build up and faulty outlets and take it for granted that it's safe to leave appliances such as dryers running unattended.

I'm happy that no one was injured and that it was caught before a fire broke out!!
Never do this!! So many people run their dryer while they are away or when they go to bed. This is a huge mistake. Any appliance should be used while you are home and awake, other than an appliance such as a refrigerator which is understandable. But dryers are very dangerous when not maintained properly, such as not cleaning the lint after every load or proper venting. Also, many appliances should be unplugged when not in use. (Toasters, toaster ovens, coffee makers etc.) Not only does this make things safer, it can save you money on your electric power. All appliances when left plugged in and not in use, still consume electricity. This is called phantom power. Another item that can be dangerous are cell phones while being charged. The batteries can become hot and even catch fire. Never place a charging cell phone on any flammable surface such as paper or a towel. So glad you are ok
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