malachi constant
Senior Member
- Location
- Minneapolis
Wondering if any of you have ever seen this. I googled it and couldn't find any instance of it elsewhere. Even talked with the local fire marshal and he had not heard of this kind of fault before...
Fourth of July weekend. We make toast in the morning. Now it's 6pm. Wife finishes cleaning up dinner and places hand towels on top of toaster as we go into backyard. My wife comes back in 30 minutes later and screams because the hand towels and toaster are smoldering/smoking. Toaster was plugged in, but neither the carriages (4-slot toaster) were engaged, nothing was in it, and it hadn't been used in almost 12 hours. I unplugged it and extinguished the towels. Toaster was respected name brand only 18 months old, moderately used but not "overused".
The manufacturer replaced the toaster free of charge (was under warranty) but they wouldn't comment beyond that. Their literature says to unplug the toaster after each use.
So...was there a fault within the toaster? I still have it. I suppose easiest thing would be to plug it back in to check if the condition still exists. Maybe I'll do that tonight. Anyway, has anyone heard of such a fault? Is that why the literature says to unplug it?
One other reason I ask is I plan to remodel the kitchen in the next year or two, and am now considering switching the receptacles for coffee pot and toaster. But that seems a little...goofy. Every time a guest tries to make coffee or toast and can't figure out why it won't work I'll have to explain that I'm not crazy for wiring it that way. (I get funny enough looks for wiring the receptacles ground pin up.)
Would GFI have made a difference? The existing receptacles are not GFI protected. Based on my understanding of GFIs, and my speculation that the fault was essentially mimicking proper usage (i.e. the carriages being engaged), I don't think GFIs would have tripped. If that is true then the "safe" thing to do is either switch the receptacle or follow written instructions and always unplug toaster and coffee maker. Right?
Who knows, maybe one of the kids (we have four under the age of five) had come inside and pushed the slots down. It didn't occur to me until now that could have happened. It's unlikely...we're pretty attentive and I think we would have remembered if they had just gone inside...but the toaster fault is pretty unlikely too.
OK, crazy toaster man is done talking about crazy toaster faults. If I get around to plugging the thing back in I'll let you know the results. Any similar experiences - or thoughts on my unusual kitchen wiring scheme - are appreciated.
Fourth of July weekend. We make toast in the morning. Now it's 6pm. Wife finishes cleaning up dinner and places hand towels on top of toaster as we go into backyard. My wife comes back in 30 minutes later and screams because the hand towels and toaster are smoldering/smoking. Toaster was plugged in, but neither the carriages (4-slot toaster) were engaged, nothing was in it, and it hadn't been used in almost 12 hours. I unplugged it and extinguished the towels. Toaster was respected name brand only 18 months old, moderately used but not "overused".
The manufacturer replaced the toaster free of charge (was under warranty) but they wouldn't comment beyond that. Their literature says to unplug the toaster after each use.
So...was there a fault within the toaster? I still have it. I suppose easiest thing would be to plug it back in to check if the condition still exists. Maybe I'll do that tonight. Anyway, has anyone heard of such a fault? Is that why the literature says to unplug it?
One other reason I ask is I plan to remodel the kitchen in the next year or two, and am now considering switching the receptacles for coffee pot and toaster. But that seems a little...goofy. Every time a guest tries to make coffee or toast and can't figure out why it won't work I'll have to explain that I'm not crazy for wiring it that way. (I get funny enough looks for wiring the receptacles ground pin up.)
Would GFI have made a difference? The existing receptacles are not GFI protected. Based on my understanding of GFIs, and my speculation that the fault was essentially mimicking proper usage (i.e. the carriages being engaged), I don't think GFIs would have tripped. If that is true then the "safe" thing to do is either switch the receptacle or follow written instructions and always unplug toaster and coffee maker. Right?
Who knows, maybe one of the kids (we have four under the age of five) had come inside and pushed the slots down. It didn't occur to me until now that could have happened. It's unlikely...we're pretty attentive and I think we would have remembered if they had just gone inside...but the toaster fault is pretty unlikely too.
OK, crazy toaster man is done talking about crazy toaster faults. If I get around to plugging the thing back in I'll let you know the results. Any similar experiences - or thoughts on my unusual kitchen wiring scheme - are appreciated.