Situation Narrowly Averted

This past Sunday my neighbor called to say that his microwave oven stopped working. I go by there to see what's up.

When I get there he has the stove pulled out from the wall. There are some parts to an electrical outlet on the table. I look at the pieces more closely and see that the outlet itself has burned nearly in half. The electrical wiring that connects the outlet to the wiring of the house is melted, and burnt. There is visible gray- black soot from electrical arcing around the electrical box that contains the outlet. Even the sheetrock had visible scorching.

I shook my head in disbelief. "This could have been a catastrophe" I said to my neighbor. He totally agreed!!

The electrical wiring from the circuit breaker box to the microwave was only 10 amps. The electrical draw was too much. The oven should be wired for 20 amps or greater to prevent overloading. That was the problem. The microwave oven was pulling so much power through the line that it burned and the wires, the outlet, and the box that contains the outlet. (Other household items that draw alot of power are space heaters, air conditioners, toaster ovens)

It could have burned the house down. One more cup of tea, one more bag of popcorn...Who know's???

This time we can talk about the situation that was averted by luck alone. "The machine just stopped working so I had to check" my neighbor says to me.

"That oven hasn't been away from that wall in 5 years. The only reason I had to look back there is because that's where the outlet is." NO kidding!!

Insurance is there in case disaster strikes. www.jmdins.com Your Massachusetts home owners insurance policy covers fire.

When insurance carriers want to know if you have updated wiring, this is why. The risk is real. The possibility of serious injury, even death can be the result of bad or improperly installed wiring. Hire a qualified, licensed electrician that knows the current codes. Get everything up to date.

Your safety, your families safety depends on it!

Thank you for reading.

http://www.jmdins.com/