Some excitement for a Tuesday morning - bit of an incident in the kitchen when the dishwasher started smouldering and then caught fire. Started out as per normal - I set the machine on the normal wash cycle and left for work about 7.15am.
The nopics was running late for work and was supposed to have left the house at 9am. At 9.15am she noticed smoke starting to pour out of the door then saw the flames coming out from the door of the machine. She reacted better than I would have and quickly pulled the power cord out of the wall then threw a fire blanket over the top of the dishwasher. When the smoke got worse and the flames started coming out the sides of the door she grabbed the dog and ran to the front yard and called the fire brigade.
The outcome could have been alot worse if it hadn't been for the quick thinking from nopics who, in the words of the guys from the Fire Department "did all the right things" to help prevent it from spreading. We would have lost everything - including the dog who stays in the house during the day.
When I took the dog into daycare yesterday, the owner of the facility was just booking in two dogs whose owners were in temporary hotel accommodation because their house had burnt down the night before - by a fire started by a faulty dishwasher.
Turns out my model of dishwasher has a recall on it for the possible occurrence of water collecting around circuit boards near the handle in the door and causing a short which can in turn result in fire.
So some of the Lessons Learned today boys and girls:
1. Check your appliances are working correctly;
2. Check the model numbers of any appliances you have or may be thinking of purchasing and reference them on http://www.recalls.gov.au/content/in.../itemId/952401 to see if there's known recalls/problems associated with them;
3. Don't leave electrical appliances running during the day when you're not at home!! (eg dishwashers, dryers etc);
4. Ensure you have adequate fire deterrents around the home (fire blankets, extinguishers);
5. Know where the master fuse switch is for electrical power in case you have to switch it off;
The nopics was running late for work and was supposed to have left the house at 9am. At 9.15am she noticed smoke starting to pour out of the door then saw the flames coming out from the door of the machine. She reacted better than I would have and quickly pulled the power cord out of the wall then threw a fire blanket over the top of the dishwasher. When the smoke got worse and the flames started coming out the sides of the door she grabbed the dog and ran to the front yard and called the fire brigade.
The outcome could have been alot worse if it hadn't been for the quick thinking from nopics who, in the words of the guys from the Fire Department "did all the right things" to help prevent it from spreading. We would have lost everything - including the dog who stays in the house during the day.
When I took the dog into daycare yesterday, the owner of the facility was just booking in two dogs whose owners were in temporary hotel accommodation because their house had burnt down the night before - by a fire started by a faulty dishwasher.
Turns out my model of dishwasher has a recall on it for the possible occurrence of water collecting around circuit boards near the handle in the door and causing a short which can in turn result in fire.
So some of the Lessons Learned today boys and girls:
1. Check your appliances are working correctly;
2. Check the model numbers of any appliances you have or may be thinking of purchasing and reference them on http://www.recalls.gov.au/content/in.../itemId/952401 to see if there's known recalls/problems associated with them;
3. Don't leave electrical appliances running during the day when you're not at home!! (eg dishwashers, dryers etc);
4. Ensure you have adequate fire deterrents around the home (fire blankets, extinguishers);
5. Know where the master fuse switch is for electrical power in case you have to switch it off;
