Fire in the Oven.....

Fire in the oven is a scary event.....

Last week I was cooking dinner in my oven. I walked into the kitchen and through the glass door on my oven it looked like a fireworks extravaganza.......a bit scary for me. I opened the oven door and peeked in and could see flames as from sparklers shooting off my lower oven heat element. I quickly turned off the oven and removed the food I was attempting to cook, never thinking to turn off the breaker.

I thought about calling the Fire Dept. but decided against it since the fire was contained and I just kept the door shut as I observed the flame dancing from one end of the element to the other until it put itself out when it completed the cycle, about 15-20 minutes later.

Well the next day as I began to think about life without an oven, I decided to make some phone calls to figure out what had really happened and if this can be fixed and how much it would cost. This would not be an opportune time financially to purchase a new unit. If you know me personally, you would think that I just must have burnt my oven out from lots of use as I do cook all the time.

The first repairman I called, told me that it sounded like it was in fact the oven element that burnt out, more common then I thought, and he can easily get the part which ranges between $160-$225, just for the part not including labor. If that be the final result, I would have been forced to replace my 10 year old stove, as it did not make sense to invest this much into it.

Next I called Magic Chef, a division of Maytag, the manufacturer who talked to me and told me the part can be sent out to me for $47 +tax, + shipping......this is starting to sound much better. They also described about how to do the installation. They were very helpful until it was suggested that "I let my husband" do it for me. Well I don't have a husband and was really shocked to hear this comment. I thought that the world had advanced well beyond that type of thinking. Now I was not too happy with them at the moment, so I did not order the part from them.

The next call I made was to a local appliance parts distributor who could order me the part for the $47 +tax and no shipping. They described to me how to change the part and reminded me to turn off the power breaker first.

I asked them to please call me on my cell phone when the part came in so I could pick it up right away. Of course this did not happen, they called me at the home number and I did not get the message until after 5 o'clock and they were then closed. I called them first thing this morning (Saturday) to find out that they are open until 1 o'clock. I went to pick up the part only to find out that they have moved to a new location several miles away from the old location. When I called to find out where they are now, they also told me "oh by the way, we also changed our name". An interesting chain of events. Well the outcome of the story, I finally found them, got the part, it was the correct one........and just me myself.......no husband involved, flipped the breaker off and fixed my oven! Hooray for me and shame on the 1st repair person who was ready, willing and able to rip me off. my oven is working again. Bon appetite!

Moral of the story, patience does pay off, don't give up!!!!!

Seriously kitchen fires can be serious, I was lucky. In the event you find yourself in this situation, I will share this information that I found on the Internet....... after my incident.

How to Stop an Oven Fire
by eHow Home & Garden Editor
Introduction
An oven fire is serious business. It needs to be tended to immediately and effectively. Fire spreads quickly and even a slight delay could mean your house could go up in flames and your family could be injured or worse. The following will help you quickly smother and take proper precautions in putting out an oven fire.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Stove top Fires
Things You'll Need
Oven mitt or towel
Metal lid or cookie sheet
Baking soda or salt
Dry chemical fire extinguisher
Steps
1 Step One
Turn off the burner. This will remove the energy behind the fire.
2 Step Two
Put on an oven mitt or tightly wrap your arm with a kitchen towel to protect you from the fire.
3 Step Three
Place a lid or cookie sheet on the fire. This will remove the oxygen supply and help smother the fire on your stove top.
4 Step Four
Smother any grease or oil fires with a large amount of baking soda or salt.
5 Step Five
Get everyone out of your home immediately.
6 Step Six
Call 9-1-1 if you cannot put out the fire.
Tips & Warnings
Use only a dry chemical fire extinguisher on grease or oil fires.
Remember, stop, drop and roll if you are on fire.
Never leave the kitchen while you have a burner going, especially when you are frying something with oil.
Oven Fires
Steps
1 Step One
Close the oven door to cut off the oxygen supply.
2 Step Two
Turn off the oven.
3 Step Three
Leave the house immediately.
4 Step Four
Call 9-1-1 if you cannot put out the fire.
Tips & Warnings
Remember, stop, drop and roll if you are on fire.
Do not throw water on electrical oven fires.
Resources
* Fire safety in ovens.
* Stopping fires in the kitchen.