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View Full Version : My Microwave Tried to Kill Me!!



Russ Filtz
06-28-2007, 7:28 AM
Microwave stopped working and when I checked it out, this is what greeted me! It was in an above oven mount microwave and the plug was in a closed cabinet (which is never opened). VERY lucky this didn't start a fire. No weird noises when operating, no sparks, just stopped working. All the wires seemed pretty loose, so not sure if shoddy workmanship, material, or the thermal cycling did it. Had to trim a few inches off to get back to good wire. Sorry for the crappy cell phone photo!

Curt Harms
06-28-2007, 8:26 AM
Glad it didn't go any further. I don't really know how you'd guard against something like that. Everyone has stove plugs, refrigerator plugs and the like that are out of sight.

Mitchell Andrus
06-28-2007, 8:47 AM
That's why it's a good idea to use the highest rated fixtures, outlets and metal trim plates - esp. in hidden areas.

Kyle Kraft
06-28-2007, 8:49 AM
I found when I bought my NEW house that the electrician used the quick connect holes on the receptacles. In my opinion this is a sloppy way to connect the recep, as there is only a small contact area where the spring clip touches the conductor. I went through the entire house, every switch, every receptacle reconnecting the conductors using the loop the wire around the screw terminal clockwise method. Really helps me sleep better.

Cliff Rohrabacher
06-28-2007, 9:20 AM
quick connect holes on the receptacles.

I am surprised they are even legal.

Russ Filtz
06-28-2007, 9:28 AM
This was a 20A rated plug, but contractor grade. They did use the screw down loop, but all three wires seemed loose, plus the plastic trim plate!

The other bad part is down here (Tampa) it's all romex stapled to the rafters with plastic grommets through the junction boxes (if they even have them). If the fire had traveled further up the wire, it could have easily gotten into the walls. That's why I liked my old house (Chicago area), EVERYTHING in conduit!

All fixed up now with a decent Borg-grade 20A receptacle, tightened the wires snugly, AND wrapped around all three wires with electrical tape to bind them to the receptacle housing. Electrical engineer/contractor taught me that. If a wire does come loose, it can't spring free and start sparking.

Jim Becker
06-28-2007, 9:47 AM
That's why it's a good idea to use the highest rated fixtures, outlets and metal trim plates - esp. in hidden areas.

Very true. I only use the "commercial" grade components and while I do use back-wire, it's the type that screws down, not the "push in and forget" versions that are common in the cheaper stuff.

I already cautioned my general contractor about that requirement for the electrical work in our addition project...if we ever get the "you-know-what" permit...:rolleyes:

jeremy levine
06-28-2007, 10:34 AM
... That's why I liked my old house (Chicago area), EVERYTHING in conduit!

....
This is a very important line. We complain about he cost of living in some areas ( like Chicago and NYC ) but part of that cost is meeting Fire codes. Chicago happens to have some of the most agrresive fire codes but I think in some cases it might be VERY much worth it.

Jeffrey Makiel
06-28-2007, 1:17 PM
This was a 20A rated plug, but contractor grade.

I've found that 'contractor grade' means the 'cheapest possible material that one can find'.

I'm glad everything turned out well.

-Jeff:)

Doug Shepard
06-28-2007, 1:29 PM
Maybe Steven Segall has been in yer kitchen ???:eek:
He's been known to rig up microwave oven time bombs to stop them pesky terrorists.:D

Russ Filtz
06-28-2007, 1:34 PM
Cost of Living in Chicago, HAH! I pay more to live in Tampa, even with the shoddy construction! Here's some pointers, keep in mind Tampa is miniscule compared to Chicago so should be cheaper (I thought)

Housing costs - very similar if not higher, i was expecting Tampa to be MUCH cheaper.

Home Insurance - Chicago $700-800 INCLUDING extra riders for jewelry, etc. Tampa = $3,200 for similar house no riders. Now don't say it's due to hurricanes. The hurricane premium is "only" $1,300+, the general hazard is $1,900+. Tell me why the general hazard should be almost 3x what I paid in Chicago?

Real Estate Taxes - Paid about $6,000 in Chicago with nice community pool, better roads (yes even with winter!). Now pay $10,000 for the privilege of living with substandard services (while my neighbors pay about $3,500 just because they've lived there a few years more, another Florida injustice!).

Car Insurance - Paid $700 a year for two cars in Chicago, same two cars in Tampa = $2,600 a year (now over $3,000 since I bought a "new" used 2003)! :eek:


Believe me, if my wife would approve, I'd be long gone and never look back. Think twice about moving to the armpit of the US!

Doug McLauchlan
06-28-2007, 2:44 PM
We'd been in our last house for a year when the dishwasher sprang a small leak from the drain hose.

When I pulled it out to fix, I found that it was wired directly from the panel with a length of Romex ! Pulling it out actually bent and broke one of the solid conductors :eek:

Jim Becker
06-28-2007, 3:16 PM
We'd been in our last house for a year when the dishwasher sprang a small leak from the drain hose.

When I pulled it out to fix, I found that it was wired directly from the panel with a length of Romex ! Pulling it out actually bent and broke one of the solid conductors

Not unusual for many dishwashers to be hard-wired. The one I trashed when I did our kitchen renovation in 2003 was hard-wired. The new dish-drawer system had a 20 amp plug...so there is now a dedicated outlet under the sink.

Brian Elfert
06-28-2007, 10:00 PM
I'm glad you caught that before a fire started.

I've heard the reason Chicago requires conduit is the electrical union. It takes more labor so more electricians are needed.

Any electrician doing work for me would be fired on the spot if I caught them back wiring into those spring based holes. The screws need to be used on the cheap outlets. It is okay to back wire if the receptacles have the screw down clamps, but how many electricians use those unless the customer insists and pays the extra?

Brian Elfert

Jeffrey Makiel
06-28-2007, 10:40 PM
Home Insurance - Chicago $700-800 INCLUDING extra riders for jewelry, etc. Tampa = $3,200 for similar house no riders. Now don't say it's due to hurricanes. The hurricane premium is "only" $1,300+, the general hazard is $1,900+. Tell me why the general hazard should be almost 3x what I paid in Chicago?

Russ,
My old neighbors move to the Tampa/Clearwater area. They told me about their very high premium and that a large portion of it was due to sink hole issues. As more folks move there, more suck water out of the ground.

A few months later, they told me about their new neighbor's house that sunk so much, that you stepped downward when entering thru the front door. The house had to be jacked up and a constant stream of concrete trucks filled the void. Then the other repairs ensued.

-Jeff :)

Russ Filtz
06-29-2007, 7:34 AM
Sink holes could be it, at least part of it. I remember when looking I was within a 5-mi radius or something of Pasco County, which is the sinkhole capital I believe!

On other thing, you would think Florida being fairly watery, would have cheap water. No way! My water bill here is also 3x what I paid in Chicago ($30 vs $90 a month). I've also learned that groundwater is nastier than surface water. I'd always assumed the other way with chemical runoff and such. I had nice clean lake michigan water up north. Down here the water is smelly out of the tap, so I mostly drink bottled.

Don't even ask how much the bill is if I decide I have to irrigate the lawn (which you do down here over the long "winter" dry season). All-in-all, 2 years of hell so far! I am close to Seaworld, Busch Gardens, and Disneyworld though!