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Across the Fence:  Our house could have burned down!  |
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 29 2012 : 10:00:14 AM
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Woke up to no water a few days ago. Called the plumber thinking it was a well pump problem....again. After awhile, he said it was not the well pump, but that he reset a breaker and must have been a power surge from the street. (It wasn't just hitting the switch in the breaker box, something else he did to reset it). Things were okay a few days, but then I was baking back-to-school lunchbox cookies and the oven just died. Then it came back on. Then no water. Then I thought I heard a sizzle sound and swear I smelled something burning, but it was faint and I wasn't sure. DH turned everything off and back on later and said he smelt nothing. Then yesterday same thing - no water, oven going on and off, and no power to the basement. Called the electrician immediately and he came out last night. Turns out, the breaker inside the box had scorched! Scary burned look!  I felt sick thinking our house could have burned. What he told me is that it could have eventually, but circuit breaker boxes are metal for a reason. He says a lot of times people have fires because they do not keep the door to the breaker box closed tightly, and sparks catch surroundings on fire. So, always make sure the door is closed to your breaker box. Just a safety tip I thought I'd pass on. Not happy to have to spend the money on an electrician right now, but it could have been so, so much worse. That little angel was looking over us again.
Farmgirl hugs,
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
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sissarge
True Blue Farmgirl
502 Posts
Linda
Montgomery
Texas
USA
502 Posts |
Posted - Aug 29 2012 : 10:30:16 AM
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Nicole, about 3 weeks ago, I had sorta the same thing happen to us. I was standing in the craft room with my daughter who had just came over, and the power started surging, and then 3 loud booms, like thunder only it rocked the house, and our lights in the craft room started swaying, and I ran to turn off the central air and she went to her house to do the same thing, She called me Mom there is not a cloud or thunder or rain, something else is wrong, I went outside on the front porch, and the area between the garage and our house, was full of smoke, I ran in the house and yelled to my husband, to hurry, we went out the back door and to the side and the breaker boxes were smoking like crazy, My daughter by then was there and already calling 911 cause she could see the smoke, and my husband called the light company. It works out, they said we were very lucky also, that the meter wires had melted. they checked the walls inside and all, they said, the best thing we did was to turn off the a/c cause its a big pull on the box. Of course the wires were on the side we are responsible for, so $133.00 later and 3 snowcones we had it going, in about 4 1/2 hours. The snow cones were for sale in front of the hardware store, and we had to have one of course. My son did the work, so no electrician. Thank goodness.
Glad yours was no worse, but it is scarey, and you were blessed also. Farmgirl #946 Linda |
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shanda
True Blue Farmgirl
522 Posts
Shanda
Broken Bow
OK
USA
522 Posts |
Posted - Aug 29 2012 : 12:00:51 PM
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How scary! Glad no one lost there home!
We resently remodeled the family cabin that Grandpa built. Grandpa had wired the whole cabin with lamp cords, spliced end to end! The electrician had to pick his chin up off the floor! Ha!
Shanda
Farmgirl #4233 |
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MrsRooster
True Blue Farmgirl
1168 Posts
Amy
Seabrook
TX
USA
1168 Posts |
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laurentany
True Blue Farmgirl
3259 Posts
Laurie
Patchogue
NY
USA
3259 Posts |
Posted - Aug 29 2012 : 12:39:33 PM
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Nicole,
So glad that things are ok! Boy, that is a very scary thought indeed, and you can bet your bottom dollar that as soon as I read your post I RAN downstairs to make sure our circuit breaker box door was closed. It was "closed, but not completely "locked shut"- IT IS NOW!
Makes perfect sense!
Glad that your story has a happy ending.
Hugs,
~Laurie
"Little Hen House on the Island"
Farmgirl Sister#1403
View my New Blog:
http://simplesuburbanpleasures.blogspot.com
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.. |
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AlyssaMarie
True Blue Farmgirl
287 Posts
AlyssaMarie
Palouse
Washington
USA
287 Posts |
Posted - Aug 29 2012 : 4:11:30 PM
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Holy Moly that is really scary! House fires are one of my top fears in life! So glad you caught it early enough and are all safe! Thanks for the tip - I had no idea!
AlyssaMarie @ Link'd Hearts Ranch
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Emily Anna
True Blue Farmgirl
863 Posts
Emily
Fort Atkinson
WI
USA
863 Posts |
Posted - Aug 29 2012 : 4:50:21 PM
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Wow! So glad everyone is safe in both Nicole and Linda's households. How scary! Something I never would have thought about to have the door closed. Thanks for that information.
Emily |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2012 : 07:07:23 AM
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please send this in to flylady, I know she will share this with thousands of women, so they too will be warned. I had never heard of such!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2012 : 10:33:35 AM
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Speaking from the viewpoint of wife of a water well service person, If you are having problems with your water well it is better to call a water well service person than a plumber. Plumbers only know about the pipes from the pressure tank into your home, water well people know about the area from the breaker box out to the well, which also involves but is not limited to plumbing.
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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texdane
Farmgirl Legend Chapter Leader Chapter Guru
4658 Posts
Nicole
Sandy Hook
CT
USA
4658 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2012 : 05:56:25 AM
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@Laura, Yes, the serviceman we use is a well specialist but also does plumbing. Regular plumbers around here won't touch a well! We were so thankful it wasn't the well pump! :)
Nicole
Farmgirl Sister #1155
KNITTER, JAM-MAKER AND MOM EXTRAORDINAIRE
Chapter Leader, Connecticut Simpler Life Sisters
Suburban Farmgirl Blogger
http://sfgblog.maryjanesfarm.org/ |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2012 : 07:49:59 AM
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Glad all is okay. That is scary.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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crittergranny
True Blue Farmgirl
1096 Posts
Laura
Lindrith
NM
USA
1096 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2012 : 1:07:38 PM
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So glad you are ok, Angels must have been watching over you. I just keep thinking though as a water well person that there had to be some reason that the breaker box was overloaded like that. It sounds like something is pulling more amps than normal. Not necessarily the pump mind you, but I hope that the well person checked out all the amperage the pump is pulling, I think sometimes if one has sand in their pump or if there is a hole in the pipe down the well it can cause the pump to pull more amps. But I,m not sure, it's been a few years since I helped my hubby with the wells. Don't mean to sound like I'm harping I just hope that you were able to find out the root cause. It sounds like it has happened twice already, and if nothing electrical has been added in or around your house then something isn't working properly, and if you are watering more than normal then it would be feasible to suspect a pump problem.
Laura
Laura
Horse poor in the boonies.
www.nmbarrelhorses.com |
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Across the Fence: Our house could have burned down! |
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Our house could have burned down!
