Once when at the table, I leaned over and whispered urgently to Kate, our host, "Smells like something burning." A bit startled, she got up and went into the cooking area to inspect. At her sudden departure, the discussion around the table fell silent.
As we waited, she returned and announced, "Everything seems to be all right." Things returned to typical. We were having fun. The food was scrumptious and the conversation dynamic. It was Kate's other half Alex's birthday party.
The smell stuck around and seemed to get stronger. In the silence that followed, Alex raised his head, smelled the air, and said, "I believe you are right."
With some urgency, we got up from the table and started browsing the house. I chose to go upstairs. Past the very first guest bedroom, outside the 2nd just recently converted into a research study, the odor was perceivably stronger. It seemed something plastic or artificial was smoldering.
Not knowing what to anticipate, I meticulously unlocked and snapped on the light. Whatever seemed regular however the burning odor was strong. Then, I discovered an extension cable running from an outlet next to the door to a computer workstation across the room. The cable was covered with a rug. The smell appeared to originate from the carpet. There was no smoke.
After unplugging the cable, which felt rather hot to the touch, I guardedly turned the edge of the rug over. I could see a dark smoky brown welt on the under side of the rug and a faint brown line on the carpet. A few more minutes and the carpet would most likely have actually ignited.
Hearing me call out, Alex and Kate turned up. We opened windows, took the rug outside, and double-checked to make sure everything else was all.
The dinner that resumed was a bit subdued and when the birthday cake was brought out the singing and merriment appeared bit stretched, but we were all happy and happy to have avoided a possibly major mishap.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that each year about 4,000 injuries associated with electrical cords need medical facility visits. About half the injuries is an outcome of people read more tripping over extension cables.
The CPSC likewise reports about 3,300 domestic fires resulting in 50 deaths and more than 300 injuries each year are due to abuse of extension cords. Running out of outlets while setting up a new computer system, he used an extension cord and covered it with a carpet to prevent tripping.
The cord's ranking was adequate for the present being drawn. The carpet over it was acting as a heat trap, the combination a severe fire hazard.
The moral of the story: don't utilize carpets to cover extension cords. They act as thermal insulators and can trigger electrical cords running under them to overheat. Use specifically designed cord covers instead. They are readily available at your hardware store, and they are not expensive.
Accidents and injuries due to electrical power are click here in fact relatively low. Electrical power can still be hazardous. Imagine what may have occurred if no one was at house, or if it was late at night and everyone was asleep.
For additional safety tips associated with electricity, please do a search online. There is a huge quantity click here of information available.