Electric Light Show

[legion]

Late afternoon, I was in the backyard putting together a swing set for my kids. My wife fired up the oven to roast a chicken. She calls out to me that I need to come inside ASAP.

I rush inside to the smell of ozone and smoke. I look at the oven and I can clearly see that the heating element is arcing like tinfoil in the microwave yet at the same time burning like a fuse. She had turned off the oven before calling me. I attempt to pull the oven away from the wall and the handle comes off. I manage to unplug it and it still arcs and burns for a few seconds before FINALLY dying.

WHAT THE HELL!?

I didn't think an oven could fail this way. It's an electric Maytag convection oven that is original to the house (built 1996). I've never seen anything like it.

[unclebilly]

Poltergeist?

[RKDinOKC]

He said she was roasting a chicken...Poultrygeist!

Probably just the element melting and trailing off after unplugged.

[wdfifteen]

It's a common failure mode for electric ovens. Sounds like the shorted heating element may have welded the contacts closed on the temperature switch.

[red-beard]

That is how they fail. As a kid, I witnessed one of the elements on the stove do this. I think it is an open circuit and you get arcing which creates the burn through.

[ckelly78z]

Something similar happened to us on Thanksgiving morning with a dinner party for 12 looming. Luckily the stove top burners still operated, and we were able to get the turkey into a portible roaster

[Charles Freeborn]

I had just switched on the dishwasher once and was fortunately standing right next to it when it started to smoke - at first I thought it was steam - no biggie.... biggie - I opened the door which usually shuts it off - it didn't so now it's smoking and water is flying everywhere.... it's hardwired so I head for the basement to switch the breaker, but it pops before I got to the stairs.
It had fried it's brain board - and all it's fail safe mechanisms with it.... end of the road for that unit...