“I see smoke”!

If there is one thing that we would certainly be alarmed about when it comes to our appliances, it would be seeing smoke come out of them. However, smoke from an appliance is only exclusively a sign of danger if the smoking appliance we’re talking about is your television, your DVD player or other electric devices that don’t have heating elements.

While smoke from an appliance like the electric heater, toaster, toaster oven, pizza oven or electric range could also be a danger sign, it, more often than not, isn’t. There are a number of reasons why these electric elements are smoking, and here are some of them.

1. The factory coating could be smoking

New electric heaters, toasters, toaster ovens, pizza ovens and electric ranges typically have a factory coating on their heating elements that are meant to protect the appliance as it remains on the shelf. When you turn these appliances on for the first time, that factory coating burns off, and that is what’s causing all the smoke.

When this happens, just open your windows or use fans to take the acrid smell of smoke out of your home. Doing so will also lessen the likelihood of the smoke detectors in your home going off for what is most certainly a false alarm.

2. Dust and cobwebs

This usually happens when you use any of the appliances previously mentioned after a long time in the shelf. It is safe to assume that dust or probably cobwebs have accumulated inside the appliance, and that is what’s causing all the smoking. To prevent this from happening, always clean the appliance if it hasn’t been used for some time. A vacuum cleaner should do the job of taking out the accumulated dust and the cobwebs.

3. Oil or grease

It is not uncommon for oil to drip onto the heating elements of an oven toaster and other similar appliances. Even when you thoroughly clean the inside with a little soap and warm water, there is always the possibility that you haven’t fully eliminated the grease inside. Even a little bit of oil or grease can cause the appliance to smoke once it’s turned on.

When you see that electric elements are smoking, don’t panic. In most cases, the best way of getting rid of all that smoke from an appliance is to just let it burn off, whether it’s the factory coating, dust or grease. In the case of appliances you are already using for some time, proper maintenance is called for to prevent or at least minimise the incidence of smoke from an appliance.

So, you will have to find time to regularly clean and service your toasters, toaster ovens, pizza ovens, electric ranges and most especially, your electric heaters. I am putting an emphasis on the last appliance since winter will eventually come, and you would not want to be stuck inside the house trying to keep warm only to be bothered by the sight and smell of the smoke coming out of a poorly maintained electric heater.

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