Canisdirus

That's not true...not by design is correct, but if you are picking up a back feed, making your neutral hot...you are at 240v.

I've seen it all when I was working for my dad's company while in college (summers I was his trench monkey).

Is it the same receptacle each time...toaster and micro?

You have a line problem, more than likely.

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

Hi Jo. We bought our Panasonic microwave many years ago and I think it was because of a Consumer Reports article and rating. Might be worth a look.

rustfarmer

I had a friend who gave me a nice microwave she thought was bad. Turned out she had cleaned the interior with a cleaning product like Comet which has metallic particles which react to the microwaves. Simple cleaning fixed the problem.

alberio Loc: Casa Grande AZ

Remove the burnt toast from the oven, it will stop smoking. 🤪🤪🤪, I just had to say it.

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

What are you heating when all this happens? Do you ever pop a GFI? Cleaned ever?

RileyJ Loc: Alpharetta, GA

Have your power company check your neutral line, the squirrels ate mine down to 1 0r 2 strands. It causes the power to drift between 120 and 240 volts.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I have actually experienced the fault you described above. A squirrel chewed through the drop to the house causing one phase to arc and “weld” to the neutral, placing 230V on one phase. Instantly, (along with loud noises) every light on that phase turned bright and and a number of devices and outlet strips on that phase started literally smoking as the MOV protectors fried. It caused 4K$ in damage - even took out the control board for the stove. Fortunately the computers were on the other phase. It took me about 3 seconds of shock to realize what was happening and run for the basement to pull the main, but by that time the drop had melted - very dramatic

But in the OP’s case, the incoming neutral, which is bonded to earth ground at the panel would have to be open. If that were the case, every other device on that phase would experience the issue - lights would glow brighter or dim when a 230V appliance came on or off. I think you’d know it instantly. And if somehow someone would have wired 230v to a 120 outlet, either device would have blown instantly.

My guess, without seeing the issue up close and checking, is that it’s faulty appliances and the fact that the microwave and toaster oven both smoked is coincidence. It’s very hard to completely clean most toaster ovens, and if grease or cheese or… drips into the heating element, it will smoke, and may very well cause the element to fail. As for the microwave, if it’s a “cheap” one (as the OP mentioned), it may be just poor quality or some substance inside the cavity creating a high SWR for the magnetron and causing it to arc.

Horseart Loc: Alabama

Thank you. Yep, did that.

dbrugger25 Loc: Raleigh, NC

I have a countertop oven that had operational problems. the interior light flickered and it took a very long time to reach the set temperature. I discovered that the duplex wall outlet was the problem. It was connected to the wiring by means of the "push the wires into holes in the fixture" system that saves time for the electricians but constitutes a marginal connection.

I replaced the outlet with one rated for 20 amps and connected the wired using the screws instead of the "push-in" connections. It has worked perfectly since then.

A tip is that, when checking a duplex outlet, make sure it is secure enough that it can't move in relation to the connection box it is mounted to. Frequent motion can compromise the connections because the house wiring is all single strand wires that are intended to be stationary once installed.

Canisdirus

A toaster is a VERY simple appliance...and I don't believe in coincidences...if it's at the same plug.

I've seen some crazy work by others when doing renovation projects.

We had a huge project at a GE plant (which made nuclear bad things)...taking out a panel completely...cut all the feed wires from the junction box.

Somebody had another feed coming in from an outgoing circuit...double feeding it...my assistant confidently went all in to finish disconnecting all the panel circuits...BAM...got him but good.

Took us a few hours to figure out what they had done.

One guy blew out his elbow (to the point of loss of function) because he reached up to get a hold...and the plant had a 480v junction box...with no p[late on it. He just reached in got him some. His elbow was bent, and touching a piece of conduit...and that is the path it took.

Why we always coveted new work.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Yep, unless those stab connections on the back of the receptacle are also tightened with a screw, I don’t trust them.

Red6

I agree, it sounds like you have some type of electrical issue either within your home or the electrical utility. I have read of people living at certain distances from the substation having issues with either too high or too low voltages. Either can cause problems. Have you experienced or noticed light bulbs or other electrical devices having shorter than usual lifetimes? This is often a sign of a voltage issue at your location.

You could also have an issue inside your distribution panel or the wiring between your panel and the outlet. Circuit breakers as they age can often arc internally causing voltages to vary. At the company where I worked, we used infrared (IR) cameras to view our distribution and breaker panels to find faulty circuit breakers. Malfunctioning or worn-out breakers often exhibit higher temperatures. Worn-out or faulty outlets can also be an issue as well as a loose connection somewhere in the wiring to the outlet. This is often found in older homes. An electrician can certainly help find the problem.

Or, if may be possible you had the bad luck of just getting several bad appliances. Good Luck!

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

[quote=Canisdirus]A toaster is a VERY simple appliance...and I don't believe in coincidences...if it's at the same plug.

I've seen some crazy work by others when doing renovation projects.

We had a huge project at a GE plant (which made nuclear bad things)...taking out a panel completely...cut all the feed wires from the junction box.

Somebody had another feed coming in from an outgoing circuit...double feeding it...my assistant confidently went all in to finish disconnecting all the panel circuits...BAM...got him but good.

Took us a few hours to figure out what they had done.

One guy blew out his elbow (to the point of loss of function) because he reached up to get a hold...and the plant had a 480v junction box...with no p[late on it. He just reached in got him some. His elbow was bent, and touching a piece of conduit...and that is the path it took.

Why we always coveted new work.[/quote]

Yep, 230/240 is bad enough, but 480 is worse, and people do stupid things with electricals. Since I work with high voltage (my home brew DC power supply for my linear amp is 4KV @1 amp - you touch it,you die), I am super careful, especially in a panel where the “pole pig” can supply hundreds of amps into a fault.

Horseart Loc: Alabama

OK, first I want to thank everyone for all the comments and suggestions. I am going to keep this thread and will respond as soon as I find out what the problem is.

My neighbor was already gone when I got up this morning. He runs, hikes, bicycles, kayaks, swims, goes to the gym often and somewhere in between he always manages to check on both his daughter and me. It may be a while f I have to get the power company out, but I will let you know what I find out.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Good luck. One thing to look for is lights dimming or getting brighter, especially if you turn on your oven or use a high current appliance like a hair dryer. It could be an open or faulty neutral.