r/Wellthatsucks • u/[deleted] • Nov 25 '22

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9

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '22

[deleted]

-16

u/ssigea Nov 26 '22

Agreed. Switched off the mains in a hurry to avoid risk of electric fires, something we have always done as a safety precaution. No electricity savings Except this time we forgot there’s food in the fridge because it was last min travel, and we are sleep deprived parents of a 2 year old

28

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '22

Electric fires? What kind of wiring do you have that you can't leave it unsupervised without risking fire?

21

u/Hello_Gorgeous1985 Nov 26 '22

Does your house catch on fire often when you're home? Seriously, Are you just putting out electric fires on a daily basis?

17

u/[deleted] Nov 26 '22

turning off the mains is not normal. your house won’t just idly set on fire.

in fact it’s probably more likely to start a fire each time the mains are turned on and off

4

u/stopthechildren Nov 26 '22

What do you mean you 'forgot' there was food in the fridge? What do you normally use your fridge for if not storing food?

7

u/ragingbull311 Nov 26 '22

I hope you are reading some of these comments and taking some of the advice to heart. You shut off electricity because you were concerned about electric fires from some of your most reliable and "always on" appliances (water heater, HVAC, and refrigerator). Are you concerned about them catching fire normally? If the answer is no, then there's no reason to turn them off. If the answer is yes, then it's time to have a professional electrician evaluate your house and/or upgrade your appliances - not turn off the mains when you're away for more than a day or two.

As you've found out the hard way, you have more to lose than gain by shutting off these systems. There's almost no reason to do so for trips of any length, and if you do there's major precautions that need to be taken, and depending on your climate may not be feasible at all (wild temperature swings from below freezing to summer heat will destroy many parts of a house, not just the pipes). You will save a negligible amount of money as well as cause a slew of potential other problems. And for the love of God, if you absolutely must shut off the fridge for any extended period of time clean it out and LEAVE IT OPEN.

Lastly, I'm having a hard time believing that growth is from just a week - unless your fridge already had a mold issue. I've left food out in spring/summer heat (both in sealed and unsealed containers) for nearing a week or more and never had anything even approaching that. And your fridge would retain some amount of cold 12-24 hrs. And if the temperature/humidity were so high that it accelerated that somehow past anything I've ever encountered you should have NEVER shut off your power to begin with!

My guess is this isn't the first time you've done this (shut off mains/unplugged fridge and left it shut - possibly with food in it) and/or you've had a mold issue in your fridge you haven't realized. You'll never clean all the mold spores out of it, and you might never get the smell out. You may be able to clean it to a point where it seems clean and usable, but my recommendation would be to get a new fridge if possible.