We have been on a 7 day week here for .... some time. Today was gonna be different. The family was coming.

Kelly made a wonderful Turkey, Dressing, and all the trimmings meal. We even got our sixteen year old Grandson up here. Just about the time everyone was choosing seconds, my Son says ... do you smell that???

Ozone! As in sparking electrical stuff. Electric Trains. Transformers.

We begin a methodical sniffing search of the house. It’s stronger here. Was here but I lost it. Let’s pull this fridge out from the wall. Flashlight! Stove??? It’s gas but oven is electric. Sniff. All over the house. Here then gone. Check the A/C Unit outside. Air Exchanger inside. Check breakers. It’s still strong in this corner.

Kelly, get the Fire department phone number for Station #7. Call. Tell them we have a really strong Ozone smell in the house. Can’t find it. Is there and help they can offer short of their full response team?

We are going under the house. My Son and I shimmy under with flashlights. I don’t smell a thing. Me either. Don’t see anything. Back out.

Here’s the FD Number. They’ll have a dozen questions. I call. Find we are in another district. Get that number. Find that’s an unmanned Volunteer Station. I call 911. We go thru everything. They can send a small unit. A relative neighbor of ours shows in a small fire emergency vehicle. We begin. He instantly smells it. We check and look. Others arrive.

Fast forward. More and more arrive. Even though they’ve had three calls at once including a bad accident. Great people. A couple focus on the gas stove. They move it and get a strong smell. But they confirm it’s properly installed in every way and all looks sound. Two fireman and myself shimmy back under the house with a big meter. They disappear into the depths. Coming back out, all seems good. Readings good.

So one fella suspects something was unknowingly burned in the oven. A plastic maybe??? Another feels we should have everything professionally checked out. Another feels strongly the stove and oven along with the gas lines are code and tight.

After probably two hours, they wrap it up. And we still found nothing other than things that are not the problem.

So I’m turning it all over in my mind. The pie was good, but I was a bit distracted.

Gary

Gary,

IIRC lighting can create ozone. Any activity in your area?

Lon

Not today Lon.

I also believe I’ve heard you can smell lightening, if it’s close by.

Thanks
Gary

A long shot but i will relay my experience. We have a built in electric oven. I set the mode to clean and went on my way to other things. I could smell something faint burning but thought it was residual food stuffs being burned away.It did have a plastic smell though. After the clean cycle the fan would not turn off, so i turned off the breaker and turned back on which reset it i guess.Well, later the next day i decided to remove the front panel to see if something was visible. The schematic documents are taped to the top or side of the inside cabinet behind the control panel and i guess the heat and years of use made the tape disintegrate. It landed on a vent that allows hot air to escape to the fan. It was scorched but not totally burned. Check behind that control panel... assuming yours is similar.

Hi Steve,

I can see that senerio. I’ll check.

It’s going to be something well out of the ordinary. I know we didn’t have a gas leak that healed itself. I certainly suspect these burners have a thermocouple that won’t allow gas to flow if there’s no flame. Check that too if it’s clear.

Thanks.
Gary

Well Gary
You'all got lucky there and I'm sure glad you had help to try and locate the source.
I had a similar issue a few years back . I could smell hot heat like an element in my house but it was really strong in my furnace room . Well I have a boiler heat and that's the only gas in the house . Everything else is electric. I sniffed it down to the water heater and it was the bottom element. After removing the covers I noticed the wire going to the heating element was glowing cherry red . It had melted all the plastic insulation off which dripped into a molton puddle but never caught flame . I was very lucky and after talking to a few electrical friends they said it had to be a power surge or loose connection that caused the meltdown.
I called the power company in my area and they confirmed it but claimed NO responsibility after the power left the pole .

I'm glad it didn't ruin your meal with the family or worse . I would still check all 220v connections and tighten them and give a good wiggle to wiring . They do get warm over years and get brittle or even still smell .

Thanks
Kurt

Thks Kurt,

I was pleased that the group of people who responded here took it very seriously. They really checked things out. The one fella was relentless in checking the stove. And I was surprised that he committed to proclaiming that the stove had really been well installed. Hard wired in steel box both ends. He declared it sound. But he was also the one that was convinced some sort of plastic had gone into the oven.

I’ll scout it out. Thanks for thinking it thru.

Best
Gary