Everyone else is drowning...

[MeridiaNx]

And here I am just managing to catch a fire before it burns the whole house down :rolleyes:. Mum got back from some errands and mentioned that there was a smell of burning. I hadn't noticed a thing sitting in the kitchen with my coffee, but that's possibly because my hands had just been covered in TCP and it was all I could smell.

One accusation of smoking weed from my mother later, unfortunately backed up by a tracing of the smell leading us to my bedroom, and we found that the attic had been on fire for the last while. Dodgy wiring igniting very very old sawdust insulation above halogen lights in the bathroom, a common cause it seems.

Will have a damn sore throat tomorrow after shovelling it all out into buckets bit by bit and blasting an extinguisher everywhere. Not a pretty charred sight left behind mind. Oh well, saved the house at least, would've lost the whole place if we'd been out any longer.

[Steve H]

Unlucky, or should I say lucky you caught it? ;)

Be honest, it was the wicked weed, wasn't it? ;)

[Warthog]

damn, an attic fire sounds like bad news if you don't notice it straight away!

[Stu]

damn, an attic fire sounds like bad news if you don't notice it straight away!
Agreed as the smoke won't go into a smoke detector :smt103

[Smudge]

make sure you clean any carbon( burn bits) off the light before you trust it as carbon conducts and it could happen agian

[Viney]

Blimey. A lucky escape.

[tigersaw]

If you have halogen lights in upstairs rooms, its a good tip to put a upturned clay plant pot over the top of them in the loft, as a cheap fire guard.
I moved into this house 3 months ago, upon checking the loft there was old carpet laying on top of unprotected halogen lighting, slightly scorched.
I've also fitted a smoke detector in the loft. I'm currently 'auditioning' different types of cold GU10 lamp replacements, (the common halogen spots), but none (LED or Flourescent) have been much good so far.

[kwak zzr]

If you have halogen lights in upstairs rooms, its a good tip to put a upturned clay plant pot over the top of them in the loft, as a cheap fire guard.

good idea that, thanks:cool:

[northwind]

On the other hand, it's open season for smoking weed in your bedroom. "Nah, must be the lingering smell of the attic fire mum"

[MeridiaNx]

make sure you clean any carbon( burn bits) off the light before you trust it as carbon conducts and it could happen agian

In fact got a sparky coming over on Monday, someone we know, gonna get the whole thing properly sorted so it doesn't happen again. Just a pain because it's such an old house that it'll involve a hell of a lot of work.

If you have halogen lights in upstairs rooms, its a good tip to put a upturned clay plant pot over the top of them in the loft, as a cheap fire guard.

What a good idea, might try that once it's all sorted. Circuit's isolated for now, until we get it fixed, not going to try to run them and hope for the best. Wiring and cables got melted through as well you see.

On the other hand, it's open season for smoking weed in your bedroom. "Nah, must be the lingering smell of the attic fire mum"

Shame that one smelt horrendously acrid and the other is a little more distinctive. Good thing the rents are down the other end of the house about 5 doors shut between them and me ;)

[gettin2dizzy]

Well done! We had the whole house re-wired too. We got network points put in too - it's not much more and totally worth it while you've got the chance :)

[RhythmJunkie]

Agreed as the smoke won't go into a smoke detector

Good point dude! I'll fit one in the loft this week. My cousin died trying to save his kids in a house fire. Several days beforehand they took out the batteries from the smoke detectors cos they kept going off and it was getting annoying!

Bad idea!