Oakland, CA

You always hear the stories about houses burning down from Christmas tree lights, or clothes dryers, but you always think that it won't happen to you. I thought that until today.

Just like every other time I do laundry, I load up the washer put in a load and leave. When it's done I move it to the dryer and again, I leave to do other stuff. Sometimes I even leave the house with the dryer running. I'm sure most of you do this also.

there are an estimated annual 15,500 fires, 10 deaths and 10 injuries due to clothes dryer fires

Today, I started the dryer with a load of wet clothes, and went on my way to do other chores. I happen to walk by the dryer area and smelled a burning odor. I have never smelled this before, but I knew something was wrong right away and had a suspicion it was the dryer.

We have a side loading washer and dryer which means there is a horizontal surface on the top of them that we can put clothes and cleaning products. At this time we had a couple towels on the top. I moved the towels to get a closer look. Trying to look behind the dryer I put my hands on the top of it and got burned.

The top was not slightly hot, or hot to the touch, it was "Holy #&*@" this thing is going to melt.

I turned it off, let it cool and then unplugged it. I Googled "top of dryer hot" and found a lot of results about this topic. clogged vent, faulty electrical were the top two reasons.

I plugged it back it and started it. This time I was feeling the top to see how fast it got hot. Amazingly, within a minute it was too hot to touch!

I thought for sure this was an electrical problem. No way a clogged vent will cause the dryer to get this hot, that is ridiculous. For sure the dryer would have some sort of shutoff if the vent was clogged and the dryer was over heating.

Since I can't fix an electrical problem, I checked the vent first. I found it was a clog, in the vent inside our walls. Unfortunately the vent is really long and has a few 90 degree bends, so i can't unclog it. Time to call a plumber.

Now I'm Freakin Mad!

Funny thing is, I have had a house of mine catch on fire...

But I bet you can't guess what caused it? Take a guess in the comment section.

The person that makes the right guess wins the satisfaction of being Captain Awesome for a day!

Like my friend to the left ;)

Lake Merritt is known as the "center of Oakland CA". A place where a revitalized economy has emmerged, and a strong and diverse culture in art and life thrives.

http://www.abetteroakland.com/

http://oaklandnorth.net/

http://www.theoakbook.com/

http://oaklandliving.wordpress.com/

Here are just a few of local blogs that have begun to proliferate in Oakland CA.

What happened to service with a smile? Bad attitude emanates from the top. If the managers behave badly, their hired help will, too.

Can't believe I got into a fighting mode at a parking garage!

I took my Dad to Kaiser Permanente on Piedmont Ave in Oakland today. Because parking is so problematic, I headed to the parking lot across the building, where cars are valet parked.

The parking attendant asks me, "How long will you be here?"

When I told him that I don't know how long it will be, he said "I won't park your car because I'll be here only until 5 pm." It was only 2:30 pm at that time.

I tried to reason with him, telling him my dad's appointment should be over in a couple of hours, and that there's plenyy of space at the lot anyway...but he took this to be arguing.

What was I supposed to do: beg?

So I asked to speak to his supervisor who turned out to be no better. They told me to park elsewhere. Since this was the only parking lot across the hospital, they know they're the only game in town, and therefore, they call all the shots. Wonder if the owner knows this is how their hired help treats their customers?

I decided that I'd rather walk a mile than give these folks my money. Fortunately, a spot opened on the street.

But I was fuming.....

When service personnel treat me badly, I should just let my wallet do the talking and keep on walking!

Happy New Year to all! I've decided as a regular feature on Active Rain to start writing on a regular basis about an area of the San Francisco Bay that I love... The North Oakland/Emeryville area. It's an area that I saw growing some years back and have become very passionate about. I've moved several clients into the area and invested in a couple properties myself... I think it's a winner!

I've enjoyed following the Emeryville City Plan and attending several meetings at E'ville City Hall to discuss issues effectingmy city. On any given day I enjoy a slice of pizza at Arizmendi Bakery, a coffee at Rudy's Can't Fail Cafe or playing with my dog at Christie Park across the street from Pacific Park Plaza where I live part-time and am Vice President of our Home Owners Association. I used to pick up broken glass and liquor bottles on 37th Street just above San Pablo in front of a cute little house I bought some years back. Now it's just the occasional Starbucks cup that needs to be picked up and I enjoy watching people riding their bikes or walking to work at Pixar a few blocks away (which has now doubled in size and really looks great).

The Check Cashing Spot has been shut down and replaced with a cool new condo development called Adeline Place. The Liquor Store/Crack Spot (San Pablo & Mac) is gone and soon to be a new pizza place! So many new businesses have come into the area and I feel a responsibility to help them survive! Well, in closing I just want to say that I look forward to writing more about this great area, mentioning any properties that I find interesting and maybe even meeting some more of my neighbors!

Happy New Year - New Decade!

Jay Lean

Broker/Owner Jay Lean Real Estate, Inc.