my oven
 

haven't been able to use my oven because it stinks when you turn it on. If you remember, I had a mouse problem in my kitchen a while back. I seem to have licked that--I cleaned and organized my whole kitchen, including hiring people to do the heavy cleaning--including inside and outside the oven, moving the oven to clean behind, etc.

But my oven still smells. So, I was going to use the self-cleaning function. I figured out how to do it, but --- after ten minutes, the oven started smoking from the top burners. A lot.

Is this normal? Did I mention I'm afraid of fire? The self-cleaning thing is like a 1000 degrees in there. The idea of my oven about to burst into flames freaks me totally out. I don't have a fire extinguisher ('tho I should get one).

I'm afraid there's something stuck in the underside--like dead mice bodies, or more likely old refrigerator insulation material--but I can't very well flip the thing over. What are my options? Should I just leave it on and hope the smoke eventually burns off? Should I call my apt. maintenance for help?

I have no idea how US ovens compare with UK ones but my oven always (ALWAYS) gives off smoke and smells from the top burners the next time I use it after I've been roasting potatoes in it.
For me, roasting potatoes involves a Very Hot Oven and putting the potatoes in a tray of hot fat (which spits all the time) on the top shelf of the oven, thus guaranteeing that the top burners are covered in sprayed spat fat.
I figure this has to be burnt off, and that happens the next time I use the [oven-located, top-burner] grill thingy in my oven.
I try to remember to shut the door between the oven and teh smoke detector.
My recommendations are:
1 buy a fire extinguisher
2 remain in the kitchen for the duration of the smell from the oven; prolly ten minutes max ...
:)

Will your apt. maintenance replace your oven if it's "broken"?

Yes, I think it's supposed to do that when you use the self-cleaning feature.

Wikipedia is of no help here. It says it may admit smoke, and then says it really shouldn't.

Of course this may have to do with the age of the oven, as well.

wisegeek says you'll get smoke.

You gotta trust somebody named "wisegeek," right?

Mine smokes a bit when I clean it, but I don't clean it very often... years go by....
If it was just cleaned inside and out and still stink when you turn it on something doesn't sound right.

er . .. possibly. but they just replaced my refrigerator, which was far more broken. After several years of begging.

I get that it's supposed to smoke. It just scares me. I think I might get a fire extinguisher, for my own peace of mind, and try again with the super-duper self cleaning function.

You should have a fire extinguisher -at least one. and make sure you know how to use it and are not afraid of it. It's not just for breaking a window so you can escape

you're absolutely right. I probably should also have one of those emergency ladders. My bedroom is a second floor loft.

and I probably should put the batteries in my smoke alarm. oops.

I've used a fire extinguisher before. Was damn glad to have it, but it was barely large enough. After that situation (I was a teenager) my dad bought three industrial sized fire extinguishers for our house. One for each floor.

We've got two small ones in my house now. I sometimes think of getting a couple more. They are a little expensive, but when you need one, you'd gladly pay $50K to have one right at that moment.

We have three -one upstairs, one downstairs -both centrally located and attached to the walls, and one loose at the top of the basement stairs that we take in the car on roadtrips.

Smoke alarm batteries.... well, would it wake you?

beest is the safety officer at work (and did his fire extinguisher annual practice thingie just this week) and says that they only last for a few seconds and you need to use them correctly, so you should practice.

repeat fire extinguisher customer here.

Jeebus!

Afraid of fire? What are you afraid of? Insulting it? Hurting it? GO GET A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. Then... light a fire in the parking lot. Set a cheap trash can of papers on fire. Let it burn for a minute. Then spend your fire extinguisher and put it out. Practice on that tiny fire in the parking lot. Burn your $15-20 or whatever it costs and see, no, do learn, experience your ability to control a small fire.

Then go get another one or three and put them in conspicuous places in your house.

Check your warming eye. You might have had food or grease spill through it to the top of your oven. When the top of the oven heats, it begins to burn the spillage

warming eye?

Is that anything like a brown eye?

FWIW, Many ovens with a cooktop utilize the back left burner as a vent.