Do you love to have guest over for dinner? Or do you love big family get togethers? I know it is not a function that everyone likes to have in their home, but most of us end up with at least one such event occurring in our home. Personally, I enjoy such feasts, and I love to cook. Having my children and all of the nieces and nephews run around is wonderful. Being able to have the time to catch up with family and friends about the scenes and occurrences in their daily lives is a pleasure. I prefer these dinners to speaking over the phone.
One year my old house was full to the brim, and my sister-in-laws wanted to help in the kitchen. Now understand, this is my domain. My wife can cook, but she prefers that this joy should befall her only once a year. In kindergarten, my son asked the teacher if mothers really do cook after hearing a book being read about a mom in a kitchen. The scene that follows was enacted out before I became an inspector, so now I know better. At the time, I knew my kitchen. I never had any disasters, because I was aware of what could happen with my equipment. I was called away form my lair, prompting my helpful sisters-in law to pounce in to help.
Deciding that the large brisket that I had been preparing in the oven was ready, my one relative decided to remove it. At this time, the kids decided to run into the kitchen to discover what they would be eating for dinner. She sees the children about to knock her over, so she sets the pan down on the oven door. I should clarify that this was a stand alone unit, and it was not secured to the wall. The weight of the pan caused the range to tip over, along with the beans and rice in large pots on top. I saw what was happening from the other side of the kitchen, so I ran to prevent everything from falling over onto the kids. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
I use this story with my clients often to demonstrate the importance of the anti-tip device. I can honestly write that on most homes (probably 95% of them), I will not find such a device, or it is improperly installed. On some new construction, I will find it lying underneath the range. In Texas, we are required to report on this device according to our standards of practice, but so many people think that I am being fussy for bringing this up on a report. True, while I have been at the range, this has never happened to me, and it might not happen to you, but I think it better to be safe, considering you never know what might happen.
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