Leaving the coffee maker on...

[Reene902]

I accidentally left my coffee maker on this morning and won't be able to make it back home for about 4.5 hours. Will it be ok or will I return to a burning house?

[lupaglupa]

We always unplug ours - ever since my sister in law's house burned straight to the ground. The Fire Department said it was the Coffee Maker and that they are a common source of fires. Can't be too careful is our motto.

[Gio]

Like fayehess above, we have made a habit of taking the coffee maker plug out of the socket before we leave the kitchen. In fact we remove the toaster plug as well. Saves a ton of worry. Don't need any more than I already have. LOL

[fayehess]

For some reason, in my late twenties, I all of a sudden started to panic about leaving small appliances on when I left home (after I left and hours away). To keep the therapy bills at bay, I got in the habit of unplugging them after every use. fayefood.com

[Leslie]

How much coffee did you leave in it? An inch or so, you should be OK. You will probably come home to a coffee pot full of sludge, which will soak off.

[Reene902]

i think it's about 1/2 an inch actually. still ok?

[Leslie]

I've left the coffee maker on more than several times and come home to coffee burnt to the bottom and my house is still standing. At work, people are always leaving an empty or almost empty pot on the burner all morning and into the afternoon with no disasters. No guarantees, though.

[Reene902]

Thanks for the quick replies, Leslie! I got the coffee maker as a Valentine's day gift from my boyfriend who just called to tell me that the model he got has an automatic shut off 2 hours after brewing. Perfect for a spaz such as myself! whew!

[jfood]

when you get home check to see if it also has a means to reduce the turn-off time. jfood purchased one last year that has a 2-hour off as well, but also has the ability to change that time. jfood set it to turn off after 15 minutes (no comments please). BTW - it resets to 2 hours after avery electric failure or someone unplugging.

[Hungry Celeste]

If our coffee pot didn't have an auto-shutoff, the house would have gone up in flames years ago! Thanks be to whoever invented that switch...ditto for the one on the iron.