Could our electric baseboard heaters be causing soot damage in our kitchen?
While I have not ben able to find an example of a hardwired baseboard electric heater failing in this manner on a quick search of the web, here's a story about a freestanding but otherwise similar unit making lots of soot. The only way I can envision an electric baseboard making as much soot as you have described (short of filling it with flammables) is if it were both oil-filled, and had failed.


http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/551553