DO NOT USE AN EXTENSION CORD OR POWER STRIP WITH AN ELECTRIC SPACE HEATER. IT CAN OVERLOAD THE CIRCUIT AND CAUSE FIRE.

DO NOT USE AN EXTENSION CORD OR POWER STRIP WITH AN ELECTRIC SPACE HEATER.  IT CAN OVERLOAD THE CIRCUIT AND CAUSE FIRE.

An electric space heater’s power cord is not intended to be used with an extension cord.  If you are unable to plug the unit directly into a socket and have to use an extension cord, consider using a heavy-duty cord marked with a #14 gauge or larger wire (#12 gauge is larger than #14 gauge).  An incorrectly sized cord could create a fire hazard. If the heater’s plug has a grounding prong, use only a grounding (three-wire) extension cord.

Not only is the wiring within a typical household extension cord too small for the power that the heater requires, its additional length also adds to the resistance and therefore the heat that is produced within the cords. This excess heat can lead to a fire.

In a recent deadly fire, a couple borrowed at least two space heaters from the motor home after the trailer’s furnace quit working.  Extension cords running from the main house and barn powered the space heaters, frequently blowing circuit breakers.  Eventually a fire ended up destroying their trailer and took their lives.  All this is preventable.

In another case, a fire that led to the deaths of two people, started when sparks from an overheated extension cord ignited a mattress and bedding at an apartment.  The fire had been caused by combustible materials near an electric space heater, according to preliminary findings by fire marshals. 

Never, ever, EVER use an extension cord to plug in a space heater.   If you don’t know what wire gauge is and what the maximum amp rating of the extension cord is and the amp rating of the space heater, then no–you can’t plug a space heater into it.

Space heaters that use cheap lamp cords to plug into the walls are the most dangerous.   If you feel the wire and plug getting warm during usage, unplug the space heater right away and stop using it.   Before you buy a space heater, ask the store if you can open the box so you can inspect the plug.   Thicker gauge wiring on the appliance is safer.

The outlet you plug a space heater into should not have anything else plugged into it.

If you have circuit breakers and you are tripping them when the space heater is turned on, that is a BIG WARNING SIGN.   You are overloading that circuit in your house–that’s why the breaker keeps tripping.   It’s doing its job and trying to prevent you from setting your house on fire.   Switch to a different outlet that you know is on a different circuit or start shedding load until you get it down to where the circuit can handle it.

If you’re bursting fuses when you’re running the space heater–like when your microwave oven is running the space heater is turned on, STOP.   You’re risking catastrophe.   Call an electrician and ask to have new service installed for your space heater.   It’s either that, or search your house for a circuit that isn’t overloaded.   In an old house with only 4 to 6 circuits that is hard to do with all the TVs and computers that are in old houses these days.

Never run the heater’s cord (or any cord) under rugs or carpeting.

Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting & Forensics (MECF)

Providing Competent, Expert and Objective Investigative Engineering and Consulting Services

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Tenafly, NJ 07670-0520

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DO NOT CAUSE ELECTRIC FIRES THIS COLD SEASON BY OVERLOADING YOUR ELECTRIC CIRCUIT

DO NOT CAUSE ELECTRIC FIRES THIS COLD SEASON BY OVERLOADING YOUR ELECTRIC CIRCUIT

During cold weather we get the highest number of electric fires.  These fires are not only damaging property-wise, but they are taking lives, as well.  Faulty wiring or electrical sockets overloaded by heating devices can and will spark.  Space heaters can also ignite.  Check to see if your appliance has a “tip switch,” meaning it turns off automatically if tipped over.  Remember to set space heaters on a solid, level surface that is not carpeted to insure that it does not tip over and also to insure that the tip over switch can function.  Never drape blankets or place combustible items near space heaters and keep a minimum of three (3) foot distance from the heating unit.

If your home loses power, do not use a gas kitchen oven to heat your home.  This isn’t just a fire hazard – it can produce toxic fumes, too.  Be safe and cautious when using candles or open flames for light or warmth, and never place them in areas where they could be knocked over or near items that may easily catch fire.

Portable heaters can keep us warm and increase our comfort, but they can also be dangerous.  More than 40,000 residential fires, and over 300 deaths are associated with the use of portable space heaters every year. (Source: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and NFPA).  As electrical fire investigators, one of our jobs is to repair wiring in homes and businesses that have been damaged.  In many instances in the winter months we find wiring that has been damaged by overloading it with portable heaters.  Most homes have electrical wiring for outlets and lights that is rated for 15 amps of electric current.  A standard 15 amp, 120 Volt general circuit will have a combination of 10 to 20 lights and outlets which will serve TVs, VCRs, lights, computers, exhaust fans and similar items.  A typical portable heater uses 1,500 watts or 12.5 amps (the heater nameplate has this information). When you connect a portable heater rated at 12.5 amps to a circuit that is designed to handle 15 amps maximum, the problem is easy to see.  You can easily overload the typical electrical wiring in your home if a few lights, TVs, computers or other electrical appliances are turned on at the same time that you are running a portable heater.

What is an Arc Fault?

Many times the culprit is an arc fault.  An arc is a discharge of electric current across a gap.  Many of us have seen an arc such as from an arc welder or sparks from a downed power line.  An arc fault is an unintended arc flowing through an unintentional path.

Common causes for arc faults in a house are:

• Loose or improper connections, such as electrical wires to outlets or switches

• Frayed or ruptured appliance or extension cords.

• Pinched or pierced wire insulation, such as a wire inside a wall nipped by a nail or screw or a chair leg setting on an extension cord.

• Cracked wire insulation stemming from age, heat, corrosion or bending stress

• Overheated wire or cords due to overloading of the circuit

• Damaged electrical appliances

• Wires or cords touching vibrating metal

• Electrical wire insulation chewed by rodents.

When an arc fault occurs inside the walls or ceiling, or inside an electrical appliance, temperatures can exceed 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Nearby combustibles like wood studs or insulation can be ignited by an electrical arc.

Fortunately, companies have developed arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) to help avoid fires caused by arc faults.  They look and work just like conventional circuit breakers and fit into electrical panels in the same way. But they provide additional protection against arc faults.

Conventional circuit breakers “trip” if an overload or short circuit is detected, which shuts off the electrical power. They protect against overloads and short circuits with thermal and magnetic protection, respectively.  AFCI’s, however, not only protect against overloads and short circuits, they can also electronically sense arcing and “trip.”

Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting & Forensics (MECF)

Providing Competent, Expert and Objective Investigative Engineering and Consulting Services

P.O. Box 520

Tenafly, NJ 07670-0520

Tel.: (973) 897-8162

Fax: (973) 810-0440

E-mail: metroforensics@gmail.com

Web pages: https://sites.google.com/site/metropolitanforensics/

https://sites.google.com/site/metropolitanenvironmental/

https://sites.google.com/site/metroforensics3/

We are happy to announce the launch of our twitter account. Please make sure to follow us at @MetropForensics or @metroforensics

To unsubscribe from future technical blogs and announcements, please reply to this email with the word “unsubscribe” in the subject line.

Metropolitan appreciates your business.

Feel free to recommend our services to your friends and colleagues.