Space Heaters: Friends or Foe?

In My Experience, Your Home's #1 Electrical Hazard

Let’s face it: space heaters help to take off the chill in the winter months. For people without a wide-spreading source of heat, space heaters seem like the perfect solution—until they’re not.

Consider this: In residential settings, I typically see 15-amp circuits installed in walls for receptacles (including new builds). Eighty percent is generally the maximum amount that you want to put on a circuit.

The point? When you plug in a space heater, you have reached that 80% (and more if you have items such as appliances also plugged in to the same circuit).

To summarize: Space heaters pull a lot of electricity. The circuits in your home aren’t typically meant to accommodate the amount of electricity that your space heater demands, especially if several of your rooms are running off the same circuit.

I’ve seen a lot of melted receptacles due to space heaters. Unfortunately, the space heater will continue to run, even when a loose connection somewhere along the circuit starts arcing. As heat is created, the receptacle deteriorates—and fire hazard increases.

This is why I don’t recommend space heaters—with one exception (I’ll get to that in a minute.) If you’ve used a space heater and wonder if everything is OK at the receptacle, check for these warning signs:

1.      Receptacle is very warm or hot to the touch.

Unplug your space heater immediately and call an electrician.

2.      Burn marks are visible on the receptacle.

The internal parts of the receptacle are most likely melted and compromised. Do not use the receptacle until an electrician has checked it out.

And now for the exception that I promised. When can I recommend a space heater in good conscience?

When you have a dedicated 20-amp circuit coming from your panel back to the space heater. This upgraded circuit, properly installed, can more adequately handle the space heater’s electrical demands.