Well, heating fuel prices are going up just before winter. Not uncommon, but this year its a big increase. Everyone in going to feel the change and many people are going to be looking for ways to reduce their heating costs.
Electric heaters are going to be the solution for a lot of people. Many will be used improperly and/or used on electrical systems that are old and just not able to handle the load. The result will be more electrical fires than we normally see in the winter.
Some advice:
Do not plug Electric Heaters into extension cords. If you must use an detention cord, use 12 gauge cords no longer than 25 ft. long.
Do not plug electric heaters into standard 120v outlets that are fused at more than 20 amps. No 120v outlet in a house should be fused at more than 20 amps except for very rare circumstances.
Follow the directions on your heater and heed the safety warnings.
If you have questions about your electrical system’s capacity or safety, consult an electrician (including asking specific questions here). You may not need work done, but don’t risk your lives and home.
Insulate your house.
Share this warning with others. (Including the other advice you will find shared in this thread)
If you haven’t drawn blood today, you haven’t done anything.
Edited 9/8/2005 8:32 pm ET by bosn
Edited 9/8/2005 8:33 pm ET by bosn
Replies
When fuel prices go up, so do electric rates, but not as much. To the extent that electricity comes from oil fired plants, particularly for peak loads, it gets more expensive to generate. Hydro and nuclear won't change, so that brings down the average.
The cost per BTU advantage that oil and gas have over electric heat will shrink, but I wonder if it'll actually tip the other way for more than a very few people.
-- J.S.
The idea behind space heaters is that in old houses(that typically are drafty, hard to heat and have oooolllllllllld electrical systems) one can heat the room you are in or supplement a child's bedroom with electric heat without having to heat the entire house.
Granted, there are other ways to accomplish this, the best is to remedy the causes by insulating and getting a more efficient furnace, but a great many space heaters are sold in the winter and I read way to many stories every winter about houses that burn because of electrical systems overloaded by various types of electric heaters.
I've worked on some of those houses, too. Some were service calls do to "a burning smell" or "half of the power in the house stopped working". Other times I went to the house after the fire was put out to repair or rewire.
And worse, people die in these fires. So, when fuel prices go up as much as they are supposed to, I expect that people will start looking for ways to save. They may not crunch the numbers before they buy one, but many will buy electric space heaters.If you haven't drawn blood today, you haven't done anything.
IMHO and experience heating my own modest abode electrical heating systems have a couple of advantages. Particularly in warmer climates. Electricity has lagged the volatility of the petroleum based energy prices. Lately, as I understand it, it has been a bit lower. Possibly because of electricity can more easily tap coal supplies and so remain more stable.A good thing it also gets a benefit from being adaptable to spot use. Last few years I have not run my central heating. Instead I retire to a room and use a small space heater. Should the power go out I have both a portable kerosine heater and portable catalytic propane unit that can be pressed into service. The savings have been substantial. Florida is not Nebraska. This strategy might not work well in the later but so far, even when the temperatures fall into the 20s for hours the heat escaping into the larger area of the house has been enough to keep the temperature there slightly above freezing.My preferred units, I have two in the house and a couple for customer use as emergency backup units, are compact 1200w ceramic heaters with a little fan. One, on high, is enough to run you out of a good sized room while the great outdoors is well below freezing. Two will comfortably heat a small home. At least here in Florida. But such space heaters, even the safer ceramic ones which don't get hot enough to burn tissue paper, as you well know, put a substantial load on the electrical system. I have installed 20A dedicated circuits to where I plug mine in. Same circuits which I run small AC units. I highly recommend that anyone contemplating using space heaters use the safest ones you can find, modern ones have safety features like thermal overloads and tip sensors that older ones may not, and to consult with an electrician about running dedicated circuits. IMO the ceramic units, which do not get hot enough to cause a fire in normal use, are the best. They are also relatively cheap and compact so they store more easily. A big vote in their favor as I have to store four. Oil filled radiant units are also good but they are heavier, more expensive and less compact. I would avoid any units, like the classic 'milk house, designs, which have coils which get hot enough to glow red. A stray drapery or bit of paper that gets too close can easily catch fire. If you much use a portable heater of this design watch it like a hawk. Do Not leave it running unattended and/or while you sleep.Avoid running extension cords if at all possible. If you do use extension cords use heavy gauge thee-wire ones in good condition. Never use a two-wire, light-gauge lamp cords and certainly do not run any cord under rugs or anywhere they might be damaged. Saw a near miss fire where a rocker recliner ate a lamp cord. The cord drifted, as they tend to do, into the rocker mechanism and was pinched. The flash and small fire blackened the area around the pinch point but luckily failed to catch. The home owners only learned about it when their living room circuit failed to work because the breaker had tripped.Small space heaters can save money by taking advantage of lower electrical prices and by heating only the rooms that are being actively used at the time. But they have to be used carefully other wise you may be better off paying more to run your regular gas or oil system and avoiding the issue of having the house burn down.Be frugal but be safe.
I don't know where you learned your electrical stuff ...
Electrical fires are caused by defects in heaters, cords, or receps as well as using wiring that is undersized. They are not prevented by the myths you spread.
an electrical fire may be started by an electrical "defect" but it's usually the surrounding materials that get ignited that cause the fire/smoke damage and can kill people - two "fish tank" fires due to undersized extension cords (self extinguished when the tanks broke), one igauna tank fire that took out the room - one fatality when the blankets fell on the electric heater during the night, illegally occupied house, no smoke detectorsbottom line - electrical heaters okay when used properly - but some are a hazard
IMO his, bosn's, posts and cautions are pretty much 'on the money' and the general idea expressed, to take care when using or contemplating using space heaters, is well founded. Entirely appropriate for the season.He didn't go into a lot of detail but seemed to cover the bases well enough.If you have any specific criticism, beyond a vague claim of 'spreading' uncited 'myths', it would be helpful if you were more specific about the faults you perceive. I didn't see any glaring faults in his posts but perhaps I overlooked them. It would be appreciated if you could enlightening us, in a more specific and meaningful way, with your insights.Edited for clarity.
Edited 9/10/2005 9:37 pm ET by 4Lorn1
One guy mentioned the oil-filled units. How safe are they? Beside common sense, anyone using a lamp cord for anything besides a lamp is asking for trouble. If I need a cord I would use either an appliance three prong (12 ga) or if I need a heavy duty 25' jobsite cord. Most likely the former. My question is about tipping. I have a nitwit 100# lab who knocks himself over half the time, plus my 4 yr old, 12 yr old, coffee table, wife and myself! If he knocks over the unit, will it shut off and cool down? I wouldn't leave the thing one when noone's home but if I'm in my garage shop with the kids inside is the unit a danger? Speaking of shop, how would such a unit fare in a small woodworking shop? Dusty yes, few volatile fumes as I mostly work with water-base chemicals. The occasional shellac, oil-primer or brushing varnish. No spraying as I don't have a booth with explosion-proof fan. A little heat would extend my seasonal working time though.
There are multiple issues here.Tipover - most units have tipover protection so that they will shutoff. I know that is used on those that have "hot elements" where parts of the heater is hot enough to burn paper or cloth if the heater would fall on them.Exposed tempatures - Those with the exposed heating elements get hot enough to burn stuff. Others are cool enough that no point on the them is hot enough. I suspect that the oil filled are of the later. But check the label and instructions.There are a couple of units that coffee table or end table "size" and use heat lights to heat them up and they claim that they past UL testing covered with a blanket.Dust - unless you allow the dust to pile up an inch thick you won't have any problems using any in a workshop.I have a coil based "utility heater" (pump house heater) and never had any problems. I will get a little smell from the dust the first time I use it in the winter.
Thanks, I'll try to keep the shop dust to less than a foot. Maybe if I cut only mesquite it'll smell like summer? Kiddin. I figured they were at least safe enough from the occasional mishap but putting a blanket over a coffee table one? Nah thanks, it'd just make my pint too warm too fast! They probably didn't mention that it was an asbestos or Nomex blanket! Thanks again, gonna get me one or two...
I have an oil filler heater...DeLonghi IIRC.
The only thing I ever saw go kafluey on them,( this is my second one) is they CAN short out right at the thermostat on the side of the radiater..both of mine did that.
Neither time caused any fire , but certainly could have. I soldered the push on connecters and added heat shrink insulation to the exposed wires @ the connection.
Dunno about tip over, they are pretty heavy and on wheels, never tipped one yet. Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I'm a licensed Journeyman electrician and a trade school instructor. Who are you and what "myths" do you suppose I am spreading?
You are correct in your statement that defects in equipment such as heaters and extension cords as well as in the installed devices(receptacles) cause fires. But often times these devices and equipment are not defective, just worn out from years of use or misused.
I stand by my statements about old houses. I generalized, but I find that too often heaters are plugging into a 70 year old receptacle via an extension cord (that is too light), because there are only two outlets in the 70 year old living room. The house still has fuses and the 15 amp fuse has long ago been changed to a 30 amp fuse. The circuit has been added on to several times and the HO's are running lights and even a second heater on the circuit. The Knob and Tube wiring in this scenario is simply going to heat up and somewhere there my be a joint weak enough to heat up and start a fire.
I've seen the remains of fuse boxes and breaker panels of various ages that burned up because high loads were put on an old worn out system or because of bad connections; defective equipment, aluminum wiring, and poor installation.
I started this thread to help some participants of this forum and to encourage its participants to spread the word. I offered some simplistic beginnings and expected those with quicker typing fingers and the desire to share their insight to do so.
I hope that those who read this will share these concerns with others who may be contemplating electric heaters and encourage them to do some research before they purchase or use them. With a little research, and if needed, some minor changes to their homes' electrical system(a new outlet or circuit), electric space heaters can be useful and safe.
I never meant to imply that they shouldn't be used or that someone needs to HIRE an electrician. If someone has doubts, they can ask questions in this forum or they may know an electrician who can simply advise them. Local electrical inspectors may be helpful also.If you haven't drawn blood today, you haven't done anything.