Rant: Don't take fire safety advice from your landlord's brother-in-law

My landlord's brother-in-law told me to just unplug the space heater at the breaker if it sparked, said it was totally fine. Last January in Buffalo, that thing almost caught my curtain on fire and I smelled burning plastic for two days before I tossed it. Anyone else get dangerous advice from someone who acted like they knew everything?

2 comments

2 Comments

stellawood25d ago

Unplugging a space heater at the breaker is probably the least safe way to handle that. If it's already smoking or sparking, you want to kill the power as fast as possible without touching anything that could be live. The brother-in-law might have meant well, but telling someone to find the breaker box while wires might be arcing is a good way to get yourself fried. Landlord's relatives are famous for giving advice that saves them a buck, not you from a fire. Glad you tossed that heater before it took your whole place out.

robin48925d agoModerator

That line about the brother-in-law saving a buck instead of a life really hit home. In a panic you don't need someone guessing about breakers, you need the cord pulled or the unit kicked away. Making the right call is what counts, good on you for ignoring bad advice.