That time I nearly burned my garage down with a cheap space heater last month

2 comments

2 Comments

Oh man, I bet that thing was glowing orange like a toaster element. Here's something people don't think about - those cheap heaters pull way more current than they're rated for. I tested one with a clamp meter and it was drawing almost 16 amps on a circuit that's supposed to handle 15. That's how fires start, especially with old wiring or daisy-chained extension cords.

patriciam221mo ago

Did you check if the circuit breaker was getting hot too? @mark676 is right about the amperage thing, I had a buddy who did the same test on his heater and it was pulling 17 amps. The cord got warm to the touch after running it for an hour. Those things are scary because they look fine on the outside but the internals are junk. I think people just assume if it has a UL sticker it's safe, but that's not always true with the cheap ones.