Safety Hazards With Space Heaters in Seattle Washington

We thought some helpful information would be good on electrical space heaters, And some of the dangers that come with plugging them into lighting circuits. Most homeowners would not think twice to plug there new space heater into any old outlet. Seatown Electric has had countless service calls in the Seattle area over outlets that are burned up or breakers that are tripped due to overloaded circuits.

Most older homes have overloaded circuits just from being wired "to code". Because back when the wiring was done, it was done in an era where only a few appliances were used. With technology changing rapidly, there is defiantly a need for more power.

So how much is a typical 15 amp circuit rated for? Household devices are required to run at 110-125 volts and most are rated at 115 volts so 1725 watts for a 15 amp cord or circuit. It is generally considered to be a good idea to not run at the exact rating of the breaker or fuse using this voltage because the voltage can rise, increasing the amps, Not to mention the fuses or breakers will sometimes fail. 80% is a number commonly suggested, in this case it is easier to just to suggest 1500 watts which is about 13 amps.

So what happens if you plug in a space heater? It depends on the wattage of the heater, you can check this on the manufacture label. Most can be found as a sticker mounted on the side. A typical space heater runs at roughly 1200-1800 watts. What this means is by plugging in the space heater you have come close, if not already maxed out the breakers max load.

In Seattle, Knob and Tube is present in roughly 30% of homes. The wiring method was to support a table lamp in each room and maybe a couple small appliances in the kitchen. Most of these homes have the entire upper floor on one circuit. If you plug a space heater into any Seattle home with knob and tube wiring, You are most likely putting the home into serious risk, Especially if the home has an outdated electrical panel. Then you have no overcurrent protection if you do in fact overload the circuit with a space heater.

There is a couple steps you can take to prevent electrical fires, or burned outlets from space heaters. The first step is map out the homes electrical system. Seatown Electric in Seattle Washington is one of many Seattle Electrical Contractors to choose from when hiring to resolve electrical issues. Going through the house and get a detailed label and map of what each circuit is doing helps to determine how the original wiring was done. Step two, Is to have a look at the electrical fuse panel or breaker box. If it has been updated within the last 20 years then AFCI Breakers would be recommended to help catch any faults in the circuits or appliances that are plugged in. If the panel box is older than 20 years it is recommended that it be upgraded. If Knob and Tube is present, an estimate to get it removed would be recommended.

By this time you should have a pretty good idea of how the electrical is wired, your Electrical Contractor most likely can come up with recommendations on the next steps to accommodate your space heaters. They will include fixes such as, dedicated circuits, splitting up existing overloaded circuits, installing AFCI or GFCI beakers, New panel box, and Rewiring old Knob and Tube.

Above is an image of an outlet found by Seatown Electric on a service call in Seattle Washington, The homeowner had smelled burning in there newborns nursery. There was an 1800 watt heater plugged in, the entire floor including the kitchen was on one circuit. There was no breakers in the home, just old screw in fuses. The home had no ground, No smoke detectors with Knob and Tube wiring, and was asking for a fire. Luckily the homeowner called when they did, because as you can see this outlet was about to create a fire with no warning.

To sum up this post, think twice before plugging in one or multiple space heaters. If you are not sure of the condition of your homes electrical you owe it to yourself and your family to have an Electrical Contractor look it over. And please, bare minimum get interconnected smoke detectors installed to at least warn your family of a potential fire.

For scheduling a free estimate in the Seattle area please visit www.seatownelectric.com