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#199634 03/03/11 06:53 AM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 56
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pooL8 Offline OP
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Lots of service calls.

They work well enough if you know where not to plug them in.


Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,392
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doh!
[Linked Image from elite-electric-inc.com]

Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 265
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" But it is just a small heater, it doesent take up much space. How can it use that much electricity?" I had one customer that ran out of propane and decided to heat her house with 7 space heaters running all the time. The following months utility bill was over one thousand dollars, now she has to pay the bill and buy propane.


Jimmy

Life is tough, Life is tougher when you are stupid
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 794
Likes: 3
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Friend of my mom's had one of these in the basement. He was moving some stuff around, including the heater. He forgot to unplug it. It got cold in that basement, and the heater turns on, sets fire to the stuff next to the heater, causing a full blown house fire...

I had a couple of these heaters myself, but I threw them out, as I'm a little too mistake prone myself. I did keep the big one that looks like an old fashioned steam radiator. No glowing wire strip in that one.

Joined: Feb 2011
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pooL8 Offline OP
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I worked on a house rewire that was caused by an oil filled heater getting tipped over (radiator lookin kind). It burned the hallway, and oddly enough the fire found the chase that contained about 90% of the circuits.... including the hot tub feed I ran about 6 months before (wasn't me!)

Not sure but I think a dog tipped it over.

Lots of melted plugs like that fine example. Melted wires. Tripping breakers.

I find it odd that most people don't know where their dedicated circuits are. Well they're starting to learn around here!

It's not like the math is hard either.... I can do it!! smile


It's always that neutral wire... see in the picture? Anyone know why? is it those pigtails? whistle (Too many nodes or something, the wires don't like it)

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,923
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Most (all?) of the new heaters I see have some kind of "tip over" switch that turns off the heater if it is not upright.
The cheap ones are just a rod sticking pout the bottom that needs to be pushed in when it sits on the floor.


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 2,498
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WHen I was a kid (maybe 4 years old) we had one of those heaters while we stayed in a weird old house. It was 3-legged (4th one was broken) and when it fell over it blew the fuse, instantly.

Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 206
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"caused by an oil filled heater getting tipped over (radiator lookin kind)."
That's worrying. I've always thought those the safest type of electric heater. The temperature is thermostatically controlled and presumably there will be an over temperature cut off too. Then the oil is contained in a welded steel case.
Any info on what went wrong?

Joined: Feb 2011
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pooL8 Offline OP
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Sounds like it may have been a different kind of heater. But I saw the burn mark on the rug. Now I'm not sure if it was an oil heater burn mark or not...

Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 362
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I find outlets like that all the time from the space heaters. I get all sorts of calls from these things. And the always say but the told me it was really efficiant and would save me money. 1250w heater plugged into standard 15a circuit with stab in the back receptacles, the tv and entertainment center some lamps a fish tank and whatever all chugging away, and somehow the circuit breaker is bad and could I come out and change it? LOL

Ob


Choose your customers, don't let them choose you.
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