I have seen a number of these portable heaters MELT the wiring inside the unit, and it made me think about the older houses many of us have here in Pittsburgh. A lot of older homes were built before electric heaters were invented and therefore, have wiring inside the walls that was not meant to handle the demands of these heaters. Very frequently in the winter, we see another beautiful old home burning because of faulty internal house wiring. These next few weeks are going to be really cold and I just thought about our many residents and home owners (as well as the poor Fireman & Policemen that have to work!) Moral of the story: Please be safe & do a little homework before selecting a portable heater for your family. Also, here are a few suggestions that I found on the internet that I thought were important as well: * Make sure the heater comes with an automatic tip-over switch and a high-temperature limit switch. The tip-over switch turns the heater off if it is knocked over. A high-temperature limit switch prevents the heater from overheating. * Keep at least 3 feet between the heater and combustibles such as furniture, curtains, blankets, papers and people. * Inspect for cracked or damaged cords, broken plugs or loose connections. * Never use an extension cord or power strip with a portable electric heater. It can overload the circuit and cause a fire. * Never allow children to play with or around the heater. * Unplug heaters when not in use, before going to bed or when leaving the room.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 20:05:06 +0000
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