If you were Registered and logged in, you could reply and use other advanced thread options
|
Posted by Joseph Meehan on December 22, 2005, 9:48 pm
- Colonel - wrote:
show/hide quoted text
> OK, I know just enough about electricity to be dangerous, but this one
> has me stumped.
> Today I had an oil convection electric heater (1500W) turned on in the
> bathroom to heat up the room before taking a shower, and when I
> unplugged it, I noticed the prongs of the plug were HOT. Probably like
> 175°F hot...almost too hot to touch. Then I put my hand on the socket
> and that was hot, too.
> Yet the cord to the heater wasn't even warm.
> If the heater uses 1500W I assume that at 125V my load is about
> 12A...right?
> It's an old house but the wiring is modern Romex.
> Why would the prongs of the plug and the socket get so hot? Resistance
> in the plug? (The plug APPEARS undamaged, and we always pull it out by
> grabbing the plug, not the wire).
> Should I put a new plug onto the cord?
> Is it likely there was resistance or a bad connection in the socket?
> Thanks for any clues.
> C
As noted, the wires to the outlet (in the wall) may not be making good
connections with the outlet (don't use a push in connector, use only the
screw down type. It is also possible that the plug is not making good
contact with the outlet. For both of these I suggest replacing the outlet
with a commercial grade outlet (cost maybe $2.00 more than the cheap
residential grade that is likely there now).
It is also possible that it is just normal. However I would replace the
outlet, in fact I have replace all my outlets that have heavy loads on them.
I would question about putting a new plug on the wire. Is the current
one molded on? The replacement may not be a good as the original. On the
other hand replacing the entire cord with a new high quality cord is a
possibility.
--
Joseph Meehan
Dia duit
|
|
Posted by Robertm on December 22, 2005, 10:11 pm
show/hide quoted text
>- Colonel - wrote:
>> OK, I know just enough about electricity to be dangerous, but this one
>> has me stumped.
>> Today I had an oil convection electric heater (1500W) turned on in the
>> bathroom to heat up the room before taking a shower, and when I
>> unplugged it, I noticed the prongs of the plug were HOT. Probably like
>> 175°F hot...almost too hot to touch. Then I put my hand on the socket
>> and that was hot, too.
>> Yet the cord to the heater wasn't even warm.
>> If the heater uses 1500W I assume that at 125V my load is about
>> 12A...right?
>> It's an old house but the wiring is modern Romex.
>> Why would the prongs of the plug and the socket get so hot? Resistance
>> in the plug? (The plug APPEARS undamaged, and we always pull it out by
>> grabbing the plug, not the wire).
>> Should I put a new plug onto the cord?
>> Is it likely there was resistance or a bad connection in the socket?
>> Thanks for any clues.
>> C
> As noted, the wires to the outlet (in the wall) may not be making good
> connections with the outlet (don't use a push in connector, use only the
> screw down type. It is also possible that the plug is not making good
> contact with the outlet. For both of these I suggest replacing the outlet
> with a commercial grade outlet (cost maybe $2.00 more than the cheap
> residential grade that is likely there now).
> It is also possible that it is just normal. However I would replace
> the outlet, in fact I have replace all my outlets that have heavy loads on
> them.
> I would question about putting a new plug on the wire. Is the current
> one molded on? The replacement may not be a good as the original. On the
> other hand replacing the entire cord with a new high quality cord is a
> possibility.
> --
> Joseph Meehan
> Dia duit
On any 1500 Watt heater I've ever owned, the plug and outlet always got warm
when run continuously on the 1500 Watt setting. At one location, it was a
new oil filled heater in a new house and all the outlets I tried had the
same result. I never trusted those things above the 900 Watt setting.
Bob
|
|
Posted by spudnuty on December 23, 2005, 2:03 am
I worked on film and TV crews for many years. We used many 1000W and
2000W lights that we'd bring into a location and plug in existing
outlets. You never know the shape of the outlet you're plugging into.
Even the 1Ks would often get hot at the plug end and once that happened
it was just a matter of time. We bought new plugs by the case lot
because they often needed replacement.
Richard
|
|
Posted by Chris Lewis on December 23, 2005, 10:40 am
show/hide quoted text
> As noted, the wires to the outlet (in the wall) may not be making good
> connections with the outlet (don't use a push in connector, use only the
> screw down type. It is also possible that the plug is not making good
> contact with the outlet. For both of these I suggest replacing the outlet
> with a commercial grade outlet (cost maybe $2.00 more than the cheap
> residential grade that is likely there now).
Once an outlet has gotten overheated like this, it's a good idea to replace
it, regardless of the precise cause because it is now probably heat damaged.
Replacing it will probably solve the problem. Use a "spec-grade" outlet.
They'll cost $2-$3. Use the screw terminals.
Once it's replaced, check the temperature again. If it's still getting
that hot, then you consider replacing the cord or plug on the heater, and
make sure you get a good quality plug.
If the outlet was installed using the "push in" terminals, take some
time and check any previous outlets in the circuit for overheating too.
[Plugged an A/C into a circuit and as a result, _three_ push-in terminal
outlets burned out... It was Aluminum wire (it was never legal to use
push-in terminals for Al), but, I don't trust push-in even on copper.]
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.
|
|
Posted by Ross Mac on December 25, 2005, 1:06 pm
show/hide quoted text
>- Colonel - wrote:
>> OK, I know just enough about electricity to be dangerous, but this one
>> has me stumped.
>> Today I had an oil convection electric heater (1500W) turned on in the
>> bathroom to heat up the room before taking a shower, and when I
>> unplugged it, I noticed the prongs of the plug were HOT. Probably like
>> 175°F hot...almost too hot to touch. Then I put my hand on the socket
>> and that was hot, too.
>> Yet the cord to the heater wasn't even warm.
>> If the heater uses 1500W I assume that at 125V my load is about
>> 12A...right?
>> It's an old house but the wiring is modern Romex.
>> Why would the prongs of the plug and the socket get so hot? Resistance
>> in the plug? (The plug APPEARS undamaged, and we always pull it out by
>> grabbing the plug, not the wire).
>> Should I put a new plug onto the cord?
>> Is it likely there was resistance or a bad connection in the socket?
>> Thanks for any clues.
>> C
> As noted, the wires to the outlet (in the wall) may not be making good
> connections with the outlet (don't use a push in connector, use only the
> screw down type. It is also possible that the plug is not making good
> contact with the outlet. For both of these I suggest replacing the outlet
> with a commercial grade outlet (cost maybe $2.00 more than the cheap
> residential grade that is likely there now).
> It is also possible that it is just normal. However I would replace
> the outlet, in fact I have replace all my outlets that have heavy loads on
> them.
> I would question about putting a new plug on the wire. Is the current
> one molded on? The replacement may not be a good as the original. On the
> other hand replacing the entire cord with a new high quality cord is a
> possibility.
> --
> Joseph Meehan
> Dia duit
All that Joe says here is correct, I would just like to add that if you
replace the cord, make sure it is HPN rated. HPN is specially designed for
heaters or flat irons....Ross
|
Page 2 of 3 < 1 2 3 > last >>
| Similar Threads | Posted | | Lamp far from socket plug | September 3, 2008, 4:45 pm |
| Rewire oven plug 3 to 4 wire, new home, plug it in and get sparks | August 16, 2005, 4:39 am |
| swapping an oven plug for a clothes dryer plug | October 19, 2005, 4:48 am |
| 75w bulb in 60w socket? | April 28, 2007, 12:09 am |
| I can pop my eyes out of their socket | October 31, 2008, 6:51 am |
| What kind of socket is this? | July 6, 2009, 11:50 am |
| Low voltage socket. | December 20, 2009, 10:52 pm |
| Where can I get plugs to fit this three phase socket? | October 22, 2005, 3:21 am |
| Lamp Socket Question | November 22, 2005, 4:42 pm |
| Porcelain vs. bakelite socket | August 21, 2006, 11:38 pm |
|
|
Yahoo! 
Google 
Windows Live 
del.icio.us 
digg 
Netscape 
XML Sitemap
> has me stumped.
> Today I had an oil convection electric heater (1500W) turned on in the
> bathroom to heat up the room before taking a shower, and when I
> unplugged it, I noticed the prongs of the plug were HOT. Probably like
> 175°F hot...almost too hot to touch. Then I put my hand on the socket
> and that was hot, too.
> Yet the cord to the heater wasn't even warm.
> If the heater uses 1500W I assume that at 125V my load is about
> 12A...right?
> It's an old house but the wiring is modern Romex.
> Why would the prongs of the plug and the socket get so hot? Resistance
> in the plug? (The plug APPEARS undamaged, and we always pull it out by
> grabbing the plug, not the wire).
> Should I put a new plug onto the cord?
> Is it likely there was resistance or a bad connection in the socket?
> Thanks for any clues.
> C