The Risks of Electrical Space Heaters

Even though technology has progressed significantly in the past couple of decades, it can still be dangerous. This is especially true when it comes to anything that you have to plug into an electrical outlet. One appliance that you have to be incredibly careful of are electric space heaters, as they can be major fire risks if you don’t take the proper precautions.

What Are Electric Space Heaters?

Electric space heaters are an appliance that can be plugged into an electric outlet in order to produce heat. In most cases, they are also moderately sized, which means they can be moved around at your convenience and can be stored in a variety of locations. They come in all sorts of designs, with many space heaters looking like old school fireplaces and others being designed with a futuristic look. However, space heaters can be very dangerous if you aren’t careful, which is why you’ll need to follow these safety guidelines:

Don’t Use Them In Bathrooms Or Kitchens

This is pretty much common sense when it comes to using electrical equipment, as you don’t want to use any type of electrical appliance in an area where it can come in contact with any type of liquid.

Electrical Overload

Depending on the size of your heater, it could end up using a lot of electricity, which means if you plug it into an outlet that already has several other appliances plugged into it, you run the risk of overloading the system. This can result in a number of undesirable situations, ranging anywhere from power failure, all the way up to the possibility of a starting a small fire. So you need to be sure to plug your electric heater into an outlet that isn’t being used by other appliances.

Child Safety

If you’re using an old metal heater, then it probably gets incredibly hot. Now, even though you obviously want your heater to provide you with warmth, you’ll also want to be careful of letting small children around it. They can potentially burn themselves on electric space heaters, so make sure young children don’t get near an electrical heater when it’s turned on.

Fire Risk

Like all electrical appliances, space heaters are at risk of starting house fires. When you plug in your electric heater, make sure there is nothing around it that can potentially catch fire, like blankets or newspapers. Another good rule to follow is to never leave an electric heater unattended when it is turned on.

Tripping Hazard

The cords on electric space heaters are a major safety concern, as you can potentially trip over them if you aren’t careful. Always make sure the cords are out of the way, especially if you live with small children or a senior citizen. Tripping cannot only be dangerous to people, but it can also damage the cords, which is a major fire hazard.

Regular Checkups

Be sure to check your electric space heater about once a month to make sure all of the wiring is still working properly. You should also clean out any dirt, dust, or other waste that has accumulated in any of the heater’s grills or coils.