Don’t Plug An Electric Heater Into A Power Strip

Don’t Plug An Electric Heater Into A Power Strip

Now that it’s starting to cool down, you’re tempted to throw an extra blanket on the couch. And, of course, plug in an electric heater. But somehow you’ve managed to fill up all the sockets and plugs are at a premium. No problem, you think, I’ve got a power strip. Well let me say: nononononono.

Photo: Morning Calm Weekly Newspaper via Flickr

Fire District #1 of Umatilla County, Oregon, has a little demonstration of what can happen when you plug an electric heater into a power strip:

Don’t Plug An Electric Heater Into A Power Strip
Photo: Umatilla County Fire District #1

Photo: Umatilla County Fire District #1

That looks bad, right? Apartment Therapy writes that in a now-deleted Facebook post (the perils of going mega-viral, I guess), the fire department warned, “These units are not designed to handle the high current flow needed for [an electric] heater and can overheat or even catch fire due to the added energy flow.”

Remember that power strips are not surge protectors, but even still, many electric heaters come with specific instructions, often to plug them only directly into the socket. Stay warm and stay not on fire!

Here’s Your Reminder That You Should Never Plug A Space Heater Into a Power Strip [Apartment Therapy]


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

Here are the cheapest plans available for Australia’s most popular NBN speed tier.

At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

Comments


12 responses to “Don’t Plug An Electric Heater Into A Power Strip”