Space Heater and Extension Cord

[Smit-Dog]

I have a small electrical space heater that I will be using in my enclosed trailer this weekend to keep warm. I was working out in the garage with it last night, and the cord of the space heater and the cord of the extension cord both got pretty warm about 1'-2' on either side of where they were connected. The extension cord is one of those orange garage/outside type cords.

Is this OK? Is the extension cord not heavy duty enough for the power draw of the space heater? Unfortunately the space heater is a little old, and does not indicate the wattage anywhere on it.

I want to make sure a fire doesn't break out using this thing in the middle of the night. :scream:

Thanks...

 

[Rooster]

Sounds like the heater may be drawing too many amps for the cord. Try a heavier cord and see what results you get. If the one you have is what Im thinking it's probably a smaller gauge wire. Try at least a 12/3 cord. We run 10/3 on the jobsites. I agree, you don['t want to have a fire in your trailer....especially if you are in it.

 

[Person8]

A 10 gauge cord should do the job for you. Also, you want to keep the extension as short as possible, so don't buy one that's longer than you need.

Larry

 

[Smit-Dog]

Thanks for the tips guys. I went out and bought a new 50' extension cord. It's 14 gauge, and the package states that the max wattage is 1875 over the 50' run. I think that space heater is drawing 1500 watts, so it should work fine. I'll check to see if the heater cord gets warm with this extension cord.

 

[Highbeam]

Still seems awful thin. Just bring the extra extension cord into the trailer and use it for more heat. It's acting as a big resistor anyway. Do you think the low voltage will hurt the heater?

 

[Smit-Dog]

Originally posted by Highbeam
Still seems awful thin. Just bring the extra extension cord into the trailer and use it for more heat. It's acting as a big resistor anyway. Do you think the low voltage will hurt the heater?

You're of course joking, right? :scream:

 

[Highbeam]

I tried to throw a hint of sarcasm in there.

 

[nikki]

We sometimes run a small electric space heater in our trailer, too... plugged into an orange havey duty extension cord. And once it did begin to start a shirt or something on fire where the two join together (and the joint part was laying on the floor). Now we hang the cords from the ceiling so where they plug in is suspended in the air with nothing close to it to burn. Just another extra cautious option if they still get hot.

 

[Rooster]

Nikki - well, everyone, for that matter,

If any electric cord, no matter what the size, is getting hot enough to start a shirt on fire there is something way wrong!!! Fix it or get rid of it before you have a catastrophic fire. The case of the joint being that hot points to a short in the connection. Either replace the ends with a heavy duty UL Listed repair end or trash the whole cord. Please, we don't want to see you post a flame about a flame in the Flame Forum!! :eek: :)

 

[nikki]

Rooster - the plug/socket weren't completely plugged in together when the shirt started to burn. The cords got kicked around and pulled apart a little bit. They don't get that hot - just warm. But thanks for the concern/tips :thumb:

 

[Rooster]

I wondered about the partially exposed plugs, but was being cautious for safety's sake!

 

[Tony Eeds]

Originally posted by RoosteR13
Nikki - well, everyone, for that matter,

If any electric cord, no matter what the size, is getting hot enough to start a shirt on fire there is something way wrong!!! Fix it or get rid of it before you have a catastrophic fire. The case of the joint being that hot points to a short in the connection. Either replace the ends with a heavy duty UL Listed repair end or trash the whole cord. Please, we don't want to see you post a flame about a flame in the Flame Forum!! :eek: :)

I second what RoosteR13 is saying. Use the shortest possible cord that will reach. Use the largest guage cord you can afford, and please make sure the connections are completely plugged in and, more importantly, tight. Loose connections allow the current to arc between the poles of the connectors creating unnecessary heat in chord and connections that otherwise are correctly sized.
The fumes from plastics burning are toxic. You may never know the chord got hot enough to smolder.
It is far safer to buy a better sleeping bag.
Another comfort note. If you are sleeping in a trailer, you largest heat loss will be through the floor of the trailer bacause of air currents below the trailer. That is why your grandparents had dust ruffles on their beds.
Tony

 

[Highbeam]

"Another comfort note. If you are sleeping in a trailer, you largest heat loss will be through the floor of the trailer bacause of air currents below the trailer. That is why your grandparents had dust ruffles on their beds."

Really.... I figured heat rose. I also thought that my grandparents hid stuff under the bed and grandma didn't want us to see it.

Why isn't the greatest heat loss out through the thin metal roof? The same air currents are up there, I thought colder. Explain please.

Thanks

 

[Smit-Dog]

Originally posted by Tony Eeds
... Another comfort note. If you are sleeping in a trailer, you largest heat loss will be through the floor of the trailer bacause of air currents below the trailer. That is why your grandparents had dust ruffles on their beds.
Tony

I's keep tellin' ma old lady that we needs to git some new skirtin' for our house, but she'n wants ta git some new tyres first! :)

 

[Smit-Dog]

BTW, I did go out and get a new space heater (1500w). The manual said that if you must use an extension cord, that it must be at least 14 gauge and rated at 1875 watts, so that is what I did. Bought a 50' cord, and when plugged in, both cords are cool to the touch. Part of the problem was that my first space heater was pretty old, 1400 watts, and the cord was thin and had a non-polarized plug.

It worked out great. Tempertures outside dropped down into the high 20's / low 30's, and the inside of the trailer was a (relatively) toasty 62 degrees!

I know it might seem overly cautious to some, but I ran into a another guy that was sleeping in an enclosed trailer with a propane heater - with the tank in the trailer with him! :scream: He did have small roof vent cracked, but yikes!

 

[Tony Eeds]

Originally posted by Highbeam
Why isn't the greatest heat loss out through the thin metal roof? The same air currents are up there, I thought colder. Explain please.

Thanks

Heat normally travels up but will always take the path of least resistance, or in this case from warm to cold. Air currents under the trailer/bed continually cool the surface, thereby allowing the surface to act like a heat sink or radiator. Also, you compress the bag below you increasing the opportunity for your body to be touch (so to speak) the cold floor. Using a ThermoRest pad or something similar will dramatically improve your comfort (at least in a trailer.
My parent put newpaper between the box springs and mattress on their bed in Reno during the war to stop the drafts upward through their bedding.

 

[Highbeam]

Oh, the assumption is that you are laying directly on the floor. I buy that you would lose more heat through the thinnest and most compressed part of the sleeping bag and the floor just happens to be in the same place. This heat loss would tend to be directly related to your comfort while sleeping.

I don't buy, quite yet, how more of the total trailer heat could escape through the bottom, usually thick plywood, of the trailer than the thin metal top where the temperature differential is greatest and the insulation properties the worst. Assuming of course that the air currents all around the trailer are the same temperature. This air heat loss while more substantial wouldn't affect your sleeping comfort as much.

Do we agree?

 

[nikki]

I gotta throw a little plug here for the propane Mr. Heater Buddy. It's good for indoors, it's small, and you can screw a 1 lb. propane tank right into it. We use a 20 lb. propane tank that we sit outside of the trailer and run a hose through the trailer door. I think it puts off 4,000 BTUs on low and 9,000 BTUs on high. We accidently left it on high the other night (temperature in the 30's outside) and it was 80-85 all night in the trailer. We usually run it on low and it'll stay around 65-70 in the trailer. We are heating 8x12 foot living quarters. We set the heater on the floor and our bed is built about 3-3.5 feet off the ground. The heat kinda radiates up and out. It also will shut off on it's own if the oxygen level gets too low (I think it's shut off on us once). We've had it for maybe a year and a half now and used it many hours. They sell them everywhere for around $100. Beats running a generator all night (plus it puts out much more heat and heats faster than most small electric heaters).

 

[Tony Eeds]

Originally posted by Highbeam
I don't buy, quite yet, how more of the total trailer heat could escape through the bottom, usually thick plywood, of the trailer than the thin metal top where the temperature differential is greatest and the insulation properties the worst. Assuming of course that the air currents all around the trailer are the same temperature. This air heat loss while more substantial wouldn't affect your sleeping comfort as much.

Do we agree?

Yes .. Much like a tent, the trailer will contain the body heat and heat expelled by the lungs thereby creating an environment slightly warmer (10 degrees or so) than the surrounding air (except perhaps during a gale). Most of what I am referring to is the perception based upon being next to and essentially hugging the bottom surface of the trailer and the resulting compression of the bottom of the sleeping bag, hence my comment about pads.
I have slept on snow in a tent with a mummy bag and a ThermoRest pad at -10 and been quite comfortable.
Another example ... I slept on a cot at DW02 with a -15 bag in underwear and a T and I was comfortable with the bag unzipped. I always sleep on the ground under a tarp or inside a tent when the surrounding air temp is in the 30s or lower. Again, for the perception, as well as being able to make coffee on my single burner stove without moving .... :)