What should I do with this space heater?

October 18, 2018 7:50 AM

I'm in Michigan with a broken furnace that can't be replaced for another week, so I'm using space heaters. I have one that's very old (bought at a garage sale ten years ago, so I don't know how old), and last night when I unplugged it, the plug was very hot. More below the fold.

I googled and that's how I found out that you aren't supposed to plug a space heater into a power strip, so not doing that any more. However, the plug wasn't getting hot before last night , and I'm not sure if it's safe to plug into the wall. Also, I don't really need it (I have some newer ones, and I am getting the furnace replaced) and would like to get rid of it, but every year people die from fires caused by space heaters, and I don't want to freecycle it if it might kill someone. So, is it safe to use? Is it ethical to give away?

If it matters, it's about three feet long and maybe eight inches tall.

posted by FencingGal to Home & Garden (11 answers total)

Best answer: Not safe, don’t give it away.
posted by pintapicasso at 8:00 AM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: pitch it - county recycling event or just garbage - not safe to use though.
posted by leslies at 8:19 AM on October 18, 2018

Best answer: You can probably take it to your local electronics recycling facility/event.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:20 AM on October 18, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: When getting rid of unsafe electrical equipment such as that, I generally cut the cord off with wire cutters so that it is obvious it is non-working.
posted by BillMcMurdo at 8:33 AM on October 18, 2018 [9 favorites]

Best answer: If you toss it in the trash, cut the plug off first so no one adopts it and uses it. (Jinx)
posted by rtha at 8:34 AM on October 18, 2018 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Definitely a consensus. Thanks everyone. I will take it to the recycling center. I don't have wirecutters, but the first thing they do with electrical equipment is cut off the cord.
posted by FencingGal at 8:41 AM on October 18, 2018

Another thought here - yes, it's days as a heater are over but...

If your 'burg has a cigar box guitar scene, there are some folks that would love to use the enclousure as the shell for a CBG amp. Always nice to repurpose things! :)


SandPine
posted by sandpine at 9:08 AM on October 18, 2018

Best answer: It was probably the power strip; they're often cheaply made and overheat. The wipers are always in the outlet side and those are the part that result in overheating connection; there are no moving parts in a plug so they typically aren't the part that goes bad. The cord can go bad where the cable meets the plug end.

If you plug it into a good wall outlet and the plug does not get abnormally hot (after 10 minutes), there's nothing wrong with the heater; it was just the power strip.
posted by flimflam at 10:46 AM on October 18, 2018 [5 favorites]

Response by poster: Flimflam, I'll try tonight and report back. Thanks.

SandPine, I love that idea, but I couldn't find anything local Googling.
posted by FencingGal at 11:40 AM on October 18, 2018

Also if it is just the plug that is getting hot (and not the whole cord) then you might be able to just replace the cord end if you are at all handy or know someone who is.
posted by Mitheral at 10:33 PM on October 18, 2018

Response by poster: Flimflam for the win. I plugged it into a wall outlet last night and checked it periodically. I ended up having it plugged in for a total of about two hours, and the plug never did get warm.
posted by FencingGal at 6:45 AM on October 19, 2018 [1 favorite]