I have an oil filled radiant heater that is several years old. I've tried it in multiple electrical outlets and the electrical cable on it gets hot close to the end that gets plugged in. It also feels like the cable is more pliable close to where it's getting hot. Is there anything I can do about this or is it a problem? I do use the heater everyday and I don't have much money to buy a new one at the moment so I'd prefer not to throw it out.
Electrical cable getting warm
applianceselectricalheating
Related Solutions
Yes, in general electrical outlets are installed directly next to a stud.
However, apartments may have some different things going on:
- There may be metal studs. These are much harder to find by knocking.
- Outside walls especially, may be a sheet of drywall on thin strapping with concrete behind, or even the drywall right on the concrete. These walls can still have outlets (they usually install them prior to pouring), and so to hang something up, you need a hammer drill with concrete bits, and a wall plug. I'd be cautious about even using a tapcon, because you don't really know what the concrete is like underneath (poured or block - and if it's block, you may be right on a mortar joint). With a wall plug, it's mostly the drywall that will hold it up.
Do you actually need a stud? How heavy is this lamp? Certainly a stud is better, but you can always use a wall plug. Put a screw in where you suspect you have a stud and want to mount the light, and if you get it wrong, put in a plug.
If it's light enough, as you suggest, some of the adhesive-based hooks are probably good enough (assuming the light can be hung that way).
Electric cables can be fixed there very well. Let's say we use 2 mm thick cables with low wattage (10 W/m).
Firstly you cut 2 mm wide and 3 mm deep cuts to the bottom side of your steps (using a hand circular saw). They should be parallel going from side to side. Put silicone and cables into the cut doing S bends, they should just fit in there. Cover the cuts with silicone to close them against pollution & weather.
Cut one cut for thermal sensor 2 cm next to the cable cut. It should be in a "thermally representative" place. Put the thermal sensor in it and cover it with silicone.
Do the wiring: thermal sensor and cables to thermostat and thermostat to the power line (via curcuit break).
I have in-floor radiant cables installed in cuts in EPS mats under the laminate flooring. There is a thermostat with an in-floor thermal sensor which I set to about 20°C. It works well and feels even better. They say cables must be embedded in a couple inches of cement, sand, or asphalt because the flooring can be overheated. That's why the low wattage (combined with wood stair tread).
But - will it do the job? Sure, because if it's only below freezing, it's enough to raise the temperature a bit to unfreeze. If it's rather cold, it's probably not freezing rain in the air (I don't know your climate).
Main pros:
- You can decide how dense the cuts are to each other to decide the total heating power. I'd say 80 W/m2 should do.
- Silicone covering the cables (above and under) will protect them from any damage and they will easily exceed the expected lifetime. And the surface of the wood will be stay closed against weather.
- You set the thermostat to the required temperature (+3°C maybe). You can even turn it off or buy a thermostat with a programmable clock to be used at night.
- Much of the work can be done by yourself and the materials needed aren't expensive too. Even with 100 m of cable and a programmable thermostat you won't exceed the limit.
Some cons:
- Cutting from side to side weakens your steps very little or not at all.
- You'll have to fiddle with bending and fastening the cables at each turn, because they have some minimal circumference of bend (5 cm maybe). You can let them just bend freely off the cut, but cover them with silicone too. Or cut several short cuts of circular shape.
- You might decide to use Thermal Silicone to get even better heat transfer. But I don't think it's needed.
One more thought: pipeline protection cables have a built-in thermostats at certain places. But they are rather thick (9 mm) and expensive.
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Best Answer
If it is only getting hot at the plug end and not along the rest of the cord then the plug itself may not be getting a good connection at the outlet.
This causes a high resistance connection which generates heat when current is drawn by the heater.
Make sure the prongs on the plug are clean and make a good connection with the outlet. Try the plug in a brand new receptacle if you have one or a new power strip. If the plug is worn and feels loose in the outlet then you could replace the cord cap with a new one.
Also, this could be a problem with older receptacles that are worn out. In older homes the receptacles get sloppy and cords can be inserted and removed too easily. This also creates a high resistance connection. With a small load like a lamp, it is not as much of a problem, but with a heater that draws high current it can become more of an issue. The solution here is to replace the receptacles.