Please check your space heaters for any signs of trouble!

Shermie

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About a few weeiks ago earlier this month, I had replaced my portable heater that I used for the bedroom.

It was one of those radiator-type heaters, you know, the ones that use a sealed heating element & a diathermic oil. It was well over the 20-year-old mark!

One of my weekends on the other side of town, before I left the house, I forgot to turn it off! My worst fear was that something could go wrong with it being on and becoming a fire hazard while I was away!!!

When I got back home, everything was fine. But just thinking about that had scared me to death!!!

Then, a few days later, I noticed that the bedroom started getting this strange odor, as though something was burning!! I began to wonder just where it was coming from. Then I looked over at the heater and saw that it began smoking!!!

I immediately turned it off, waited a few minutes, then turned it back on. Same thing again!!! Turned it off again, unplugged it and took it out of service!! I've come to the realization that it has served its usefulness and was giving up the ghost or was cashing in its chips.

In the meantime, I had to use another heater, a tower one, that oscalates. It doesn't have heat settings at all, and if it is on all night, the built-in thermal overload switch had kickeed in and cuts it off and the room gets unbearably cold!!

So I had to go out the next day and get a new heater. After about 3 or 4 days, one evening, the house had begun to smell like smoke!!! Thank God that it was not the new heater, and it was on!!

The smoke smell in the house was being cause by a fire down the street. Looking out the window, I could see the flames over the horizon of the tops of the buildings!!! Lighting up the night sky like the fireworks do on the Fourth of July!!!

A few days later, it was reported on the news that the vicious fire was caused by a faulty portable space heater!!! Fortunately, no one was hurt of killed, even though they became homeless!!

But I shudder to think that that could have been me with the old radiator heater that had begun to smoke!!! I had only just cleaned the dust out of it also!! I think that the oil was starting to smoke and burn!

I'm alright and unharmed. But please, do NOT leave any of your space heaters on while away from the house!! You could be putting you and your life family's life in danger!! But please check to make sure that there is no fire-causing dust in them and that there are no loose or frayed wires or broken switches!!! Your life may depend on it!!!:ohmy:

Here's the new one that I bought. I like it!! It is short and small, but it warms the bedroom nicely, making it feel very cozy and warm during the cold winter months!!
 

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