George E. Cawthon wrote:
Where along the cord does it heat up. I ask because a bad
connection at the plug end will cause the cord to heat at
that end. If the cord heats along the entire length, then
the cord is too small and should be replace (or the
appliance has changed as is using a lot more current). If
the cord heats at the plug end, the plug may not be bad, the
outlet it is plugged into maybe worn and need replacement.

Thanks (as well to other posters), that points to my plug replacement as
the problem. I understand that space heaters have special "heater cord"
as opposed to the old trick of taking a standard 3' extension cord and
cutting off the end. Is there a special "heater plug" I should get? Or
is this just too risky? I've replaced plugs on lamps, vacuums, etc.
without this type of problem. Can you get "heater cord" with a prefab
plug (i.e. @ Ace, Borg?

There is no reason to remove a grounded plug as long as it
is properly wired to the two strand cord (i.e., the ground
should not have any wire attached to it).

OK, good to know.