My normal shop heater is a blue flame 15KBTU propane heater. But the
damn Home Depot bought regulater fritzed out yesterday when I needed to
warm the place up to pad on some shellac for a nearly complete project.

SO I pack a small space electrical heater out there, plug it in and
leave it on for a couple hours to warm the place up a bit. Go out, pad
on my shellac and am standing near the heater. Remembering I need to
clean the back screen off I discover that it is removable.

This job finished up in a couple of minutes, I put it all back
together, and smell a bit smoke. Figure it is the dust that always
gets onto elements when you clean an electric heater. BUT NO, I happen
to stand around thinking a bit longer and bend down and see the plug-in
that sits on my table saw cabinet is curing little wisps of smoke.

So I quickly kill the switch next to the outlet, unpluf the cord to the
wall and pull the cover off the outlet there. A bit of sawdust on the
bottom, but it was likely not enought to burn and continue a fire. But
I see the guy I had bought the saw from, never tighed the screws that
the wire touched! The hot line copper was black from charring, the
plastic and paper back a ways about 3" were gone now.

$20 at the bord and I have a new set of 20 amp switches, and plugs to
replace the whole set with!

Alan

arw01 wrote:
My normal shop heater is a blue flame 15KBTU propane heater. But the
damn Home Depot bought regulater fritzed out yesterday when I needed to
warm the place up to pad on some shellac for a nearly complete project.

SO I pack a small space electrical heater out there, plug it in and
leave it on for a couple hours to warm the place up a bit. Go out, pad
on my shellac and am standing near the heater. Remembering I need to
clean the back screen off I discover that it is removable.

This job finished up in a couple of minutes, I put it all back
together, and smell a bit smoke. Figure it is the dust that always
gets onto elements when you clean an electric heater. BUT NO, I happen
to stand around thinking a bit longer and bend down and see the plug-in
that sits on my table saw cabinet is curing little wisps of smoke.

So I quickly kill the switch next to the outlet, unpluf the cord to the
wall and pull the cover off the outlet there. A bit of sawdust on the
bottom, but it was likely not enought to burn and continue a fire. But
I see the guy I had bought the saw from, never tighed the screws that
the wire touched! The hot line copper was black from charring, the
plastic and paper back a ways about 3" were gone now.

$20 at the bord and I have a new set of 20 amp switches, and plugs to
replace the whole set with!

Alan

Count yourself lucky you were there and it didn't get out of hand!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/h...e/4390048.stml

Overfly pictu

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10...research_fire/


Today was busy, and I'm knackered, still got a job, for now....
In the cold light of day I've been to my office and to several other
parts of the complex, the main research cleanrooms are gone and my
office building is likely to be condemmed.

Niel.