12.5 amp heater set plug outlet on fire

[markspringer]

I plugged in an electric heater into my upstairs room. After a while, smoke and sparks came out of the outlet. I called an electrician, who told me that only a few of the outlets in my house could cope with the power draw of the heater. But the heater is rated 120 Volts, 60 Hz, and 1500 watts. 1500 / 120 gives me 12.5 Amps, which I thought was not such a huge amount of current. Is there any way to know which outlets in my house are safe and which are not for this type of heater?

Thanks.

 

[charlie b]

Short answer: no there is no way to tell which outlets could handle the current from your heater. Your math is correct. But there is more to the story than amps. You could have loose connections, or too many other outlets on the same circuit, or a problem with the heater itself, or a host of other possibilities.

All that said, I am closing this thread in accordance with forum rules. This forum is intended for use by electricians and electrical contractors, inspectors, engineers, and vendors with their job-related duties. We are not allowed to provide how-to advice to persons who are not employed in this industry. You need to have an electrician do the troubleshooting work that you are describing. That person can post questions here.