Is it Safe to Run Space Heaters All Night?

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Although modern heaters have safety features built in, you should never leave a space heater running overnight. Whether your heater runs on gas or electricity, it houses an element that gets hot enough to start a fire, and that's a good reason to turn it off at night. A typical electric heater draws 1,500 watts of electricity, and that much electricity heats the wires through which it flows. If you have older wiring that can't handle the heat, a fire could start behind the walls, and you may be none the wiser until it's too late. Even if you have good wiring or you use a gas heater, you should turn off a space heater at night.

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Space Heaters Cause Fires

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According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating malfunctions are the second leading cause of home fires in the United States. When a heater failure starts a home fire, the culprit is a space heater 40 percent of the time. This translates into 25,000 residential fires a year involving a space heater. Half of all space heater fires start because something gets too close to the heater and ignites. In addition, older units without safety shutoff devices can start a fire if they tip over, and energy-hungry units can overheat old wiring improperly protected by out-of-date breakers or fuses. If a fire starts while you're asleep, you may wake to find your escape route blocked.

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Guard Against Carbon Monoxide

Owners of conventional and catalytic gas heaters need to worry about carbon monoxide, which is released as a result of incomplete combustion. Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, and by the time the levels are high enough to set off the alarm, you may have already inhaled a harmful dose — especially if you've slept through the early warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. The safest choice is to turn off your heater when you go to bed.

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Space Heater Safety

Newer space heaters include several safety features, but no design can completely protect against accidents. To keep yourself and your family safe, observe the following safety guidelines:

  • Install smoke alarms throughout the house, and clean the sensors regularly with compressed air. Never run propane, natural gas or catalytic heaters unless you have working carbon monoxide detectors.
  • Plug your electric heaters directly into the wall. Don't rely on extension cords, which can overheat.
  • Place a free-standing heater on the floor — never on a table or chair from which it can tumble. Even if it shuts off, the element is still hot and can ignite anything it comes in contact with.
  • Keep forced air, radiant and gas heaters at least 3 feet away from flammable materials, including the walls. Oil heaters and those with infrared bulbs can be placed within a foot of the walls, but never allow them to be in direct contact with anything other than the surface on which they stand.
  • Inspect any electric heater for damage if it trips the circuit breaker or a ground-fault circuit interrupter outlet. Don't assume a faulty breaker or outlet.

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