OT: Fire Hazard

Re: OT: Fire Hazard

Bill Howatt

Breakers open quickly when there is a large overload. A typical breaker can provide more than it's trip current (15 or 20A typically) for a brief period of time.

What you seem to have experienced could well be an overload condition inside the appliance that caused excessive current draw but not enough to open the breaker. The bar/appliance plug connection overheated and failed before the breaker tripped.

You need to check if the appliance is drawing current even if it is turned off.

The other thing is the power bar and plug connection was not good and the extra resistance caused overheating. This is not uncommon and you can often feel heat generated at the plug end of a cord for this reason. However, if the appliance was off there should have been no current draw.

Since the appliance is old you might be better off discarding it.

Bill

Re: OT: Fire Hazard

walta

If you take apart a few “power strips” you would be shocked at how thin the little bit copper is inside is. Most have too little metal to keep the socket connected to the plug.

The safe bet is to not plug appliances, tools or anything else that draws over one amp into a power strip.

Yes they are great for phone charger and the like.

Walta

Re: OT: Fire Hazard

Paul Leuba

I agree! Plugging an appliance that draws more than a couple amps into a power strip is very risky.

Paul in Hunt Valley, MD

Re: OT: Fire Hazard

Don Stephan

Wouldn't the power strip be labelled for the maximum amperage?

Re: OT: Fire Hazard

John Veerkamp

There is a great variation in capacity and robustness of power strips. Do your homework.

Re: OT: Fire Hazard

Stuart Johnson

The power strip says 15 amps, the toaster oven is 1600 watts or 13.25 amps. The regular toaster says 1350 watts but I don't know when they would both have been used at the same time which should have blow the power strip breaker and/or the main breaker.

Re: OT: Fire Hazard

Stuart Johnson

I guess my main question is with a new cord can I feel safe with the the toaster oven. On the surface I think if it was something in the oven it would have blown the main circuit breaker instead the power strip dramatically blew which makes me think it somehow had a short that blew the strip breaker rather than main panel breaker. I hate these unknowns.

Re: OT: Fire Hazard

Barry Irby

My understanding is that you should not load a circuit with more than 80% of it's capacity for a long term load. Not sure of the definition of "long term", but anything over a few minutes would probably qualify. 80% of 15 is 12 Amps. So, at 13.25 the toaster oven is over and if you used it for a few minutes to maybe half and hour it would certainly tax the strip. The toaster and toaster oven combined are close to 24 amps and clearly overload the strip if on at the same time. I am thinking you "cooked" the strip over time.

Re: OT: Fire Hazard *LINK*

John McGaw

This can happen whether there is current being drawn by the plugged-in devices. All it takes is a slight breakdown of insulation and a resultant small arc. A small arc heats the insulation and breaks it down even more. etc etc. The key here is that the circuit breakers that you (and I and most everyone else) have is not built to trip on an arc -- it requires a substantial current overload to do its job but an arc does not necessarily draw a lot of current while it does generate a lot of localized heat.

In some building codes the newer arc-fault circuit breakers that will protect in this sort of situation as well as current overload are required, sometimes everywhere and sometimes only in bedrooms, but there is no requirement AFAIK to retrofit.


Arc-Fault Circuit Breakers

Power Bars

Bill Howatt

While I think they are best avoided like extension cords I don't think you have to live in fear of a quality power bar that has the UL or whatever approvals.

I don't buy any in a dollar store!

Bill

Re: OT: Fire Hazard

walta

If you want to repair the toaster I would cut the cord back an inch or so at a time the first few cuts I would expect the wires to be dull and oxidized keep cutting until you get to bright and shiny wire. I would not be surprised if you needed to remove close to a foot of wire. I would want a heavy duty plug that clamps down on the wire not just a little screw that the wire goes under. This one is worth a look.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Eaton-15-Amp-Volt-Yellow-2-Wire-Plug/3568874

Looking at the pictures all anyone can say for sure is there was a bad connection between the plug and the power strip. Bad connections are a vicious cycle you have seen how it can end. Once you have a bad connection it generates some heat the heat oxidizes the metal the connection worse and generates more heat. If the connection breaks it stops generating heat. The plastic power strips are made from is suppose to be self extinguishing.

The circuit breakers did not trip because this fault did not draw any more current than the toaster would normally use. Yes a arc fault breaker should have trip if this device were on a circuit equipped with one but AFCI breaker are a newer requirement mostly just required in bed rooms and well known for “false trips” that are difficult to diagnose.

The safe bet is to install an outlet in the wall next to where the toaster lives and buy a new toaster.

If the toaster has sentimental value I would find a used toaster with a good cord and install it in yours.

Walta

Re: OT: Fire Hazard

Don Stephan

Looking again at the picture, is it possible there was a "dead" short across the surface of the power strip? Looks like an arc arose from the hot connection and was split between the neutral connection and the next ground connection. Even if so, seems a bit odd that it would occur when there was no activity in the kitchen that might jostle the strip, and no draw on the strip.

Or is it possible there is a residual small draw by one of the two devices, comparable to indicator lights on modern applicances or an "instant on" feature?