Got Home from Vacation with No Central Heating and the Portable Heaters Shut Off the Breaker Switches

Got back from a 7-hour car drive, Berkeley to Torrance, and found our central heating was broken. I called Cornett Heaing this morning. The tech said he didn't have the part and his co-worker may or may not have it but he wouldn't be able to see us for another week. We don't live in Michigan, but the temp at night is in the mid-30s. I decided to give our twins portable space heaters but they shut off and shut down the breaker switches and our Internet. 

Should I return the space heaters? They sound like a nightmare to me.

In other news my Benarus Megladon is in the house. I picked it up at the post office. I need to unearth the camera and hope to have pics tomorrow. 

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Comments

[Gary]

Sorry for your troubles, Jeff. Are you possibly plugging in more than one space heater on the same electrical breaker? (I imagine two of them might exceed the capacity of a typical 15 amp breaker.) If not, it sounds like you might need an electrician to troubleshoot the problem.

[Gary]

And you're right, it's unusually cold for the So Cal area. I heard that Pasadena might set a record low on January 1st prior to the Rose Parade.

Also, if your heating company can't fix your heater for a week, I'd definitely call someone else.

[MaPa]

I am NOT an electrician, however...space heaters consume a lot of power (amps). Running 2 at the same time has been an issue for me...almost always trips the circuit breakers before too long. Try lower settings, and do not use extension cords...that can be a hazard. If you must, use shortest length possible and higher gauge.

If used properly, it is a good temp solution. Never leave home with them still plugged in.

[Gary]

It seems to me if you run the space heaters on different breakers, there should be less of an issue tripping the breakers. In my house there are multiple outlets on the same breaker, sometimes in totally separate parts of the house.

[herculodge]

My wife Carrie theorized, correctly, that running the 3 heaters on different breakers would solve the problem and it has. But since the twins' rooms run on the same breaker switch, both will have no heat tonight except for a heater that we put in the hall pointed at their rooms.

I called another heating company and they can't make it for a week as well.

[Angelo]

What kind of space heaters are you using? Quartz, oil filled radiators, baseboard electrics? I have them all. I think I only had one episode where it blew my electric out----and instead of tripping a breaker, it somehow blew out that outlet----and I still haven't fixed it (It's an outlet I normally don't even use.).

[herculodge]

They're not radiator. I believe they're quartz. Is there a big difference in breaker switch danger?

[Angelo]

Quartz are usually a box shape----heat the room but the cabinets stay very cool to the touch. I don't know if one is more likely to blow a circuit than the others----but since the quartz has a fan that might cycle on and off, maybe the fan starting spikes the power and that causes a breaker to flip. The radiator style (hot oil) probably has a more steady power consumption since there are no fans. The electric baseboards work very well----they do get hot so the girls would have to be watched so they didn't touch those---I like the "Farenheat" brand for baseboard electrics.

[JMaff]

How did the Accord treat you on the trip? Just got home, Denver to Boise, in our 2012 and it performed flawlessly through brutal temps and wind in Wyoming and Utah. Of course we had Michelin X-Ice tires on but I was impressed. I just realized the steering wheel telescopes, very nice to have on long trips! Wife wants a Pilot or Explorer and I can't blame her but hard to rationalize after Accord has been treating us so well.

[herculodge]

The Accord proved to be a perfectly balanced, well behaved car. I have no complaints.