Pro tip: That cheap surge protector I bought melted last night

I plugged a space heater into a $8 strip from a dollar store and woke up to a melted outlet and black marks on my wall. Anyone know if this is a fire risk or did I just dodge a bullet?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley_thompson5d ago

Read a report once that said cheap surge protectors often skip key safety parts to save a few cents. That melted spot means the strip couldn't handle the load and started cooking itself from the inside out. You dodged a bullet, but don't plug anything into that again and get a real surge protector.

wesley_thompson4d ago

Reminds me of the time my uncle bought a cheap extension cord that melted into the carpet while he was watching TV. Had to throw the whole rug out cause of the burn smell.

jason5243d ago

Did you ever actually open one up and see what's inside though? Because I have, and not all cheap surge protectors are the same. Some of them are using the same basic MOV components as the expensive ones, just without the fancy casing and extra features like USB ports. The real problem is people plugging space heaters or window AC units into a power strip and expecting it to handle that load. A 15 amp rated strip will melt if you push 20 amps through it, no matter how much you paid for it. I'd rather save the cash and check the specs carefully than assume a higher price tag means better safety.