Indeed, a space heater can trip your circuit breaker, and this phenomenon is more common than you might think. Electrical circuit breakers are designed to protect your home's electrical system from overload.
Overloaded Furnace
A dirty filter or closed air vents compels your furnace to work harder. The higher electrical draw may overheat the system, strain the circuit and flip the breaker.
This means that a 1500-watt space heater can potentially trip a 15-amp breaker, especially if other devices are connected to the same circuit. It is important to note that some space heaters may have a higher wattage, which further increases the likelihood of tripping a circuit breaker.
If the space heater shares a circuit with multiple things in use, it can overheat the wires, cause an electrical fire, damage the space heater, and burn your outlets.
Space heaters should always reside preferably on a 20 amp dedicated circuit and the breaker won't overload or trip. Most space heaters are approximately 1500 watts. For example, if plugging in two space heaters onto the same circuit, most likely the circuit breaker will overload and trip.
Use Dedicated Circuits: Whenever possible, plug your space heater into a dedicated circuit. This is a circuit not shared by other appliances, reducing the risk of overload.
However, a 1500 watt space heater will draw 12.5 Amps. If other appliances are on the same circuit, like the television or the lights, the limit is quickly reached and the breaker will most likely trip.
Electric space heaters often trip circuit breakers in homes due to their large power demands. When multiple electric space heaters are used at the same time, even more electricity is drawn from the home's electrical system. This can quickly overload a home's wiring and cause a circuit breaker to trip.
Never leave the space heater unattended. Turn it off when you are leaving the room.
Power outages in a single room can be caused by a loose connection, faulty wiring, tripped GFCI outlets, or old fuse boxes, even if the breaker hasn't tripped. Troubleshooting steps include checking light bulbs and outlets, inspecting light switches, testing GFCI outlets, and examining the electrical panel.
Electrical overloads are the main cause of breaker trips. Limit the number of devices plugged into the same circuit to avoid tripping the breaker. That might mean moving a few appliances or devices to another circuit or simply unplugging something.
With that, you can really only do one heater per 20 amp circuit. If you put 2 heaters, the breaker will trip within a minute.
Notice that we specifically said wall outlet: Manufacturers advise against plugging space heaters into surge protectors, extension cords, plug timers, GFCI outlets (the kind with the test and reset buttons), or really anything that's not a wall outlet.
High Air Temperatures
The heat causes the bimetallic strip inside the circuit breaker to flex, eventually touching a contact to trip the breaker. This same issue can occur when hot weather causes the breaker's bimetallic strip to flex. Ambient heat in the air surrounding the breaker can impact the components, too.
1500 watts is 12.5 amps and your breaker is a 15amp. It's common for old breakers to trip when running it at 14amps or up. Also check to see if the outlets it's plugged into is gfci protected as they are more sensitive to moisture and arcs.
Unfortunately, they can pose significant fire and electric shock hazards if not used properly. Fire and electrical hazards can be caused by space heaters without adequate safety features, space heaters placed near combustibles, or space heaters that are improperly plugged in.
Running a space heater overnight increases the risk of fire. If the unit is left unattended or placed too close to flammable materials, such as curtains or bedding, it can ignite and lead to a devastating fire.
Do not use an extension cord unless absolutely necessary. Using an extension cord with high wattage appliances can start a fire. If you must use an extension cord, it must be marked 14 or #12 AWG, this tells the thickness or gauge of the wire in the cord. (The smaller the number, the greater the thickness of the wire.)
Absolutely. The US Department of Energy records about 25,000 house fires every year that are linked to a space heater fire.
Circuit breakers can trip with nothing plugged in due to overloaded circuits, short circuits, ground faults, faulty breakers, loose connections, or wiring issues. This common issue can be puzzling and concerning, as it may indicate underlying electrical problems that need immediate attention.
Both short circuits and ground faults greatly increase the amount of electrical current your furnace is pulling, which trips the breaker. They're most often caused by malfunctioning parts, an incorrect repair, or a rodent chewing some of the wires.
If your breaker is tripping and the space heater is shutting off, the cause may be an overload of the circuit. The majority of Lasko space heaters pull 1,500 watts on high and 900 watts on low. This equates to about 12.5 amps on high and about 7.5 amps on low.
If you use a space heater in your home, please be aware that using a space heater can cause a significant increase in your monthly bill. A 1,000-watt space heater operating 12 hours a day will add about $40 to your monthly bill. If the cost does not deter you, remember how important it is to use space heaters safely.
The circuit could be damaged or be undersized for space heater use. Position the space heater away from the electrical outlet to prevent hot air from blowing back on the outlet, which will further tax the outlet and wires. If you see burn marks on the outlet, discontinue use of the outlet and call an electrician.
If each of the space heater works alone without tripping the power, then yes you're likely drawing too much power with 2 at the same time and the breaker is tripping for safety. The circuit is probably on a 15 amp breaker, which theoretically supports 1800w max.