BEWARE of these thermostaticly controlled switches

[jakell2010]

The only thing that was plugged into that thermoswitch was one 16"X16" ceramic coop heaters,the box said that there was less than 1000amps draw ( I got the switch and the heater from the same dealer) ,,,,,that thing was supposed to be able to handle two,,,,and I now have everything plugged directly into a GFI , without a thermally activated on/off switch, so there is a constant draw and it has been working fine now since Sunday(day of the fire). The circuit breaker eventually tripped, Thanks to what ever God there is,,,,,,,I sent an Email to the vendor (whom I won't Identify because they are working with me). They are simply the reseller, a small business person, and I do not want to damage there reputation.

But something obviously went radically wrong with this thing, and if I had had it inside where the pine shavings are,,,,,,,,,

,,,,,,and I would've had roasted:cd who are finally laying

 

[teach1rusl]

I'd say it was a fluke. Many people use them, and yours is the first incident I've read of. I have three different ranged models, and have never had issues. That is certainly scary though - glad nothing serious came of it....

 

[joan1708]

WOW! thanks for the info. I've used thermo cubes for 15+ years in outdoor fountains and such, and have not had any problems! But I will beware now!

 

[The Lazy L]

Quote:
Was the Thermocube outside then? If yes could snow, ice or dog pee whetted the terminals causing the short?

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

the box said that there was less than 1000amps draw

I hope you mean Watts​

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I hope you mean Watts

x2 Yep.... When those heaters first come on they draw a lot of current. It also could be the fault of the heater itself. Faulty heater.... but it also goes back to the breaker panel. And how much is already running on that breaker. Or if the proper amperage breaker is installed. Lots of factors for sure.

 

[teddiliza]

I tried one, and the very next morning my waterers were frozen. I'd saved the receipt and took it back. Most of my heated dog water bowls only turn on at below 35 degrees anyway.

 

[seanb]

If you're absolutely sure that the device was not overloaded, my opinion would be that what happened was most likely due to a loose factory connection inside the thermocube. I've seen hundreds of pictures like that over the years (not of thermocubes specifically but electrical devices in general) and it's usually either an overloaded device or loose connection. With a loose connection, arcing occurs and arcing causes heat.

Additionally, GFCIs are designed to trip when an imbalance of 4 to 6 milliamps between line and neutral exists, indicating a fault to ground. To the best of my knowledge, they aren't designed to trip on overload. The best bet for overcurrent protection, in addition to a properly sized breaker and circuit conductors, would be an in-line fuse, sized slightly larger than the max load of the device being used.

 

[mountaintopchicken]

Quote:
Do you mean an extension cord with a fuse? Do such things exist? If so, where do you get them?

 

[Marcymom3]

Holy smokes! That's so scary!!!

A friend of mine lost her barn and her flock from a waterer heater. We have only had three mornings so far that the waterers were frozen, but know it's coming. I was going to make a heater out of a cookie tin and bulb, plugged into a thermocube. Might have just changed my mind.