240V baseboard heater flash 1

[mae1133]

Hoping one of you electrical guys can offer a possible answer to this:

I have a 9 yr old 1500W baseboard heater in one of my rooms. As I was walking by this morning, a loud pop and flash came from the middle of the heater (not at the junction box). Upon inspecting it, there was black residue on a couple of the heating fins and the metal back of the heater. My breaker never tripped off and no stray wires within the JB. The only thing I can figure is there may have been something on the fins that reached the ignition flash point? I do routinely vacuum them out, but I also have two cats that are in their shedding mode, so I'm wondering if that may have been the cause. Anyone have any ideas? To be safe, I am replacing the heater.

 

[EdStainless]

Replacing is a very good idea.
Do you have this on a GFCI?

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P.E. Metallurgy, consulting work welcomed

 

[Compositepro]

Is the heater still functioning? In any case get a professional or knowledgeable person to inspect and repair or replace it. It should be pretty easy to find the problem. We can't (or shouldn't) do it over the internet.

 

[mae1133]

Yeah, I am definitely replacing it. In fact, I have the new one in the back of my car and will replace this evening, but just wondering if you guys have ever heard of anything like this happen. It is not on a GFCI, but it is not in a wet location either. I installed the one being replaced in 2013 and it has worked fine all along.

 

[itsmoked]

have ever heard of anything like this happen

Yes! Not only "ever" but regularly.

After all, that's one of the three standard failure modes.
The element changes size every time it cycles. Eventually it work-hardens and simply snaps.

Keith Cress
kcress -

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[LionelHutz]

The black is from an electrical arc burning through from the heating element inside the metal tube and fins to the outside. That heater is dead.