08/28/2026
What the Friday? โก
Todayโs episode: our customer smelled it before they saw it.
A faint burning smell.
Then a thin line of smoke coming from the outlet behind her space heater.
Thankfully, they were home when it happened. That is the only reason this story ends with a service call instead of something much worse.
When we opened it up, we found the wires had been backstabbed into the outlet. That method is technically allowed... but when the connection is not seated tight, it can become a problem fast!
A loose connection can arc.
Arcing creates heat.
And a space heater pulling a steady load does not give that heat much room for forgiveness.
Outlets do not always fail spectacularly. Sometimes they fail quietly behind the wall, out of sight, until you smell it, feel heat, see smoke, or notice something bigger....
๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ ๐ง๐ฌ.
If an outlet smells hot, feels warm, is discolored, sparks, buzzes, or just does not seem right, stop using it and give us a call.
Summit Electrical Solutions
๐ 307-228-7778