01/07/2026
Busy time of year for burnt up receptacles. This was the result of multiple failures with this countertop circuit.
1. The original electrician that wired the house had additional receptacles on a kitchen countertop circuit.
2. The homeowner was running a space heater and an air fryer on the same circuit totaling 28 amps on a 20amp circuit.
3. The 20A circuit breaker failed to trip. This allowed the 12 gauge wire to heat up.
4. Whoever installed the GFCI used a stranded wire as a pig tail to the GFCI. It was burnt up to much to determine the gauge of wire, but I'm certain it was smaller than 12 gauge(required wire size for a 20A circuit).
If one of these did not occur, the receptacle would not have burnt. Fortunately the homeowner was able to turn the circuit off and prevent this from spreading, but as you can see from the black marks on the upper cabinet, this was a close call.
If you are running a space heater I strongly recommend a dedicated circuit. Space heaters can be safe, but that depends on the circuit you're plugging it into.
