Troubleshooting
Cold high desert nights mean space heaters come out, and breakers start tripping. Here's why, and when a dedicated circuit is the right fix.
Licensed · Bonded · Insured · CA Lic. C-1098584
October 26, 2026
A space heater doesn't legally require its own circuit, but a typical 1,500-watt space heater draws about 12.5 amps, most of a standard 15-amp circuit, so it should be plugged directly into a wall outlet on a circuit with little else running. If your space heater keeps tripping the breaker, the circuit is overloaded. Move the heater to a less-used circuit or have an electrician install a dedicated circuit. Never plug a space heater into an extension cord or power strip.
_Last updated: October 2026_
A 15-amp circuit can safely handle about 12 amps of continuous load. A 1,500-watt heater uses nearly all of that by itself. Add a TV, lamps or a hair dryer on the same circuit and the breaker does its job and trips. Older homes often have bedrooms and living areas sharing one circuit, so it's easy to overload without realizing it. Our post on why a circuit breaker keeps tripping covers how to tell overload from a short or ground fault.
The high desert gets genuinely cold. December and January lows in Palmdale and Lancaster average in the low 30s°F, and colder nights drop below freezing. Many homes lean on space heaters to warm bedrooms, garages and home offices, so the same circuits that handled summer fans now carry heating loads. That's when breaker trips, warm outlets and melted plugs show up.
It can be. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) identifies space heaters as involved in most home heating fire deaths. Common causes are heaters placed too close to bedding, curtains or furniture, and overloaded cords and outlets. Keep heaters at least three feet from anything that can burn, and plug them directly into a wall outlet.
A dedicated circuit runs from the panel to one outlet or appliance, so nothing else competes for it. Our new circuits and wiring service handles the install, and if your panel is already full, we'll check whether a panel upgrade is needed.
B&M Electrical Services has 30+ years of experience as a licensed California contractor (C-1098584), serving Acton, Palmdale, Lancaster and the surrounding area.
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Licensed lighting installation, panel upgrades, EV charger installation, new circuits & wiring, and troubleshooting & repairs for homes and businesses across the Antelope Valley and greater LA County.
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Dispatched from Acton, CA, serving homes and businesses across the Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita and greater Los Angeles County.
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