08/28/2026
What the Friday? ⚡
Today’s 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....
𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬.
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
📞 307-228-7778