Your oven toaster plug gets excessively hot because of a loose connection on the outlet, corroded plug pins, damaged wiring, or an overloaded outlet. What to do? Immediately turn off the circuit breaker for the outlet where the plug is connected. Then, check if the plug is properly inserted into the outlet and ensure that the outlet isn’t overloaded with appliances.
I’ve used a Toaster oven for baking, toasting, and heating food in my kitchen for many years. So I can confirm that it’s fairly common for your plug to get too hot. There are real dangers to an excessively hot oven plug at home, such as fire accidents. Oven-related accidents accounted for 8000+ house fires between 2019 and 2020. So it’s important to learn the causes of toaster oven plugs getting too hot and how to deal with the issue.
Source: US Government Fire Statistics
In this article, I’ll give you an in-depth look at why your toaster oven plug is getting so hot. We’ll reveal the dangers of a hot toaster oven plug and provide a short guide on what to do if you notice the plug gets too hot.
What Causes Toaster Oven Plugs To Get Hot?
Toaster oven plugs get hot because of loose connections between the plug and the socket, overloaded outlets, or electrical faults. Common electrical faults include issues with the power outlet or the toaster oven internals. High resistance can occur from a loose connection with the socket or corroded plug prongs.
Let’s take a look at each of these common causes:
- Loose connections between plug and socket:
Loose connections create electrical resistance, which generates heat. If the plug loosely fits inside the power outlet, it’ll create a small gap filled with air. Since air has high electrical resistance, much heat is generated when the current goes through it.
2. Overloaded outlet:
Using too many appliances on a single power outlet can cause the plug to heat up. This is because the electrical circuit may not be able to handle the load, which then generates heat that warms up the oven plug.
3. Damaged oven wires:
Bad electrical wires increase resistance to the flow of current, which generates heat that warms up the plug. The plug gets hotter and hotter and this heat increases.
4. Dirty or dusty plug:
Dust is known to have insulation properties. So heat isn’t appropriately dissipated when dust accumulates inside or around your toaster oven plug. This causes overheating of your plug.
5. Power outlet overheats.
Your power outlet can also be responsible for your toaster oven plug getting too hot. A build-up of heat in the outlet heats every device connected to it, including your oven plug. The most common reason for a hot outlet is if it’s connected in the same series with other outlets, all of which are connected to high-voltage appliances.
6. Internal toaster plug faults:
If the metal prongs in the toaster plug were corroded, the device would be more resistive, causing that unwanted overheating when the current flows through. Improper grounding is another internal issue that can cause a toaster plug to draw more current. And as more current passes through the plug, it’ll generate more heat, and the plug will get hotter and hotter.
As mentioned earlier, an overheated plug can eventually lead to a fire accident if it comes in contact with a combustible material. So this is important to deal with.
Is It Normal for The Toaster Plug to Get Hot?
Although it’s abnormal for a toaster oven plug to get hot, it’s perfectly acceptable and normal for plugs of any electronic appliance to get slightly warm when the device is working.
The oven toaster plug connects the toaster oven to a power outlet, so as electricity flows from the power source to the oven through the plug, there’s some heat generated that warms up the plug.
But why is that?
The metal prongs, as well as the electric wires in the plug, offer some electrical resistance. As the current works to pass through this resistance, it generates something known as waste heat.
Since the metal prongs and wires in the plug are made from conductive materials, the electrical resistance is low. The heat isn’t much of a problem until it becomes excessive – because of an anomaly.
Dangers of a Hot Toaster Oven Plug
Watch out for potential fire accidents that could be induced by an excessively hot toaster oven plug at home. Here’s how such a ‘small’ problem such as a hot toaster plug can lead to a much bigger, painful problem such as a fire:
Can an Overheated Plug Cause a Fire?
Between 2019 and 2020, oven-related accidents – including toaster ovens – accounted for 8001 house fires. As such, if you find that your toaster oven plug is getting hot – so hot that it’s uncomfortable to touch – it’s a cause for concern.
For instance, if you have any flammable material near the toaster oven plug point, it poses a huge fire risk. Items like curtains, wooden furniture, or even small pieces of cloth can start a fire if they touch the plug long enough.
Even if there’s nothing near the plug point, the plug itself can burst into flames from the high temperature.
In addition, if the high heat spreads to the cord, it can slowly damage the insulation and eventually expose the inner metal conductors – thus creating a shock hazard.
How Do You Stop a Toaster Oven Plug from Overheating?
Aware of the dangers of an overheated toaster oven plug, here are a few things you can do to stop your plug from accumulating too much heat.
- Unplug the device from the outlet as soon as you notice it starts to get hot. This ensures the plug doesn’t heat any further to cause more problems.
2. Check the oven plug’s connection to the power outlet to make sure the wiring in the plug is securely attached and not damaged. Avoid loose connections at all costs.
3. Reduce the load on your power outlet by unplugging some devices. Ideally, never have too many devices connected to the outlet that it can support; you can check each device’s voltage readings.
4. Make sure the plug you’re using is rated for the power requirements of your toaster oven. If the numbers don’t match, replace the toaster plug with a higher-rated plug to handle the load.
5. Allow for ventilation around the plug. Make sure the area around the plug is properly ventilated to help with heat dissipation and reduce the chances of overheating.
What To Do if the Toaster Oven Plug Gets Too Hot
Turn off the circuit breaker for the outlet to which the plug is connected. If you can’t find the circuit breaker, you can also remove the outlet fuse.
But what if you can’t find either the circuit breaker or the fuse?
Don’t waste time searching. Instead, take a long stick made of wood or hard plastic (or any insulating material). Use this to turn off the outlet switch from a distance or knock the toaster oven plug out of the socket.
No matter what method you choose, the idea is to cut off the power to the outlet. This will allow the plug to cool down slowly, so you can unplug it.
Call a Professional for Help
Toaster ovens are generally high-voltage appliances. If you’re not experienced in handling electronics, I’d strongly advise against a DIY repair job. This goes for issues with the toaster oven plug or the power outlet.
Call a professional for help or take it to your local repair shop. Alternatively, if the problem was with the socket, call your electrician and have things sorted out.
Apart from avoiding potential mishaps, calling in an expert will also help you learn what caused the issue in the first place. This way, you can take measures to prevent future instances.
Key Takeaways
Your toaster oven plug gets hot because of high electrical resistance or electrical faults. Corroded plug prongs or loose connections to the power outlet can cause your toaster oven plug to get too hot. An overloaded power outlet can also cause overheating on your plug.
An overheated toaster oven plug is dangerous because it can potentially lead to fire accidents if it gets in contact with a combustible material. So it is crucial to take action when your plug starts to heat. This article reveals everything you need to know about a toaster oven plug that gets hot.
Hunter Hayes is a seasoned wordsmith with an obsession for all things related to Home Improvement. With years of experience in the subject, he brings to TemperatureMaster.com a unique blend of technical understanding and approachable writing. Hunter’s articles not only explain complex thermodynamic ideas, but they also provide practical advice for day-to-day temperature management. Hunter’s intelligent contributions will keep you well-informed and comfortable in every circumstance, whether you’re intrigued about climate science or looking for help on optimising your home’s HVAC system.