Hot Glue Gun Safety Tips

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We’ve been using two Arrow Electromatic hot glue guns to fasten our eletric radiant heating wire to the cement slab in our basement. With over 1000 sq. ft. of heated area, we’ve gone through about 100 sticks of glue on the installation so far.

Last night, after five sticks of glue in one of the Arrow guns, it erupted in a shower a sparks and fizzles that made the gun look (and feel) more like a plasma rifle. I escaped unharmed. As best as I can tell, a small amount of the hot glue seeped from the front of the gun back into the internal wiring, shorting out the circuit somewhere. It was an impressive sight, and at first led me to criticize Arrow for shoddy manufacturing. That is, until a thought about it some more…

The Arrow hot glue gun is equipped with a plastic flip-out piece on the front of the gun that allows the gun to be set on a flat service with the hot metal tip facing down (and trigger facing up) But, when you’re fastening as much heating elements as we are, it’s much easier just to throw the gun on its side between uses. Obviously, I did that one too many times.

If I had it, I would love to check the instruction booklet to see if it includes a warning about leaving the unit in a non-upright position between uses. (I opened the gun and promptly threw it in the trash). I’ll give Arrow the benefit of the doubt that they did include that in their booklet. Of course, I would prefer the gun didn’t have this limitation. In any event, I’m going to write them and let them know the story. Perhaps they’ll be kind enough to replace the gun.

Glue Gun Safety

Here’s a few hot glue gun safety tips everyone should follow:

Follow all safety instructions included with the gun.
Never use glue guns in damp or wet areas.
Never use glue guns around combustible materials or anything that will ignite below 450 degrees.
Keep the glue gun away from children, especially when on/hot.
Work in an area where the cord is not likely to be caught on clothing or cause the gun to fall over.
If possible, work on a circuit with ground fault protection.
Only use glue designed and approved for your model gun.
Never leave a glue gun plugged in and unattended.
Always use the gun in a downward-facing direction to avoid hot glue contact with your skin / a short-circuit.
Don’t touch the hot glue or the hot end of the glue gun. At 380 degrees, it’ll leave a heck of a burn.

What do you think? Ever have a tool erupt in a shower of sparks?