How Long Do Electric Blankets Take to Heat Up?

Electric blankets are cozy during the colder months, but how long are they supposed to take to get you warm? One of the best ways to know if your electric blanket is failing is to find out if it’s not reaching its maximum temperature quickly enough.

Electric blankets take between 20 to 30 minutes to heat up. Most electric blankets have multiple settings, with the lowest temperature setting being reached within 5 minutes. Fold the blanket over itself to heat it faster, or stretch it across your bed to warm each corner quickly.

While half an hour might seem like a long time to wait for an electric blanket, it starts heating your bed immediately. Many heated blankets go far above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Let’s dive into the details of how long you should wait and how you can speed the process along below.

How Long Does It Take for an Electric Blanket to Get Warm?

Electric blankets get warm within five minutes, but they can take up to 30 minutes or more to reach their highest temperature settings. Most manufacturers list the required heating time length to know how long you’ll have to wait until the blanket is as warm as possible.

If your electric blanket isn’t getting warm within this timeframe, it’s likely damaged. Home Steady states a broken control switch will prevent a heated blanket from getting warm enough. These blankets are often split into multiple heating sections, so you might have one side that doesn’t heat properly.

The Bedsure Heated Blanket is designed to reach a maximum temperature of 113 degrees within 35 minutes. It has six settings, letting you choose how warm you want your bed to be each night. It’s also made of an ultra-soft throw material that feels as cozy as can be.

Don’t forget that electric blankets can dehydrate you, so you shouldn’t set them at their highest temperature for too long. Drink plenty of water and remove the blanket after about 20 minutes or so. You can leave the blanket plugged in, then put it back on you after another 20-minute interval.

How to Make an Electric Blanket Heat Up Faster

To make an electric blanket heat up faster, fold the blanket over itself to form a square or rectangle. Make sure the cables aren’t covered or wrapped inside the blanket. Turn on the electric blanket, then unfold it after 10 minutes of heating.

Try these suggestions to heat an electric blanket as fast as possible:

1. Start on the highest setting. You can reduce the temperature once it gets to the desired point. Electric blankets typically heat quite slowly when you put them on their lowest setting. Max them out, then find the sweet spot with the heating controller.
2. Keep a space heater in the room while heating an electric blanket. The heater will prevent your electric blanket from cooling down from the low room temperature. That being said, you should never put a heater right next to a blanket. Electric blankets can catch on fire if they’re touching space heaters.
3. Don’t let the electric blanket hang off the bed because the mattress insulates and preserves the heat. It’s just like hanging your feet off the bed. They’re a lot colder than if you have them sitting on the mattress. Your heated blanket should only cover the bed, not the sides.
4. Fold your heated blanket in half. Electric blankets are lined with heating wires that transfer the increased temperature throughout the fabric. Doubling the blanket will let these wires heat twice the amount of fabric.

Note: Some heated blankets aren’t supposed to be folded. Check the user’s manual to know if you can fold your electric blanket without tripping the fuse.

If it seems like your heated blanket isn’t getting as hot as it used to, there might be an electrical issue. Unfortunately, it’s crucial that you throw away your electrical blanket once it starts to fail. The vast majority of electric blanket fires are caused by using outdated blankets.

Why Isn’t Your Heated Blanket Getting Warm?

Your heated blanket isn’t getting warm because the controller is broken, it’s plugged into a faulty wall outlet, or the internal fuse is tripped. Other causes include disconnected or broken internal heating wires lining the blanket. They need a complete circuit to heat the fabric.

Here’s what you can do to find out what’s wrong with your electric blanket:

• Use a multimeter to check the resistance or voltage of the blanket. Disconnect the blanket from the wall outlet, then test for a reading between each of the electrical nodes. Disconnect the cable from the blanket if possible, then use your multimeter on the exposed prongs.
• Check for signs of damage throughout the wires (the power cable and the heating element lining the blanket). Discoloration is often a sign of a burn mark on the heated blanket. This means the wires got too hot, which likely tripped a fuse or blew the breaker.
• Inspect and test the fuse in the power cable. Your heated blanket likely has a fuse in the power cable (either at the connection port or in a separate power box). Unplug the electric blanket, and place the multimeter’s nodes on both sides to look for an electrical current.
• Open the controller and test each of the thermal fuses. Most electric blanket controllers have one or two thermal fuses. A thermal fuse is designed to trip or blow when it gets too hot, which stops the heated blanket from getting hotter. Replacing the fuse will let you use the blanket again.

Electric blankets last a long time, but some of them can’t be fixed. While you can almost always replace or repair the controller, it’s very difficult to improve the heating element wires without damaging the fabric. You’re better off replacing the blanket than repairing it, especially if you want to prevent fires and blown fuses.

Watch this helpful YouTube video to learn how to inspect, test, and repair your worn electric blanket: