{"id":2274,"date":"2020-07-18T10:59:01","date_gmt":"2020-07-18T09:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebli.com\/?p=2274"},"modified":"2023-01-12T14:23:04","modified_gmt":"2023-01-12T14:23:04","slug":"electric-heater-not-working","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebli.com\/electric-heater-not-working\/","title":{"rendered":"Electric Heater Not Working? Try These Fixes"},"content":{"rendered":"
An electric heater is an important piece of equipment in your home, especially during the cold season. It provides enough heat for the family to keep warm. Unfortunately, your electric heater may malfunction because of several reasons. Most electric heaters are fitted with an automatic shut off mechanism that activates when your heater becomes very hot or tips over. Your electric heater may also fail to work if there is a problem with your wall’s electrical outlet.<\/p>\n
To fix a faulty electric heater, you have to understand how it works. This will allow you to determine what usually happens when the heater breaks down, spot the fault, and the right tools you need for the job.<\/p>\n
Electric wall heaters are designed for heating rooms. There are two common types of electric heaters, that is the wall heater and the baseboard heater. The latter uses a thermostat to control it and has one or more heating elements lying horizontally within the heater.<\/p>\n
They are installed on the base of a room wall. The baseboard heater pulls air in from its bottom and passes it through the horizontal heating elements where it is heated. The warm, light air rises in the room. The electric heating elements have a similar shape to metal fins. The fluid is added to some of these electric heating elements to optimize their heat retention capacity. In most cases, the more than one baseboard units are installed all around the house along the perimeter wall of the room.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, an electric wall heater is a forced-air heating appliance installed into the wall. It uses a fan to distribute heated air all over the room. The electric wall heater has an electric heating element for warming air. The fan and rows of the much-needed heating elements within the electric wall heater unit are controlled using a thermostat. This device is mostly installed in laundry rooms, and bathrooms to supply additional heat to the room.<\/p>\n
Other than the wall heater and the baseboard heater, there are other heater types, including a portable electric heater and ceramic heater. Space or portable electric heater is often used to warm small spaces. There are two types of portable electric heaters: convective heaters that use a fan to distribute air heated by one or more heating elements, and radiant heaters that distribute heat, obtained when electric elements heat fluid within the elements, across the room.<\/p>\n
Ceramic heater (view on Amazon)<\/a> is a form of convective heaters with a larger ceramic element that allows the electric heater to operate with relatively lower temperatures. This makes ceramic heaters safer than traditional convective heaters.<\/p>\n The electric heaters also contain control switches, motorized fans, thermostats, and elements. Portable heaters have safety features such as the tip-over switch, which turns it off when knocked over, and the thermal cutoff switches off an overheating heater. Some of these cutoffs automatically restore themselves while others have to be replaced when they trip.<\/p>\n Now that you understand how an electric heater operates, it is time for you to learn how to troubleshoot a faulty electric heater. Follow these steps to learn how to restore your electric heater to its optimum performance.<\/p>\n 1. Please switch off the electric heater and pull it from its power source, such as a socket. Inspect the fuse box of your house for any tripped circuit breakers<\/a> and blown fuses. Where necessary, reset your circuit breakers or replace the fuse. Once everything is back to normal, plug your electric heater back in the power source and turn it on.<\/p>\n 2. If your electric heater does not turn on after step one, reset its automatic switch-off feature by turning the power switch to the off position. Disconnect the heater by unplugging it from its power source and letting it sit for ten minutes. Connect it back to its power source and switch the electric heater back on.<\/p>\n 3. If your heater does not turn on after resetting the automatic shutoff feature, turn it off and unplug it from its source of power. Examine the heater for possible internal or external obstructions that may inhibit the heater from powering. Fix the problem and plug the heater in its power source.<\/p>\n\n 4. Adjust your thermostat settings to a higher level as you closely observe the heater to ensure it stays on throughout the heating process.<\/p>\n 5. Find a suitable location for your electric heater, especially in a place where the heater won’t be accidentally tipped or blocked or exposed to water.<\/p>\n Other than these, your heater may turn on without supplying enough heat to your room. Inspect the heating elements of your heater to ensure that they are glowing as expected. In a fan-operated heater, ensure that the fan operates well by testing it. Use a vacuum cleaner to suck all the dirt and debris on and around the fan.<\/p>\n Your wall-mounted electric heater will not power up if the circuit breaker has tripped. Correct this by switching the heater off and turning the circuit breaker back on. Also, turn the heater on at its switch.<\/p>\n If the circuit is overloaded, this can cause the electric heater not to turn on. You’ll know that the circuit is overloaded when it trips at regular intervals. This usually happens when the heater draws more current than it’s able to handle. If the heater circuit is also supplying power to other outlets, it could cause the circuit breaker to trip. If you want to use your electric wall heater, it needs to have its own dedicated circuit that powers nothing else in the house. This means that it won’t be able to draw more current than it’s able to handle. If the circuit itself has insufficient temperature and it’s trying to power a larger heater, this can cause an overload. If you can spot that your circuit is tripping regularly, then you need an electrician to take a look at what’s going on. In some cases, your need will need to be replaced with one that has a lower power demand.<\/p>\n If the circuit breaker is tripped, then you won’t be able to turn on your portable heater. You need to check your breaker panel for the outlet the heater is plugged into to check for any trips. If you can see that it’s tripped, then flip it off, then on to see if your portable heater turns on.<\/p>\n You need to check the circuit the heater is plugged into for any other large electrical loads. For example, your heater is plugged into the same circuit as your freezer. Has appliances that draw a large current can cause the circuit breaker to trip. If there isn’t anything else on the same circuit and the breaker is still tripping, then you’ll need to keep troubleshooting the issue.<\/p>\n If the breaker for the circuit that your heater is plugged into hasn’t tripped, then there’s a chance that the problem is with the power outlet. Check to see if other appliances work with the power outlet to make sure that it’s not the problem. If your home is too old, you should know that older homes sometimes won’t be able to supply enough amperage from the socket to fully power an electric space heater. You should plug your heater into an outlet that’s connected to another circuit breaker.<\/p>\n A damaged power cord could stop power from getting to the heater since the current is unable to travel through the wires. If you can see that the cord is damaged, then this could be the reason why the space heater keeps tripping the circuit breaker. If the portable heater is off when you plug it in and the circuit breaker trips, then chances are the power cord is to blame.<\/p>\n When the cord is damaged or frayed, there’s a higher chance of sparking and smoking which would lead to an electrical fire happening in your home. You should be glad that the circuit breaker is tripping because if it doesn’t, it could cause havoc.<\/p>\n If you’re using an extension and it’s not the correct gauge, it could stop your heater from working. Space heaters require a lot of power so using the correct power cord gauge size for the length of the cord is important.<\/p>\nHow to Troubleshoot an Electric Heater<\/h3>\n
Why Did My Electric Heater Stop Working?<\/h3>\n
1. The Circuit Breaker is Off<\/h4>\n
2. The Circuit Is Overloaded<\/h4>\n
3. The Circuit Breaker Is Defective<\/h4>\n
4. Wires Are Short-Circuiting<\/h4>\n
5. Check the Circuit Breaker<\/h4>\n
6. Check the Power Outlet<\/h4>\n
7. Check The Power Cord<\/h4>\n