Neither will they function as efficiently if placed in a direct sunlight. The Baseboard Heater's Circuit Breaker Trips Instantly 4 Things To Know, Can a Pellet Stove Explode? When cleaning an electric baseboard heater, avoid disturbing the metal heat distribution fins. This article is accurate and true to the best of the authors knowledge. Continue with Recommended Cookies. These onboard thermostats directly control the power supply to the baseboard heater. In this instance, the hot water or oil wont circulate properly through the zones tube. You can find them for $100 to $250 apiece depending on the options and quality. Sometimes, the thermostat has a stuck spring and it keeps running. Doing electrical work yourself may cause injury or death. You can watch the video if you dont know how to clean. Look for a wire with frayed or burnt ends. Additionally, the thermostat may be faulty. The t-stat operates on a transformer isolated 24v class two wiring. The circuit breaker should exceed the load total by 125%. I brought the thermostat back home to inspect, and it worked perfectly. This is referred to as an airlock, and it can lead to a variety of issues with your baseboard heater. Set the thermostat to 70F: heaters warm to around 200-250F. Turn the dial all the way down to "off": heaters stay the same temperature. Electric Baseboard heater not working We have a 6 feet king brand baseboard heater not working.. You can also move your furniture to improve air circulation around the heater. Take a glance at the baseboards sides. The high temperature generated by electrical baseboard heat will incinerate any dust or debris on the heating element, so if you smell something funny, you may just need to clean the heater. Well, if you have further queries, do not hesitate to comment below. Remove the wire connectors from the thermal limit switch's two wire terminals. I had something similar happen here in NJ. Your electric bill may go up as a result. You may be able to remove the cover by tapping off the side caps and lifting the cover straight up, which makes cleaning easy. If a line-voltage thermostat is broken, you need to consult a certified technician. Check for a loose wire connection throughout the system. There are a lot of problems with the baseboards. Such malfunction keeps the heater constantly working even if you try to turn it off. Heres Why (+ How To Fix), GE Oven Light Wont Turn Off? Carbon monoxide basically smells like this. A step-by-step guide to help a homeowner perform basic preventive maintenance on their air conditioning system. In this section, we will take a detailed look at the causes of your baseboard heater not working in one room and provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to solve each problem. Still not . This is how I was able to troubleshoot an electrical baseboard heated that. Check Wiring Connections A problem associated with many of the aftermarket thermostats is that the wiring has a loose connection caused by not hooking it up correctly. In this case, what you can do is: Doing these things will make sure that nothing is blocking the vent pathways. Power Outage in One Room When Breaker Isnt Tripped! Heres what to do to deal with such problems: This is the perfect way to deal with a faulty thermostat. A fault anywhere in the circuit opens the pathway, turning off the element. The staples should hug the wire's sheathing, not crush it. The baseboard heater's identification label (usually located on a label inside one of the electrical compartments) lists the heater's manufacturer, the model, and serial numbers, and gives the individual heater's electrical requirements. A built-in heater thermostat isn't always accessible even after removing the heater cover, so even if you're DIY savvy, it's usually prudent to call for service if you have one that's malfunctioning. If your Baseboard heater doesnt seem to work, check the vents. Examine the vent to determine if anything is blocking it. Unit does not produce ANY heat, and is pulling ZERO Amps. If your electric baseboard heater is malfunctioning, the thermostat is often the culprit, and when that isn't true, it's usually some other electrical or cleaning problem. Make sure you first switch off the electricity. Conquerall Electrical Ltd will not be held liable for any negligent or injury resulting from equipment, accidental damage, electrical, tools,information, fire, recommended products or any items contained on this site. If it is, lower the temperature and wait for the heater to shut off. My problem is, why won't the baseboard heater get hot with the thermostat? You could not be obtaining heat in a room because of this decrease in heating power. Technicians find these shorts with a multimeter. You may be wondering why your Electric Baseboard Heater Not Getting Hot Enough. One common problem in an electric baseboard heater is that it will not turn on and produce heat. When a circuit breaker trips instantly, part of the electric circuit contains a short. How would I go about testing if a wire is hot? Make sure the circuit breaker controlling the wires is shut off, and use a non-contact circuit tester to test for current at the thermostat box. In rare instances, the fins of a baseboard heater may be wrongly oriented, thus restricting the natural airflow. When Is it Safe to Connect Aluminum and Copper Wiring? He has practical skills in fixing smoker & heating appliance issues. Baseboard heating is more affordable to install, while forced air heat is more economical for large spaces. Electric baseboard heaters provide instant heat. For instance, a 240V electric baseboard heater cant operate flawlessly on a 120V circuit. Electric current then energizes the element, creating heat. Close the circuit breaker: the heaters stay at room temperature. Many baseboard heaters have line-voltage thermostats mounted on the unit. Is baseboard heat gas or electric? Also, if your thermostat is old, check the batteries. If your baseboard heater is not working at all, you should check the circuit breaker to make sure nothing has been tripped due to overloading. How do I get more heat from my baseboard heaters? Electric Baseboard Heating Troubleshooting ExpertVillage Leaf Group 3.6M subscribers Subscribe 57 Save 39K views 2 years ago Show more Show more HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT 240 VOLTS ELECTRIC. I am not handy, so I have no idea what to do. With the new thermostat I also checked if power is coming to the heater with a voltage tester and it's positive. A dedicated circuit powers one device. I verified the circuit breaker and have 220v. For most homes, hot water baseboards should be at around 100 degrees or less. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters. Call a professional if needed. Heres how to check the system: If there is not enough electricity available, baseboard heaters may not produce enough heat. It will consume a lot of electricity, despite poor performance. Then, you can install it back into place. Tripped Circuit Breaker 7. Hence, you may not be able to raise the thermostats heat setting to an unusually high temperature. By LP-mn (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Voltage should not pass through a thermostat set to the OFF position. Verify whether there is a consistent supply of electricity. William is the founder of Fireplacehubs.com. Some units come with built-in thermostats, and if yours is one of these, the thermostat may have malfunctioned in the past, and someone may have installed a wall thermostat to control the unit. For instance, a 1500-watt baseboard heater should heat a 150-square-foot room. This can be caused by a simple bad breaker or fuse. Even if you try to switch the heater off, such a malfunction keeps it running continuously. what could it be? Moreover, the vent may become blocked with dirt and debris, which will reduce the amount of heat produced. First, you'll want to turn off the circuit breaker and remove the thermostat from your wall. They should have a guide to help you diagnose the issue. Most rooms require 10 watts per square foot, so a 1,000-watt heater can heat a 100-square-foot room but won't provide enough heat for a room with an area of 150 square feet. An electrician or a qualified DIY homeowner should be able to clean the contacts of a wall thermostat by removing the thermostat cover and blasting the contacts with compressed air from a can after first shutting off the power for safety. If the problem persists after cleaning, you need a new thermostat. If so, add the outlet's typical power usage to the heater's load rating. Homeowners can fix some of these six common problems themselves, but some call for professional help. They may even have built-in thermal cut-out switches that prevent them from overheating. What is the problem? Open the home's electrical service panel. Read the meter. Let the circuit breaker cool down and reset the breaker's toggle switch. Answer: Assuming you wired the thermostat according to the manufacturer's instructions, it appears you have a faulty thermostat. Answer: Make sure all electrical connections are good. The air in and around a baseboard heater will be hotter than the rest of the room. Learn more, Facebook II Twitter II Pinterest II Linkedin. Pay special attention to the wire staples. Basically ground level zone had no hot water circulating nor could i flush out the water from that zone. If the meter shows any continuity, replace the thermostat. What could the problem be? It is not worth the risk of ruining your heater permanently. Their proper performance can keep your ambient warm and cozy. Dead batteries will cause the heater to lose its settings and fall back to a default program. Under normal operating conditions, a thermal-limit switch remains in the closed position. This heat basically generates the warmth we want. At no time does it trip the circuit breaker though. Luckily, you can avoid these problems if you know what to do. These clear gaps maximize the airflow from the ground and upward, so the fins shouldnt have these slots aligned or oriented horizontally. It is easy to do this if you twist all three wires in the wire set together at the circuit breaker's panel box, then test for continuity at the thermostat using the ground wire as the control wire. If this is the case, you can tap it to clear the contact. Most baseboard heaters operate on a dedicated 240-volt circuit and utilize a double-pole thermostat. Disconnect the baseboard heater's thermostat load leads. Additionally, a hydronic baseboard heater may have boiler problems, such as excessive trapped air or mineral deposits. To check for a problem, make sure that you are working in a safe environment. The thermostat kicks on when it should, but the heater rarely heats up anymore except occasionally. An electric current is used to warm these fins. Most rooms require 10 watts per square foot, so a 1,000-watt heater can heat a 100-square-foot room but won't provide enough heat for a room with an area of 150 square feet. Likewise, a 240V unit requires a double-pole circuit breaker. There Is A Shortage Of Electricity Supply 3. Check if the baseboard heater is clean and without obstructions. lesson: since i have my boilers in the 1st floor next to the thermostat, this zone essentially never turns on overnight especially if you have it set to 65. the water heaters and boiler naturally keep the room above 65. so i will set it to 73 when the weather drops below freezing so the zone activates and doesnt freeze. The tester probe should display a current reading. Examine the label and confirm the total amperage load of the circuit breaker. Keep all things, no matter how big or little, away from the device. Firstly, you should ensure that the heater is not too hot, as this can cause heat loss. So if the incoming pipe is hot and the outgoing one is not, then there's definitely a water flow problem. In this case, you have to: Cleaning the vents of the Baseboard heater can be quite easy if you know the proper method. Heat coil has resistance of 23 Ohms. A second solution is to install wall-mounted electronic thermostats on your electric baseboard heaters. Heres how you can perform a test to determine if your baseboard heater is working. They do get warm, so make sure you keep flammable objects away from them. How do I bleed air out of baseboard heat? Unlike forced air handler units, baseboard heaters cant regulate the airflow in your room. And if you have young children, make sure to turn off the heater before they enter a room with it. Electrical lines should be disconnected from the pump. Now, when your thermostat calls for heat, the circulator pump will be hounding the frozen zone. This means that any significant part failing or malfunctioning may prevent such heaters from warming sufficiently. Using an extremely outdated electric baseboard heater isnt practical. Sometimes an electrical short develops inside a component and does not have visual evidence. To fix that, shut the heater off, wait for it to cool down, and clean it extensively. Turn the circuit breaker to the "Off" position; for safety's sake, never rely on the tripped position as a disconnect. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Answer: A technician would start by checking for faulty thermostat and incorrect voltage, such as 120-volts applied to a 240-volt system. Likewise, avoid hanging long drapes above them. If the label on the heater indicates that it has a sufficiently large power output to heat the room, it may not be wired properly. What can cause this? Hold the multimeter probes against one set of the baseboard-heater thermostat leads. These fins are warmed using electricity. In order to assist you in making the best choice, this article will examine both heating methods in more detail and compare them using a number of criteria. The second bedroom heater only works when the master bedroom thermostat is turned on. NOTE: Customers should not reset any breakers multiple times upon seeing a trip breaker in the panel. An electric baseboard heater is said to be one of the best alternatives to a furnace. A baseboard heater not getting warm may be due to a simple or serious problem. You must make sure that the wires are intact and are properly connected to the thermostat, Inspect the label and check the circuit breakers total amperage load, Make sure that the breakers are 20-amp to 30-amp, If the circuit breaker is lower than this, check the rooms wall outlet, You can try turning the circuit off and then on again after letting it cool down, If nothing works, replace the circuit breaker, Inspect to see if anything is blocking the vent, Keep any kind of small or big objects away from the device, Check if there is a stable supply of electricity, Turn the device off first and let it cool, Check and make sure the thermostat is at the correct temperature, If the temperature stays high even after keeping it off for quite a while, be sure that there is a blockage in the thermostat and clean the blockage, Change the thermostat in case this doesnt solve the problem, Use a clean damp cloth to wipe off the dirt on the vent, Turn on the heat and see if there is still any stench, Check your carbon monoxide detector if you have one in your home, Call an electrician if the stench persists, Locate the bleeder valve (only modern bleeder has a bleeder valve), Water will shoot out from the valve. 1995-2023 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. 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