Heaters Just Won't Stop Turning Off? - Page 2

chairman · 01-21-16, 09:07 PM

To calculate load, add the wattage that the thermostat uses (probably very low) and the maximum wattage that all your heat sources could draw at 100% power. This might slightly over estimate your load but it is safer to err in that direction.

I control my space heaters using a baseboard heater thermostat. I wired up a stand-alone power supply but an electrician could put one in a wall for you to control an outlet.

Princess-dad · 01-22-16, 04:05 AM

If I understand you right all you have to do to restart your heater is turn the hard set power switch off and then back on . Ok Im gonna jump out on a limb here and say the reason for your problems as best as I can understand is this . Your heaters internal thermal breaker is opening , this type of curcuit protection has a safety device built in . As long as the power switch on the heater remains in the on position the breaker will not reset . Thats to keep what ever tripped the internal fuse from burning down your house when you are not home . Thats why the switch has to be physically turned off and on , that way it can not restart on its own with no one home to reset it . Next problem why us it over heating and opening the thermal protection in the heater ? My best answer would be this , the voltage being suplied to the heater is low for some reason . Check the voltage available on the second half of the wall socket with the heater on and after having been on for some time . This can be acomplished by useing a multimeter set to AC voltage on the 200 volt scale . It should be in the 115 120 volt range . If out of spec call an electrician . I personally would just shut off the main curcuit breaker , and replace both the breaker for that room and the wall sockets myself .I beleive you are experiancing a low voltage situation and that will cause a heater to overheat .

bigsnakegirl785 · 01-22-16, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Albert Clark

I am suggesting replacement of the power strips bc the circuitry goes bad in them over time. Most power strips should be replaced annually bc of this. That includes some surge protectors as well. Some are better than others internally and are warrantied for extended periods of time. I think that will be a good starting point for troubleshooting the true etiology of the problem.

I was wondering why you're suggesting me replace the power strip to solve my heater issue when my heater isn't even plugged into a power strip. I suppose I could get a new one for my thermostats, but they've been working quite well so I was just wondering how it would affect them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Princess-dad

If I understand you right all you have to do to restart your heater is turn the hard set power switch off and then back on . Ok Im gonna jump out on a limb here and say the reason for your problems as best as I can understand is this . Your heaters internal thermal breaker is opening , this type of curcuit protection has a safety device built in . As long as the power switch on the heater remains in the on position the breaker will not reset . Thats to keep what ever tripped the internal fuse from burning down your house when you are not home . Thats why the switch has to be physically turned off and on , that way it can not restart on its own with no one home to reset it . Next problem why us it over heating and opening the thermal protection in the heater ? My best answer would be this , the voltage being suplied to the heater is low for some reason . Check the voltage available on the second half of the wall socket with the heater on and after having been on for some time . This can be acomplished by useing a multimeter set to AC voltage on the 200 volt scale . It should be in the 115 120 volt range . If out of spec call an electrician . I personally would just shut off the main curcuit breaker , and replace both the breaker for that room and the wall sockets myself .I beleive you are experiancing a low voltage situation and that will cause a heater to overheat .

That's very possible. With my usual heater, I just push the power button, with my mom's oil-filled one I have to unplug it and plug it back in after turning the dial to the OFF position, and then turn it back on when it's plugged in again.

I don't actually have a multimeter, but we could have one of our friends come over and test it.

trailblazer295 · 01-23-16, 09:50 AM

I agree it's thermal overload inside the heater. Is it dirty? Fan assisted? Something is wrong and until you determine the cause I'd recommend not using it unattended to be safe.

bigsnakegirl785 · 01-23-16, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trailblazer295

I agree it's thermal overload inside the heater. Is it dirty? Fan assisted? Something is wrong and until you determine the cause I'd recommend not using it unattended to be safe.

No, it isn't dirty, and the fan is only used if I turn it on.

What am I supposed to use in the mean time? My mom's shut off after only a day of using it, so I'm scared to try relying on it, and my snakes cannot go without heat for even a day, because our trailer does not get above 65F except in the middle of the day when the sun hits it, and 75F is not warm enough to maintain hot spot temps. And the brand new one couldn't so much as maintain temperatures let alone warm a room up, even on the highest setting.

The non-oil filled one has been working so far since Thursday without shutting off, but nobody is going to be able to come by our trailer until this snow melts. We have a good 1'-2' of snow, and even 4 wheel drive isn't working on these roads, we had a friend get their Jeep stuck and I've seen multiple people just about crash on the road. The most I could do right now is switch out heaters regularly to give each one a break. I was hoping to be switching them out before, but with how quickly that other oil-filled heater shut off, I'm really hesitant to use another one even for a day, because this one may fail a lot, but at least it lasts more than just one day. :/

chairman · 01-23-16, 07:29 PM

Maybe move the enclosures to a smaller space, like a bathroom or closet? The radiator-style heater could probably keep up with that space. I use two of those heaters set on the lowest setting to keep my tortoise's 9x9 shed warm; even when temps dipped into the negatives last year my shed was 80F.

bigsnakegirl785 · 01-24-16, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chairman

Maybe move the enclosures to a smaller space, like a bathroom or closet? The radiator-style heater could probably keep up with that space. I use two of those heaters set on the lowest setting to keep my tortoise's 9x9 shed warm; even when temps dipped into the negatives last year my shed was 80F.

The snake enclosures are in the smallest room they can be in. Even if I put them all in smaller tubs, they aren't going to fit in any of our closets or bathrooms unless they're in tubs just big enough for their body, and Cloud would be limited to being curled up tightly 100% of the time. He's a big guy, his 6'x2' enclosure takes up a decent portion of the room.

I looked at the heater again and it turns out the button I thought was for the fan was for it to turn back and forth. So yeah it uses a fan to push out.

So far the heater is still working, but I'm going to give it a break and put in the oil-filled heater. I don't really have room in the snake room for a fan + the heater, so it will have to do by itself.

pet_snake_78 · 01-26-16, 03:25 AM

I've used several of the fan types to heat bathrooms before I showered, all of them will shutoff once they get too hot and I think this is pretty standard for most of them. I think maybe the oil filled one might just be old or something. I would try borrowing a different one or buying one and returning it if it blows up. As coincidental as it is, I'm not convinced the two different heaters shutting off are related.

bigsnakegirl785 · 01-26-16, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pet_snake_78

I've used several of the fan types to heat bathrooms before I showered, all of them will shutoff once they get too hot and I think this is pretty standard for most of them. I think maybe the oil filled one might just be old or something. I would try borrowing a different one or buying one and returning it if it blows up. As coincidental as it is, I'm not convinced the two different heaters shutting off are related.

Both the oil-filled ones have been bought within the past 2 months straight from Wal-Mart, I'd sure hope they weren't old!

It's not 2 shut offs, but 3. With 2 brand-spanking new heaters and one that's roughly ~2 years old (the fan-powered one).

trailblazer295 · 01-26-16, 01:08 PM

Those heaters aren't really made for consistent regular use but emergencies it's very possible they are wearing out.

bigsnakegirl785 · 01-27-16, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trailblazer295

Those heaters aren't really made for consistent regular use but emergencies it's very possible they are wearing out.

I can totally understand the fan-powered one being worn out, but the other two heaters have barely even been used and haven't been running constantly. My mom only used her heater on the coldest nights, which I can count on one hand, and only for the few hours she was sleeping before work.

The snow is finally gone, so I'm going to see about having our electrician friend come out and test our lines before we pay someone to come out here and find out we're not needing any electric work or something.

The heaters are still holding up well so maybe we'll make it through this winter yet.

Princess-dad · 01-28-16, 02:10 AM

If you put a small fan blowing across your radiator style heater they will better heat the room .

trailblazer295 · 01-28-16, 08:23 AM

I agree about the fan, without any airflow in the room the heat won't distribute properly. Will also prevent overheating.

bigsnakegirl785 · 01-28-16, 12:42 PM

Here's a photo of what I'm working with (only one T12 atm because this one just got done curing and I'm getting ready to put the other one together):

Excuse the mess, I've got things laying around from recent bedding changes and rearranging to make room for the T12's. The stuff in front of the door is to keep cold drafts out and weight to keep the door closed. The whole trailer is off-kilter so the door wouldn't open after a few days and that's why there's no knob.

Only one heater is plugged in at a time, to reduce any residual electrical pulls.

I just don't know where I'm going to put a fan in here, I still need access to all the enclosures and the restroom. Unless a small 4"-6" tall desk fan is enough, I don't know if there's room for a fan. All we have right now is a 3' tall box fan.

The whole room is heated very well, but if it will help keep the heaters from overheating, I can try it, but I'm just not sure where I could put one. :/ And I'm not sure what exactly the safety distance is for a heater to have from other objects, but I think it's something like 3'-4', so I'm scared of a fire hazard if I try to fit any more stuff in there.