Repair of oil heaters. What to do if the oil heater does not turn on. Checking the vertical position sensor
Regardless of the quality, sooner or later, almost all electric heaters they become poorly warm, do not turn on or do not heat at all.
Self-repair of an electric heater is not very difficult, since often this class of devices is not considered a complex device.
In everyday life, people use a wide variety of electric heaters: electric infrared fireplaces, convectors, fan heaters and a variety of oil radiators. All such devices, regardless of design features, the heating element is nichrome.
It should be noted that what simpler design heater, the longer such a device will work, and who will be easier for her husband to figure out the breakdown and fix it.
Device
For fast and effective repair First of all, you need to understand how the heater works.Regardless of the type of such devices, they all have basic common elements.
Heaters are equipped with one or two key switches with which you can select one or two heating elements that will heat, as well as lamps indicating the operation of the heating element.
The heating element may have not two contacts, but three, with two separated heating coils inside.
Immediately after the power cord with a plug, there may be a protective thermal fuse that will automatically turn off the heater after overheating, for example, if you cover the convector with a towel from above.
There may also be a tilt sensor that will work if, for example, the convector falls or overturns.
In addition to the thermal fuse, there may also be a "circuit breaker" - an overload current fuse, for other emergencies.
schematic diagram of heaters
Diagnosis and troubleshooting of the heater
Any diagnostics begins with disassembling the heater, but before disassembling it, it must be turned off and the plug removed from the outlet.We unscrew the screws of the case, most likely the control panel case. Having reached the connecting control panel with a thermostat, thermostat and other elements, we begin the test with a continuity of the power cord.
Next, we check the operation of all control keys and toggle switches - calling them with a tester. Then all serial circuits.
thermostat checked by the tester and it should give out zero resistance (short circuit) or close to zero on the contacts, this will indicate that the thermostat is working.
In addition to the health of the heater elements themselves, the cause of the breakdown can also be twisted in poor and unreliable contact of the conductors, over time, due to the difference in materials, they oxidize and rot, so at this moment you should also pay attention.
Then the protective elements are checked: position sensor and thermal fuse.
thermal fuse they call with a tester, in a good and cold state, there should be zero resistance (short circuit) on its contacts.
There can be several such thermal fuses in one housing, and as a rule, the larger the housing, the more thermal fuses it contains.
It should be noted that the thermal fuse may be working (serviceable), but due to the heavy contamination of the filters and convection holes, they can instantly work and turn off the heater.
What does it represent position sensor, so this, in most designs, is some kind of weight that, when the heater is tilted or dropped, acts on a mini switch that already opens the voltage. A serviceable position sensor, in the normal vertical position of the heater, must have zero resistance (short circuit) on its contacts.
The main deciding point will be to check the heating heating element ov. In large heaters, as a rule, there are several of them, most often there are two of them. And often the reason for insufficient heating of the room is the failure of one of the heating elements.
In most cases, the heating element cannot be repaired and is replaced with a similar one.
How to check the heating element? The resistance on its contacts can be different, depending on the specific device, but it should definitely ring. Approximate resistance values can be in the range of 20 - 100 ohms.
The main malfunctions of heaters
The heater does not turn on.
There may be several reasons. It is necessary to check the socket, plug and electrical cord. Then disassemble and make sure that there is mains voltage inside the device, it is best to use a 40W test light for this.
The voltage is checked in a serial circuit, thermal fuse, thermostat, thermal switch, heating element
Testing under voltage should be carried out carefully or use the resistance test method (with a multimeter) already without voltage.
The heater turns on but does not heat up.
The heater blows air but does not heat it, this situation clearly indicates a malfunction of the heating element, one of the sections of the spiral may be damaged, it is necessary to carefully examine the entire length of the nichrome conductor, and also ring the heating element itself with the tester, the resistance should be somewhere in the region of 70 Ohm .
In the event of a visible break or burnout of the nichrome conductor, you can try to restore it if you slightly pull the broken conductors to the center and carefully twist them with a margin to each other, then securely insert the "connection" back, but so that it does not move and does not close during operation randomly on adjacent turns of the helix.
Also, the cause of such work may be a thermal fuse or bimetallic plates of the thermostat. In a cold state, they must be closed, sometimes it becomes necessary to strip them to improve the reliability of contact. Serviceable bimetallic plates from the heat of the soldering iron should open.
The fan heater heats up but the fan does not spin (does not blow).
If the blades are in good condition and are not wedged anywhere, then the reason is most likely in the engines.
But still, first you need to make sure that voltage is supplied to the engine. Make sure that its shaft turns easily and effortlessly.
Then the engine can be checked with a multimeter, its contacts should ring and show at least some resistance.
If necessary, the motor can be disassembled and inspected inside, possibly heavy pollution. Ring the windings, clean collector assembly and inspect the tightness of the brushes. It may be necessary to lubricate the bushings of the moving part of the engine with engine oil.
If the windings burn out, the motor must be replaced.
The heater turns off (due to overheating)
There may be several reasons. For example big square heating and a low-power convector, as a result permanent job case overheats and internal elements including overheating protection elements that turn off the device.
In other cases it may be the cause incorrect installation convector. It is necessary to organize a free inflow of incoming air to the lower part of the heater and a free outflow of hot air from the upper part of the convector, nothing to cover it with and not create resistance to the heat escaping from the convector.
The oil cooler is leaking.
Self-repair in such cases is a difficult and thankless task. Adhesives and sealants in this case useless.
To seal the holes, it is necessary to drain the oil, fill it with water and use inverter welding For thin sheets. Boil the hole, after cleaning the place from paint and corrosion.
With constant oil leakage, it should be understood that the oil will still need to be topped up, since for effective work such a heater requires 90% of the oil volume of the total capacity of the oil "tank", the rest of the space should be occupied by air, it plays the role of a kind of cushion when the oil expands when heated.
Oil coolers efficient equipment for space heating.
Unlike heaters that heat while they are plugged in, oil coolers give off heat long after they are turned off.
Their cost is much higher than others, so it makes sense in the event of a breakdown to try to repair the device before buying a new one.
This article describes one of the breakdowns of the oil cooler and how to repair it.
Here's the problem with the heater:
Everything works, the indicator lights up, the step switch and the temperature sensor adjustment work, the sensor turns off but this happens before the radiator temperature reaches a normal level. The battery is barely warm at maximum settings, and outwardly nothing can be done.
It immediately becomes clear that disassembling the device is indispensable.
First you need to find the screws securing the casing. They can sometimes be hidden decorative details corps.
The first screw is hidden under the top plastic label that says "do not cover". It is necessary to pry it from the side with a screwdriver and take it to the side.
Now the screw is clearly visible and it is possible to unscrew it.
This can be done with both a Phillips and a straight screwdriver of suitable width.
Next, you need to remove the block with wheels from the side of the control panel. To do this, turn the fireplace over and unscrew the mounting "lamb".
After taking the wheel block to the side, remove it from the hook.
Now you can remove the tightening spring of the mounting rim, and then the rim itself along the perimeter of the casing.
After this procedure, the casing can be easily removed.
For convenience, it can be tilted to the side. Now the details have become visible and access to the elements that affect the operation of the heater has been opened.
The first step is to check the integrity of the heating elements. To prevent the instrument circuits from making incorrect readings, the neutral wire must be disconnected from the heaters for the duration of the measurements. It is not difficult to do this, since there is only one wire for two heating elements.
It is screwed to the zero bus with a screw through the lug.
We tighten the protective PVC tube and use a screwdriver to unscrew the screw.
Now we take it aside and take measurements.
To do this, we connect one end of the continuity to the zero output of the heaters, the other, in turn, first with one heating element, then with the other.
In both cases, the circuit should show. If there is no chain on one of them, then it is burned out.
In the case of this heater, the heating elements turned out to be intact, so we fasten the wire in place and continue to search for a malfunction.
Since the thermal relay is turned off, we turn our attention to it.
The principle of operation of the relay is simple. The bimetal plate bends when heated, which leads to a power outage.
The easiest way to block the action of this relay is to bend the stop plate of the bimetal plate. How to do this is shown in the photo.
Do not apply too much force so that the screwdriver does not come off and ruin the contacts. Now this stop simply will not let the plate with the top contact turn off.
Don't worry about the heater overheating. The position switch will help you choose desired temperature, and an overheating sensor installed close to the case will protect the device - if anything.
Another such refinement option is good because by bending the plate back, you can return everything as it was before - if necessary.
Collect oil heater going back won't be too hard.
Everything is simply done the same way as when disassembling, only in the reverse order.
That's all, successful repairs to you.
Electric oil heaters enjoy well-deserved popularity among the population due to a number of positive qualities that characterize this type of electrical appliances.
These advantages include the following:
- Ease of maintenance and connection. The main requirement is vertical installation. The heater can be connected in any room where there is an electrical outlet (preferably "euro").
- Low body temperature, especially for heaters closed type(60-70°C).
- Environmentally friendly, the air in the room is not dried, there is no combustion of oxygen.
- High reliability, efficiency and fire safety. The heater automatically regulates the temperature in the room, if necessary, its heating element is disconnected from the mains. It can work in this mode for several days.
- Relatively low price of classic models. You can always choose a model whose functionality will correspond to its cost.
In the event of a malfunction, the device can always be returned for repair to the nearest service center. If your oil heater is out of warranty, you can fix the problem yourself, especially since its electrical circuit is not that complicated.
The principle of operation and equipment of the device
The device is based on a container filled strictly up to a certain level with mineral oil.
Inside this container are tubular electric heaters(TENY). Heating elements must be constantly immersed in oil, therefore, the installation of an oil heater is only allowed in a vertical position. If the heater falls and the heating elements are exposed, the latter may fail.
Work related to the replacement of heating elements, which means the need to drain and change the oil, is usually carried out in specialized workshops (if you have experience and clean transformer oil, you can risk doing it yourself). If there is a depressurization of the oil tank, it is better to trust the professionals, since this cannot be eliminated at home. Sometimes it will be cheaper to buy a new heater.
A simplified diagram of an oil heater is shown in Figure 1. The heating element, consisting of 2 oil heating elements, EK1 and EK2, is connected through a power switch V1 located on the oil heater body. Depending on the number of included heating elements, its power consumption changes (the scheme for switching on heating elements is shown conditionally and may differ).
The heated oil transfers heat to the case, which works like a normal radiator. The more sections it has, the faster the heat transfer occurs. The level of air temperature in the room can be smoothly changed, it is set using a bimetallic thermostat, indicated on the diagram as SK1. The heater must not be covered from above, otherwise the thermostat will simply turn off the device, reacting to the accumulation of hot air. Some models have special stands for drying clothes, but in general, using an oil cooler for drying is ineffective.
The connection diagram of the heating elements also contains a thermal switch (SK2), which protects the body of the device from overheating. A feature of oil heaters is the gradual heating of the air. In order to somewhat speed up this process, some models are equipped with built-in fans. The connection point of the fan motor M in the diagram is conditionally shown by arrows, since it is not obligatory element device. The power switch SA1 supplies power to the signal lamp HL1.
There are no people who would not have electric heaters. Simple or complex, cheap or expensive, high-quality and not very good - they all fail sooner or later. Before taking a broken device to a service or calling an electrician you know, you should think about whether to try to fix the breakdown yourself.
Do-it-yourself heater repair
Before disassembling the heater and looking for a malfunction inside, you need to make sure that the the socket to which it is connected has voltage. For this purpose, use a multimeter or a known good one. household appliance. The socket contacts must hold the plug firmly. Weakening and oxidation of socket contacts is a concomitant defect when using powerful household appliances.
Next, let's check mains plug. Its contacts must be clean, without traces of soot, and the insulation around it must not be deformed as a result of overheating. The plug contacts can be cleaned with a knife or small sandpaper. But it is better to replace both the plug and the socket when such defects are detected.
When switching frequently or winding the power cord the wires inside it break. This happens in two problem areas: at the plug and at the entrance to the heater. You can determine the breakage of the wires by touch: in the place of the fracture, the cord bends a little easier than in another place. But it is better to use a multimeter for this. If the heater has not yet been dismantled, then you need to turn on its mains switch. Set the device to the limit of measuring low resistances and connect it to the power contacts of the plug. For a working heater, the device should show a low resistance value. If the device does not show anything, bend the cord slightly from side to side at the suspected break point. If the device at least once tried to show the resistance value, the cause of the malfunction was found.
If there is a break at the mains plug, it is cut off and replaced with a new one. If it is near a heater, the wire is cut at the break point and reconnected inside it. It is not recommended to use twists and other connections, as they become a weak point and will remind you of themselves again.
If the power plug and cord are working, and there is voltage in the outlet, then you will have to disassemble the heater. In this case, the plug must certainly be disconnected from the network, disconnecting using the heater controls is not enough.
Heater temperature controller
Temperature control is carried out in all heaters. The heating elements are connected to the network through a contact controlled by a bimetallic plate. When the heater is connected to the mains, the plate heats up and bends; at a certain temperature, the bending force becomes sufficient to turn off the contact to which it is connected. The contact is disconnected, the plate cools down, taking up its original position, the contact is closed again, and the process is repeated again. A handle is installed on the body of the heaters, which regulates the moment of switching the plate and the temperature maintained by the device.
The contacts of this switch often burn out. You can find this out by ringing them with a multimeter in a cold state or visually: the contact surface must be smooth and even, without any traces of soot.
The contacts must be cleaned with a knife blade or a small needle file, but carefully: sometimes they are covered with a layer of silver or other metal that is resistant to switching.
There are malfunctions associated with a broken regulator spring, then it is replaced with a new or similar one taken from another heater.
Types of heaters and switching circuits
Heaters are different electrical diagrams, types of heating elements, their number and the presence of a forced air circulation fan.
Most simple heater consists of a heating element, a cord and a plug. It will only have to be disassembled to replace or repair the cord or diagnose the health of the heating element. The heating element is checked by measuring its resistance with a multimeter. It should be no more than 100 ohms (for a 500 W heater), with increasing power, the resistance decreases. If the multimeter shows an open, the heating element is replaced with a new one.
The heater is more complicated switch or key to turn on the power. Sometimes a light bulb is added to the key, highlighting it when the device is turned on. An additional complication of the repair in this case is to ring the switch contacts with the tester in the on position. The device should show units of ohms or zero, if it shows a break or hundreds of ohms or more, the element must be replaced. If the heater is vital, the switch is excluded from the power circuit, securely connecting the wires to each other. But over time, it is better to replace it, since in this case the contacts of the socket and plug will inevitably burn when the device is turned on.
The following diagram additionally includes thermal fuse. It fails when overheated and needs to be replaced. But at the same time, it is worth analyzing the reason for its operation: Was the heater covered with something and overheated, or was it operated at high voltage. The assembled device must be connected to the network and tested in operation. If the thermal fuse trips again, you will have to change the heating element. In some models, together with a thermal fuse, a tilt sensor or a sensor is connected that turns off the device when objects get inside.
In some heaters, to adjust their power, they use two heating elements. To switch them, either two keys or a switch are used. The heating elements are set to different powers, then when you turn on one of them or both together, you can get three different heater powers.
It is necessary to check here each of the heaters and their power switches.
The following diagram applies to fan heaters. In addition to the heating elements, they are equipped with an electric motor with a fan impeller that guides warm air in the right direction.
Oil electric heaters have been used for a long time and have proven themselves as good remedy space heating, if central heating not enough. Compared to convectors, oil coolers have a high efficiency, as they give off heat for a long time after they are turned off. The article discusses one of the most common breakdowns of oil coolers and a way to eliminate it.
Regardless of the manufacturer, almost all oil coolers have a similar structure and the same components used in both expensive and cheap models.
Before you is one of the representatives of the middle class.
The problem with this heater is that it does not heat in any of the three positions of the mode switch. In addition to the oil heater in the radiator, the device has a side fan heater that works without problems.
You need to start repairing the oil heater by removing front panel, which contains the controls. To do this, you will need a straight or Phillips screwdriver (depending on the model of the device).
There are three on this heater. One above and two below.
We find all the screws that secure this panel and unscrew them.
For the convenience of removing the lower ones, you can put the device with the panel up.
When the screws are removed and lie in the box, carefully remove the cover from the radiator. At the same time, the wires inside and other elements can interfere with this, so you need to do this slowly, removing obstacles.
The cover is removed, and heating elements and other elements of the circuit appear in front of you.
Here are the main ones
thermostat,
package switch,
protective thermocouple.
Outwardly, everything looks fine. The wires are in good condition, the nodes are not damaged. You will have to check each element individually.
Checking the heating elements of the oil heater
To check, you need a device that can determine the integrity of the electrical circuit. Any "dialing", multimeter or voltage indicator.
But before you take measurements, you need to remove one end of the wire.
This is the neutral wire "common" for two heaters. This is necessary so that the circuit does not show through the circuit, this can happen even with a non-working heating element.
We put one end of the dialer on the “common” wire, and the second one alternately, first on one, then on the other end of the heater.
With serviceable elements, both should “ring”. In this case, both heating elements are working.
Check the thermostat
With open contacts, it did not show the circuit, which means that measurement can be done without removing the terminals with wires from it. Turning the regulator clockwise, you will hear a click and the contact, both visually and according to the readings of the measuring device, is closed.
And again, the cause of the breakdown was not found.
The next step is to check the thermal protection element
Finding it was not easy, as it was hidden in an insulating tube.
We unscrew its fastening and tighten the tube. It works like a fuse, it works (breaking the circuit) when the temperature standards are exceeded and when it cools down, it returns to its original state.
Here the same call comes to the rescue. We just connect its ends on both sides. The presence of a circuit indicates the health of the thermoelement. Again, no damage was found.
Packet switch test
Upon closer inspection, you can see that its plastic body is slightly deformed. And this happened, most likely due to excessive heating of the contacts.
We parse it.
To do this, use a small screwdriver to open its mount.
After that, remove the top cover. Under it, such contacts are found.
It is immediately obvious that they are burnt, and that's all.
We take a file or, in extreme cases, a nail file and clean them. There is only one movable contact, and it has this shape.
To remove it, you just need to pull it towards you. This will release the switch handle. We clean the movable contact of the switch over the entire surface and insert it into the fixed ones.
It is not easy to do this, but it is possible. Now cover it with a lid and try to put it in its original place. In this case, the handle on the front panel must be compared with the package switch shaft so that the strip on it indicates some switch position.
We clamp the mount and try to switch.
If everything works without problems, we lay the wires and bundle them.
We put on all the removed terminals and put the heater on the wheels. Without closing the lid, carefully plug it into the network. The appliance must be warm. In our case, this is what happens.
Disconnect from the mains and fasten the cover with screws. We turn it on again and check the work in all positions.
Repair of the oil cooler showed that the cause of the failure was burnt contacts of the package stage switch. It is unfortunate, but this breakdown is one of the most frequent in any heating devices. The reason is switching under high current and poor-quality manufacturing of the assembly contacts.
