Baseboard Heater Problems and Solutions
Electric baseboard heaters are one of the indispensable needs of any home. In winter, we cannot imagine a life without them!
Baseboard heaters are a convenient and economical way to neutralize the loss of warmth from windowpanes and are outstanding for heating since you can easily turn them on or and off banking on which room you’re residing in.
The compressed design of baseboard heaters allows them to fit easily against the wall near the floor and any congested areas without giving any space issues. The wide-ranging, slender devices are by and large wall-mounted, even though there are a few manageable free-standing options. With timely maintenance and regular cleaning, your electric baseboard heater should last for lots of years with hardly any problems.
But like any other device, the baseboard heaters can run into troubles from time to time if not handled properly. No doubt, finding your electric baseboard heater not working or warming the house like it used to do can be daunting and overwhelming. Generally, the areas with a great tendency to fail in baseboard heaters include baseboard heater, thermostat, or baseboard heater wiring.
Keeping this in mind, we’ve gathered a list of frequent problems, along with solutions to help you support expert tricks and solutions to fix your heater without hiring any skilled hands. And the best part, the solutions we listed here are suitable for a baseboard heater with a built-in thermostat also.
So, what are the most frequent baseboard heater problems and their realistic solutions? Is your baseboard heater not getting hot as much as necessary? Or perhaps you’ve found your baseboard heater not working? Either way, let’s look into it.
Common baseboard heater problems and their solutions
There are two major types of baseboard heaters. There are electric baseboard heaters which are to some extent similar to electric space heaters in terms of their functioning. Then again, there are hydronic baseboard heaters that use hot water or every so often oil that’s heated by a committed boiler and dispersed just about your home.
Here we’ll list all the common baseboard heater problems for each of those types of heaters:
• Temperature is an important consideration that can lead to damage to your baseboard heater. That can turn out to both categories of heaters if your thermostat isn’t functioning as it should be. As a result, it will cause the baseboard heater to also not function as you would like it to be. Keep in mind that baseboard heaters of either category aren’t central heating systems and rely on the thermostat to tell them what to do. Try resetting and readjusting your thermostat or replace it if need be.
• Smoky discharges are coming out of the baseboard heater. This is regrettably widespread trouble for electric baseboard heaters. It ensures the exterior of the electric baseboard heater hasn’t been maintained clean; and as a result, the heating element has begun burning dirt, mud, and rubbish, thereby generating smoke. In order to repair that, close up the heater, wait for its cooling, and clean it comprehensively.
• Noise is too loud. It may happen that your baseboard heater installation starts producing noises either too perceptible or loud. There are countless possible reasons for noise. It may perhaps be that there’s air left in the system that might be blown out or there’s an outflow that calls for fixing, in which case you’ll probably need to look for professional assistance.
• Noisy knocks can also be owing to water hammers when a circulator of a zone regulator closes up. For any sound that’s more than build up air, you should need to cautiously checkup the piping and valves, usually in the company of a professional.
• Warm water but no heat is coming out of the hydronic baseboard heater. There are mainly two promising causes of this:
1. The baseboard heaters’ vents are obstructed, and as a result, the heat can’t get nearer through.
2. There is a leak within the heater that’s drawing off the hot water.
The first trouble is simple to fix, seeing that all you need to do is take out the fitted carpet, furnishings piece, rubbish, and dust, or anything else that’s obstructing the vents. The second case will entail you to check the complete pipe arrangement.
Baseboard heater maintenance
Maintenance plays a huge part in device functionality. In short, if you’re doing enough to keep your heater in optimal condition, you would hardly get any issue with your device. Here in this section, we have listed the most widespread troubles and their solutions relating to heater maintenance. Let's go over the most important ways to perform regular maintenance for both categories of baseboard heaters.
If the electric baseboard heater is not working
There are a couple of things you can do to fix your electric baseboard heater if you suspect the issue is a minor electrical malfunction and falls under the DIY zone. So the first and foremost thing you should proceed with is checking for the circuit breakers trips. Simply scan your heater for a burnt wire terminal. If you find any, this is the area you need to fix.
Likewise, your baseboard heater may start dis-functioning if it's full of debris in and around the heating element blocking integrals parts to work properly. If you find it relatable, turn off the unit, and wipe down the areas with a piece of cloth preferably cotton.
Note: make sure you allow your heater to turn cool before you start cleaning.
The next step is to check the baseboard heater thermostat and find out whether it’s working as it should be. After that, inspect the heating element and the vents for any rubbish or structural setbacks.
If there are hot water baseboard heating problems
If there’s air within the hydronic pipes that is reducing the pipes’ temperature, you can release the air all the way through its bleeder valve. The next possible setback is that the boiler is not functioning as it should be. Electric boilers by and large malfunction at what time there is a tripped breaker or an obstructed gas line. If the boiler is in good health, the next setback is obstructed vents or leaking pipes that can turn into massive trouble in hydronic heaters.
Lastly, If you properly maintain your baseboard heater with built-in thermostat regularly and use them in the approved manner, they should deliver steady, well-organized heat for decades earlier than ever calling for to be replaced. However, if you’re doing these all and still facing the issue then we highly recommend you seek professional electrician assistance to fix the issue before it can turn into something massive. Please contact Kato Electrical to find out more about our baseboard heaters services at 604- 417-4785.