After that, all other wires are checked with a tester. One of its terminals is always attached to the plug. The other applies to all terminals. The check sequence is as follows:
If, when checking the output contact of the thermal relay, there is no tester signal, then the contact may be poor or the thermal relay has broken, or rather bimetallic plate ... First pay attention to the contact. The wire terminal is pulled and checked. If it is clean, there is no oxidation or soot, then it is serviceable, and the problem lies in the base of the terminal attachment or the thermal relay. If the terminal has the listed disadvantages, then it needs to be cleaned. In extreme cases, it is replaced with a new one.
All contacts can be visually checked. If the terminals are clean and undamaged, then the problem is not with them. Some of the contacts may be weakened. Then they are tightened or more flattened the base into which the terminal is inserted.
Perform similar actions with a broken thermal fuse.
Leakage of the main part of the radiator and oil leakage are the most frequent problems of these heaters. Oil may leak through an accidental hole or wall that is corroded. If the second option takes place, then it is better to purchase another radiator, since corrosion can destroy a larger area than seen. So after a while, oil will flow near the brewed or sealed place .
The first option should be avoided. Soldering cannot provide a reliable connection, and with constant heating / cooling, strong contact between the solder and the metal of the tank will begin to crack. Therefore, it is better to weld the hole.
VIDEO The preparation of the heater for brazing or welding is the same:
Draining oil from the tank.
Cleaning the problem area from dirt and rust. This can be done with sandpaper.
Pouring water into the tank. This will avoid a possible fire (there was oil inside, and its remnants were definitely preserved).
Turning the radiator into a position in which water will not flow out of the hole.
After eliminating the problem the water is drained, the tank is dried and the oil is poured ... Old oil is unlikely to work as some of it has leaked out. Therefore, its quantity is not enough to fill the container by 90%. If the brand and characteristics of the oil are known, then you can buy the same. Synthetic and mineral oils must not be mixed. If you plan to fill in new oil, then take only transformer oil. You cannot use the practice. Otherwise, scale will appear on the heating element.
The oil requires preparation. It consists in heating it to a temperature of 90 ° C and evaporation. It is impossible to heat more, since oxidation and combustion of the liquid will begin. The amount of oil should be such that it does not exceed 90% of the tank's capacity.
The first one cannot be repaired.
If the heating element is built-in, then you need to buy a new radiator because if you can remove the damaged heating element, then put it in place so that there is no oil leakage is almost impossible.This element is rolled into a metal case. It is easy to flare it, but it is difficult to perform a very high-quality flaring.
Situation with a removable heating element is easier ... They take it off and put another in its place. Parts to be picked up to replace a bad heating element must have the same power, be made of copper and fit tightly into the hole. Heat-resistant gaskets and sealant are used for sealing. .
The correct operation of the drop sensor is checked by tilting the heater to the side and ringing the contacts. The absence of a signal indicates a sensor malfunction. Its renovation takes a long time, so it is easier to buy a new one.
Do-it-yourself oil heater repair is quite real. Many owners successfully restore the functionality of these heat sources without resorting to the services of craftsmen.
When starting to repair any electrical appliance, you need to know two things - how it works and how it works. The oil heater consists of:
metal case;
Heating element (heating element);
control unit;
connecting wires.
Oil is poured into the heater body, which, when turned on, is heated by the heating element. Heat is transferred to the walls of the case, and from them to the heated room. When a certain temperature is reached, the control unit is triggered and heating stops. The cycle repeats as long as the heater is connected to the mains. As a result, a constant temperature is maintained in the heated room.
There are not so many reasons why the oil heater does not work. They can be conditionally divided into two parts - electrical and mechanical. Failure in work electrical equipment most often falls on heating elements and control communications - thermal relay, switch, thermal fuses. There may be a problem in the wiring, but this is extremely rare.
TO mechanical Damage includes various holes in the housing, as well as the formation of cavities on it through which oil flows out. As a rule, these are the fruits of corrosion activity. Determining the type of malfunction is not a big deal. Mechanical breakdowns are always associated with oil stains under the heater. All other faults are related to the electrical part.
To repair a heater, you first need to create conditions for this. One of the main prerequisites for a successful renovation will be preparation for it. First of all, you need to choose a place where you will disassemble the heater. It should be large enough and well lit. A garage or a separate room is best suited for this.
Then the tool and accessories are prepared. Since the device of the heater does not represent any complexity, then the tool will be the most ordinary one. A set of screwdrivers, pliers and side cutters, a small hammer and an awl - this will be enough for repairs. Before repairing, you must have a soldering iron, a tester, WD-40 liquid, grease (Graphite or Litol-24) and a little alcohol to wipe the contacts. There must be a clean rag. If the cause of the breakdown is determined in advance, then spare parts are needed to replace the failed parts.
The question of how to repair an oil heater with your own hands arises for everyone when the device stops working. Meanwhile, there is absolutely no difficulty in this matter. First of all, it is necessary to carry out disassembly in order to get to the object of repair. To do this, detach the control panel from the case. As a rule, it is secured with snaps. But there is also a fastening of another kind. For example screws or staples.
Therefore, first you need to carefully inspect the heater in order to determine how the panel is attached. Then carefully, without making great efforts, remove it. Disassembly should be done without brute force as all fasteners are made of plastic.
De-energize the heater before starting repairs.
Checking the power cord and switch ... From this it is necessary to begin work on restoring the operability of the oil heater. The fact is that during long-term operation at the connection points, the wires usually burn out, and the contact is broken. In this case, it is enough to disconnect the wire and strip it, and at the same time the connection point. After that, reassemble everything. Contact re-established. We check with a tester whether this is really so. At the same time, you need to check the power cord for a wire break. Rarely, but such a malfunction occurs. This is done simply using the same tester.
Next stage - inspection of all contact connections in the control unit. It is necessary to very carefully inspect each contact for burning, oxidation and loosening of the fastening. A screwdriver, a fine-grained abrasive cloth, and a cotton swab moistened with alcohol will be sufficient for the repair. It is possible that somewhere you will need a soldering iron to solder the wiring that has come off.
It may happen that arose malfunction in the thermal relay , or temperature regulator. In this case, you need to carefully remove and disassemble it. After disassembly, the bimetallic plate, which is inside, is removed and replaced with a new one. The thing is that there can be no more malfunctions there. After replacing the plate, the relay will restore its potential.
Repair of thermal fuses will consist in checking their performance and replacing them, if necessary, with serviceable ones. Checking is a simple dialing test by a tester. There may be several thermal fuses, or they are also called thermostats. We check each one.
Left check the condition of heating elements ... To do this, it is enough to measure their resistance with a tester. It should be less than 1 kΩ. One connection is used to check for an open circuit. Thus, if the tester shows a lot of resistance or shows nothing at all, then it's time to change the heating element.
This completes the check of the electrical part of the heater. Moving on to mechanical failures.
Of these, only one is relevant - oil leak ... In this case, the heater will have to be disassembled to drain the remaining oil inside. If there is damage to the case, it is important to determine exactly where it happened. Then you need to carefully clean the found place with a sandpaper. This is done to determine the repair method. If it turns out that the hole is small, and there are no traces of corrosion around, then one of the repair options would be to screw a self-tapping screw or a suitable screw diameter into the hole. Another option would be to use a special sealant called "cold welding". Before use, it is kneaded in hands to the state of plasticine.
A rolled bead of sealant is placed over the hole and carefully leveled to the surface. After 15-20 minutes, it hardens so much that you can use the heater. It will be somewhat more difficult to eliminate the hole that has formed from the rust. In this case, you will need to sand the entire rusty spot to a "live" metal. Then again you need to carefully inspect and estimate the size of the hole. If it is not very large, then it can be soldered. If the hole is large, then here you need to use welding, that is, apply a patch and scald it. In this case, the repair of the oil heater will be more serious and will require not only a special tool, but also skills.
The heater body is brazed with brass solder or its substitute. Not with tin. Welding is best done with a semiautomatic device. That is, with a wire, not an electrode.
As you can see, repairing oil heaters, and even with your own hands, is within the power of anyone who is familiar with the basics of electrical engineering and plumbing.Therefore, before throwing away the heater, you need to carefully inspect it. If the breakdown is minor, it will be much cheaper to repair than buying a new one. .
VIDEO
Oil-filled electric heaters are popular household units characterized by high durability, since they are manufactured in an industrial environment using modern technologies. However, these electrical appliances are not designed to withstand all emergency situations in everyday life and still fail.
The device of even the most modern unit allows, in some cases, to repair oil heaters on their own.
Consider this popular household heater from the perspective of assessing the possibility of its recovery after failure, since it is necessary to repair the oil heater with a guarantee of the safety of its further operation.
Eliminating a malfunction of an oil-filled electric heater, like repairing an infrared heater of any other type, requires certain skills and adherence to a number of rules.
Important! In the event of failure of any of the structural elements of the oil heater, the operation of the heater must be stopped until the malfunction is eliminated.
First of all, one should be aware that restoring the operability of most of the components of this heating device at home is impossible or requires professional knowledge and skills. Experimenting with failed electrical assemblies is fraught with unpredictable consequences (electrical injury, thermal injury, fire, explosion), therefore, repairing an oil heater with your own hands, without having professional training, in most cases should only be by replacing a worn-out part.
In addition, when repairing an electric heater, the following rules must be followed:
the device must be unplugged;
the heater must be cooled down to room temperature;
equipping the device with homemade components is prohibited;
contact of the transformer oil with the body, as well as with the insulation of the wiring, should be avoided;
it is prohibited to replace a standard mains cable with a grounding conductor with a wire without grounding.
The leakage of an oil cooler usually occurs when it is mechanically damaged or as a result of corrosion caused by a defect in the protective paintwork.
When the familiar oil radiator, which has been used for a long time, has flowed, a natural question arises, what to do, why not try to restore its tightness with your own hands?
However, repairing an infrared heater on your own in the event of a leak is possible only if the device is an old-style domestic-made unit with a flat steel radiator and a removable heating element.
For repairs, the control unit is disconnected from the device case, under which the heating element is located. Then the heater, after disconnecting the contacts, is unscrewed, and the oil is drained through the mounting socket into a clean container. The remaining oil is allowed to drain, after which the radiator is filled with water to prevent the oil from igniting inside it.
The wall thickness of such radiators is 1-1.2 mm, which allows the use of electric welding. The place of leakage on the body is cleaned with a grinder with a grinding disc or manually with coarse sandpaper. Depending on the location and size of the damage, a patch is cut out of steel of the appropriate thickness, applied to the hole and scalded with a Kemppi semiautomatic device.
The weld is cleaned and ground, and then boiled again if necessary. After degreasing, the repair site is painted with a heat-resistant paint such as Rustins High Heat Black Pain.
Important! If the heater is painted using powder technology, then during the repair work you need to strive for minimal damage to the coating - it is impossible to restore it in domestic conditions.
After the paint has dried, the radiator is filled to 80% with oil and the heater is reassembled in the reverse order.
If the oil heater clicks during heating before the repair, you should not expect that the clicks will disappear after the tightness is restored - the joints of the housing parts are deformed when the temperature rises and at the same time crackle.
Repair of radiators of finned oil heaters is not advisable, since they are made of thin sheet steel using laser welding. Restoring the tightness of such tanks is technically difficult; in domestic conditions it does not guarantee success or is comparable in cost to the cost of a new heater. In addition, if the heating element is non-removable, then the oil can be drained through the damage, but it will not be possible to fill it back.
A technically sound oil-filled domestic heater crackles quietly when plugged into the network. This factor is not dangerous, since it is caused only by the expansion of the prefabricated body of the unit, which clicks when heated.
If, after turning on the unit and setting the required power and temperature values, the heater is silent, then the radiator does not heat up, and the malfunction should be looked for in the electrical part.
First of all, they visually inspect the integrity of the electrical cable. If there is no visible damage, you must first dismantle the stands with wheels from the lower part of the unit housing.
Then you need to disconnect the control unit from the radiator, for which purpose a standard plate with the inscription Do not cover is pryed off and removed on top of it with a screwdriver, under which there are fastening screws.
Having unscrewed the fasteners from above, in the lower part of the control unit, screws are also released or the fixing springs are unfastened (depending on the model), the shell is removed from the edge of the joint between the block and the radiator, and the dismantled unit is laid with the inside out.
They visually inspect the integrity of the wiring and insulation, as well as the quality of the contacts at the junction of the wires, paying attention to areas with kinks and oxidation. A wire with obvious internal damage is replaced with a new one, the oxidized contacts are disassembled, cleaned with sandpaper and reassembled.
At the end of the visual inspection, they begin to "dial" the components with the help of a tester - a multimeter, which begins with testing the cores of the wire section from the plug to the nearest connection. The operation is simplified by the different colors of the wires in the cable of the electrical appliance, which makes it easy to trace the direction of the wiring.
The audible signal of the tester indicates the integrity of the called section, the absence of a signal indicates damage.
The heating element, in addition to heating elements, is equipped with current and temperature fuses on the outside, the presence of which must be taken into account when dialing. The possibility of a situation is not excluded when, with a working heating element, one of these fuses burned out, or even both failed.
If testing nevertheless revealed a failure of the tubular heater, then further actions depend on the method of installing the heating element in the radiator.The threaded fastening of the heater in the absence of rolling allows it to be replaced. In this case, the heating element is unscrewed from the radiator, and instead of it, with the replacement of the sealing gasket, a heater with identical parameters in terms of power and shutdown temperature is installed.
In the case of a non-removable installation, the heater is sealed in the radiator socket. In domestic conditions, it is very difficult to flare the old one and install a new heating element by performing its airtight rolling, so you should think about buying a new oil heater.
Testing this node is done as follows:
ring out the section of the chain from the plug to the thermostat;
the regulator is set to the minimum temperature value and tested - the circuit must be open;
when turning on each of the heaters separately, as well as two heating elements at the same time, when the temperature controller is set to a nonzero value, the circuit must be closed.
If the dialing of the thermostat showed a malfunction, that is, the oil heater does not respond to switching power modes or changing the temperature by turning the flywheel, the device must be replaced, since diagnostics of its technical characteristics followed by repairs based on the results of testing in an industrial environment is not advisable, but do this in living conditions is extremely difficult.
In the absence of faults, the regulator is cleaned of dust, and the contacts are tightened.
The question of whether an oil heater can explode is relevant, since the oil pressure in the radiator reaches high values, and the air "cushion" in the form of 20% of its volume still has a limited potential. To prevent this from happening, there is a thermal relay in the heater design, which should turn off the heater in case of overheating.
Under normal conditions, this relay, which is a bimetallic plate, should close the electrical circuit. If the multimeter detects an open circuit in this thermal fuse, then it should also be replaced with a new one with identical characteristics.
Oil heaters explode extremely rarely, precisely because they have several degrees of protection, duplicating each other, and the likelihood of simultaneous failure of all safety devices is small.
The opening of the electrical circuit when the oil heater is tilted or overturned is ensured by a device whose principle of operation is based on the presence of a suspended weight in its structure, which retains its position when the unit deviates from the vertical.
This device is tested by manually tilting the heater from the vertical. If the device does not turn off, the element must be cleaned of dust and consumed, or better - replaced with a new one, the installation of which is not difficult.
It should be noted that if the protective switch fails, the oil heater does not explode - if the heating elements not covered with oil overheat, the thermal protection of the tubular heater is triggered, or the thermal relay opens the electrical circuit.
An oil cooler is a device, which is quite realistic to diagnose its malfunction on its own, but it is better to minimize the repair of this device on its own before replacing the failed parts with new ones, since the features of operation (the hazard factor of using electric current, high pressure and oil temperature) require professional skills and increased attention to work performance.
To get a better idea of repairing oil-filled IR heaters, this video will help you:
VIDEO Bimetallic plates are the basis! Household heating appliances were marked, the electric kettle was conquered, and right under the button they were located. Thanks to the bimetallic plate, the device turns off after waiting for the right moment in time, driven by steam, with a brisk click. Oil heaters are equipped with a similar mechanism, only more complicated. More reminiscent of what was seen in the iron, mostly of the old modification. The screw mechanism is set in motion by the thermostat knob, pressing the contact more or less against the bimetallic plate (slightly simplified interpretation, but the approximate meaning is this). They say that it is better to see once than to try ... to hear a hundred times. Meet fresh photos before the model is copied by competitors. The story about repairing an oil heater with your own hands will be based on the pictures taken.
It is good to cover the oil heater with clothes to dry. The only type of appliance where the owner will avoid fatal consequences. The only thing is that on the side of the accordion container there is an extension equipped with electronic filling; avoid covering the compartment. The oil heater device includes the following elements:
Emergency shutdown sensor (thermal fuse, relay)
A container filled with oil. Appearance - a poured accordion, heating up to a decent temperature, wait a moment to touch it with your hand. When it comes to drying things, put heat-tolerant ones fearlessly. The container is sealed, but there is 15% air inside. Try to put the oil heater upside down, roll it on one side, return the load to the wheels. Heard thuds scare mice: air bubbles burst inside. Water is not used by the heater, it will quickly evaporate, the corrosion of the body will become significant, the manufacturing technology would require the complete exclusion of air from the working fluid (water + oxygen = the most powerful oxidizing agent of living nature). The coefficient of thermal expansion of the most common liquid on the planet is ten times higher than that of steel. It's not good if the tank bursts.
The lower part of the end of the accordion contains a heating element, to which the electronics compartment clings. The oil heater has no pump and works by natural oil recirculation. The current starts up from the heating element, then the liquid goes down at the opposite end of the battery. While working, it emits the vibration of the spiral, which is audible, under the influence of alternating voltage. The effect is unavoidable, due to the influence of the Earth's magnetic field. The boiling point is above 100 ºС (150-200), avoid touching the container, until the phase state changes, the liquid is not brought due to the prohibition of the use of water: the container will rupture. TEN double (two spirals), will allow more flexible regulation of heating.
There is a thermal fuse not far from the heating element. The device will not allow a fire to happen, if suddenly oil leaks out, the temperature relay breaks. The oil heater would work hard when the copper heating element began to melt. Oil will leak out - high temperature through the housing will cause the stuck-on thermal fuse to trip. The structure distinguishes between bimetallic (reusable) or wire (disposable). The photo shows the presence of a clearly blackening tablet above the heating element: a thermal fuse (see the first photo of the review), or a thermal relay (determined by the design).
Steel profile connecting the electronics compartment and the heater accordion
The relay is located at the top. The main difference from the iron is visible: there is no contact with the body. It can be seen that the thermal relay simply tramples the air. An oil heater resembles an electric kettle in a marked feature, in which the bimetallic plate is often exposed to steam penetrating through a special opening in the case.A thermal relay is an adjustment mechanism, a thermal fuse is designed to localize the case of failure of standard equipment.
The pictures show: there are two switches, each has a phase, the ground of the heating element, one wire of the thermal relay. This redundancy allows the indicator lamps to glow. One phase is not enough to provide the Joule-Lenz effect. The manufacturer does not know in advance which side the user will plug in the plug, whether the blue (red) wire will be neutralized, and is exposed to 230 volts.
The electrical part differs little from an iron, an electric kettle, a water heater. You can turn on both spirals of the heating element at the same time, separately. In the latter case, the oil heater will take longer to reach the mode. There is a chance that in a cold room the structure will work without interruption at all.
Earth's magnetic field researcher listens to the whirring of an oil heater coil
Close the air passage holes in the electronic circuit - nothing will burn, the oil heater will turn off ahead of time, restart will not take place soon, a drying woolen sock will prevent the flow of a fresh jet. The bottom of the casing of the electronic unit is cut with supply slots. The air leaves the floor, it follows, bypassing the wires, reaching the upper exit. Along the way, the bimetallic plate estimates the moment when heating stops.
The photographs of the oil heater show: the electronic unit is sealed in one piece with the accordion. This is not true. Do not cover hides a pair of screws, the retaining bracket is held in place by a spring in the bottom. It is clearly visible with the naked eye, explanations are unnecessary:
the spring is unfastened;
the bolts are unscrewed.
Inside the casing of the oil heater, most of the electrical connections are made with detachable terminals. If necessary, remove the switches, the bimetallic relay by unscrewing the screws from the inside, disconnecting the wires. Please note: the heating element is tightly sealed. Shows the desire of manufacturers not to allow anyone inside.
The cunning technician knows how to get to know each other
The heating element breaks down more often, the tank leaks. The oil heater becomes completely unusable. The relay will last for years. Today, Soviet irons are widespread, they are still workable. It is impossible to repair the mechanism. It is necessary to clean oxidized contacts with alcohol. Repair of electronic filling is limited to the replacement of elements mainly. Thermal fuses are too lazy to repair: it is difficult to calculate the response temperature. Masters avoid taking responsibility. Keys, relays should be cleaned from time to time.
The main thing is the replacement of heating elements, oil, repair of holes. Those who want to take it should know: air is certainly stored in the tank. Acts as a cushion when the oil begins to expand. Protects the tank from bursting. When replacing, use transformer oil, waste oil is not suitable, it will cause the heating element to grow with scale.
Synthetic varieties are incompatible with mineral varieties. Those who wish can be well interpreted by the old-timers of automobile forums. The mechanism is cleaned of oil if there is no certainty which type is filled in before repair.
Avoid soldering the tank. Take non-tin solder - brass, copper-phosphorus, silver, use a torch. Refrigerator repairman equipment will do. It is recommended to fill the inside of the tank with water to avoid fire. Accordingly, after work, the container must be dried. Before filling the oil is evaporated at a temperature of 90 ºС. Beware of persistently heating the liquid - it will begin to oxidize, burn. Of course, you can freeze the oil. A thin stream is passed by a trough having a negative temperature. The oil is filled to 90% of the capacity of the oil heater; it can be measured in any available way, with water.
How to remove the heating element depends on the design. There is information about collapsible and non-collapsible versions. Try to select a heating element of the same power. The sheath is made of copper tubes.The tank of oil heaters is steel, there is a possibility of corrosion caused by the formation of galvanic couples.
VIDEO
Small holes can be screwed in with bolts. Lay the thread with putty, apply heat-resistant sealant. Leaks are difficult to avoid. A sealant alone is not enough, heating-cooling cycles will cause cracks. No wonder the body is made with an accordion. The structure of the metal dampens the lion's share of deforming loads.
We have listed the main types of malfunctions. Self-repairing oil heaters, when it comes to holes, is a laborious, thankless task. However, have an inverter for welding thin sheets at hand, localize the hole. It is important to remove, by repairing the rust layer, the corroded areas, to allow the seam to catch on. Repairing an oil leak has a chance of being successful.
Video (click to play).
The fall sensors fell silent. The input of the electric circuit of the oil heater is preceded; at a certain roll, the power supply of the device is turned off. Checking the operation of the element is not difficult. Lay on one side, ring the contacts. Repair of the oil heater drop sensor is not justified by the risk caused by improper operation. Along with the thermal fuse, we see an element that ensures operational safety. Information regarding the repair has been presented, we hope the story is useful for novice craftsmen. The pros themselves know how to fix the problem.
