*Install was easy **fireplace.homes** good although I personally had some difficulty with the thermostat I had. Issue was mine though, not realizing that electric heaters couldn't use oil thermostats. Tip: If you are using an external thermostat, run the power to the thermostat, not the unit. Once that was squared away it worked great.*

Doubt you'll read this, but this helped immensely. I had been using the 900 watt setting on my space heater and it seemed like my room was constantly cold. When you posted this video, and showed the thermal cutoff being on the high side, I started using the 600 watt setting. Now my room is MUCH more comfortable. Thank you!

Mine was getting power but not heating. Older than the model you have. I took it apart and checked for damaged connections. Found nothing but it was a little dirty. I cleaned out the debris off connections and wiped it out with a dry paper towel. Turned to the lowest setting and lo and behold it started working! Thanks!💕🙏💕🙏😎

I have found that just putting a small oscillating fan behind the heater spreads the heat out better, and keeps it from overheating.

My 100 year old kerosene heater & 200 year old wood stove both work great and have never failed.

I've been using these for years. Great Video. I normally run a fan through them in very cold rooms. No issues. This year two have failed in a home that is very warm. I read the comments and tHanks to other people's experiences I plan to just use the low settings in a warm home, and switch to Turbo Nuclear in cold houses.

Those screws are called Tri-Wing, or (camel-case) TriWing, or short TW and it was invented by *drumroll* the Phillips Screw Company, so you have been replacing Phillips screws with Phillips screws.

Thanks for posting it is very supportive program. Very appreciate your teaching! Blessings

This is really useful content. Having to move to narrow oil filled from wide convector as landlord didn't like where I mounted it(on a door the rooms are tiny and wall space is scarse ) Looks like I'm going to have to do something with the thermostat as it practically cold before returning the power. I also happen to have an external thermostat which I could put inline with the power cord . The idea of doing a factory delete on the safety override is tempting, or at least remove a screw and bend it a bit so it's not directly touching the metal. I really do prefer convectors but I'm stuck in a corner here.

Don't tell John but you are my favorite youtuber. Always watch your videos even when I dont understand them. Keep 'em coming!

Using Phillips screws? In canada? I didnt think that was allowed

I love watching you analyze ordinary objects.

Glad I found you and a fix for my heater. Thank you.

Thanks. I have always used the low setting on mine. If I need quick heat, I place a Lifesmart Infrared Heater a meter behind it and let the fan blow through the fins.

I use one of these in our nursery. I like that the surface never gets hot enough to burn. With the cheaper wire style heaters i was always worried my kids would find a way to get a hand through the guard, or stick something flammable through.

I just installed a hybrid water heater. These pull heat out of the air and dump it into the water at about a 3/1 energy ratio. In Georgia, we need cooling and dehumidification about 8 months out of the year, so it makes perfect sense to put one of these in the basement. But if you're more concerned about heating your home than cooling it, they don't save energy in a setup like yours since you're buying the electricity to resistively convert directly to heat.

I bought a 2500W one without being aware of this issue. I "fixed" it by buying the same kind of thermostat like you did, but mine was 110C and I bumped it up to 145C, and changed the thermal fuse from 133C to 165C. I know this is more on the dangerous side of things, but having looked at all the components inside they all seemed to be rated well above 165C, and I only use this while I'm in the same room with it, so I think it'll be fine. I'm even considering another +20C for the upcoming winter since the mineral oil they have inside can go well above 200C.

I use a small space heater like that to heat my son's room, he's a little over 18 mo now and he needs the room a lot warmer at night than my wife and I like, and since our house is zoned really poorly (in a way that wouldn't be cost effective to fix just yet), I'd have to heat practically the whole house just to heat his room. Electricity is extremely cheap where I am, so I could feasibly heat the whole house with electric heat.

Watching this video was helpful and showed the unit I found out for trash a year ago [resettable fuse was tripped] was wired backward. Mode I [low power] was connected in-line with the thermal cutoff while Mode II [medium power] had no temperature regulation other than the temperature setting dial. As a result, using Mode II (or both for a Mode III/high power) caused the resettable fuse to consistently trip at varying time frames depending on the temperature dial setting. Unit is a Kenmore oil heater and may be worthwhile to check if someone reading this has one with similar issues.

Thank you very much for this very interesting and informative video presentation which is very much appreciated by the people.

Well at least now I know what else is likely to go out on this damn thing. Great video thanks for posting!

thanks for identifying the internal parts , looking at converting one to run on 47volts DC from the solar panels

We use a small one in our daughters room. They are so reliable

Next video: redesign the space heater so that it follows you around and shoots buttons at you

On mine (1500W), the over-heat thermostat is fine, but the high-watt switch contacts burned through. Lots of carbon bits. I removed all the wiring to the high-W element, and just use the low side. Takes longer to heat the area, but it's fine.

I just had to take my dryer apart and it had identical sensor for regulating lower heat settings. I don't think they're really "over protection" sensors. I think they're just used as a means to regulate temperature

I have one of those 3 stage oil heaters, I keep it on the 3 setting all the time and turn the thermostat up halfway or a bit over half. Never had a problem with the overheat sensor. It is a Feature Comforts brand here in the US.

Great information. I have a delonghi with toggle switches that light up when they are on. I have noticed that the heater is no longer getting very hot, even with both switches on. Do they wear out or something that would cause them to work but stop getting quality hot?

It's not a design flaw. The 2-3 settings are for heating the radiator as well as the room a little faster than the 1 setting. The 3 setting only run for an hour. 2 setting 2 hours. Once the room is warmed up go to the 1 setting and set the thermostat in the middle. A lot of people tend to leave the radiator on the 2-3 with the thermostat all the way up. The unit will overheat and the shutoff will trip and fail eventually.

Thanks for the tip about using these at level 1

Brilliant thanks, couldn't figure out what was going on but this was the problem.

Great video! Thanks for sharing❗❗❗ 🙂🙂🙂 👍👍👍

Very interesting, thanks Matthias

Do you think it might be worth it to have a fan blow some air over the heater? Mainly as an attempt to get the fluid temperature down a bit to keep the overheat protection from tripping on settings 2 or 3.

5:49 Excellent observation, and another reason for these cheap efficient, versatile heaters is that they are CHEAP as heck to replace if need be, don't have to fool with those high $$ repair costs in equipment & labor as the complete home setups

I recently invested in the Wiha Kraftform Kompakt 62, a Screwdriver with a set of long bits that cover anything from Standard Philips Head all the way to security hex, torx and also tri and quad wing. At around 70€ quite the investment but to me its worth it. No more "oh god I hope this screwdriver will fit somehow" and much more "OMG I've never been able to tighten a PH1 screw without pressing on the back of the screwdriver before".

Well, you have just about discovered the perfect rat's nest of annoyances: 1. Those damn screws. I had to buy a set of tri-wing drivers to fix an iron. I still had to crack it open after the screws were removed, only to discover that the bad part was sealed up inside ultrasonically-welded joints. 2. You can't use cheaper power because it will never pay for itself. I wonder what the economics looked like when the house was first constructed. The builders probably made the wrong choice out of stupidity. 3. What idiots design a heater that trips itself off under normal use? Apparently, there were two of them, cuz you have two different units there. The useless switch probably increased the price, too.

Hi, I appreciate your video. Can you explain why you think the overheat thermostats aren’t designed for frequent use? Do kettles not work in this way. Thanks

And here I am using my AMD FX computer as my heater. May as well get work done with the heat produced. Seriously, though, in my office I very rarely need to use the actual heater. Between the computer, stereo, and 5 monitors connected to said computer there is plenty of heat. While a bit of a problem normally due to energy consumption,crunching data is a great way to get more for your money with electric heat.

Had a few of these years ago and they worked great,dont remember the brand. they just worked so much better than the other types available. However recently ran across a few of the older very decorative water radiators for home heating an considered converting them into individual oil space heaters. but have been unable to find anything about this anywhere. I do quite a bit of repurposing of all sorts. and about the only thing i have found for these is putting a glass table top on it,in the middle of the dinning room. because that's as far as someone was able to move it. any links, thoughts or ideas would be extremely helpful. thanks

Using one of these in the garage in winter I've always put a box fan to pull air through. I've never had mine trip this way, even on max.

I have now done my measurements over 36 hours and my heater does indeed appear to run on high indefinitely, a steady full-amperage draw and a steady high surface temperature--maintained the figures in my earlier comment.

Thanks. Where can you get limit switches?

Had one of these (about twice the size) when I was a kid, leaked oil a few times but don't remember seeing this problem, maybe the lawyers made them change it.

If you put a cardboard chimney on top, would it not draw more air though the fins via the stack effect allowing you to get more power out of the heater? You could design it so that it covers the back so it draws air transferse though the fins too

I love your video a lot! So informative ! Can you share the inside thermostat brand or specifications do I need? Thank you!

Are these heaters still common in Nth America? I come from New Zealand and most heating now days is via heat pumps. I imagine your power is significantly cheaper than our so maybe there hasn't been a push for more efficient forms of heating.

That looks exactly like mine..the first one. What was the part you replaced?

I built my new house last year. When it came time to decide on a boiler to for my hydronic floor heating I settle on electric. At less than 10 cents a kWh it was the cheapest.

You could also try swapping the overheat switch with a suitable PTC and wire that in series with the whole unit. That way the temperature will never exceed the trip-over temperature of the ptc, as the current decreases with temperature. The different power setting would then only control how fast the room heats up.

A friend of mine burned her house down with one of these. It leaked some oil and the switch shorted and ignited the oil. Her boss - who owned the local Home Hardware - chopped off the power cords on every one he had in stock and stopped carrying them.

the high modes are intended for extremely cold ambient temps

over in the uk we have Storage heaters, which are electric radiators that have a large battery inside them and only charge at night when their is a low rate. consider getting some of these if you have a variable cost/kwh

I have a Holmes HOH2400 that says made in Italy. The dual rocker switch that allows you to select either or both to total 1500 watts, only works on the lower setting. The 2nd illuminated switch immediately cuts off when selected but even at half power it heats much more than electrics do. I am trying to find a source for that dual switch. I have a single 3 blade switch but they are combined. That model isn't even on Holmes website?

I've never had these issues with similar types of heaters.

Interesting. The DeLonghi brand one I use for boost heat at one end of the house has 2 toggle switches, basically "low" and "medium". For normal use, they say to turn on both for initial warm-up and switch off the "medium" switch and use just the low power mode for maintenance heat. We don't have to turn it up very high, though -- anything over 2 or 3 (continuously variable but with numbered marks) gets too warm. We use the ceiling fan in reverse mode to circulate the warm air.

Hi there, What a coincidence, I started fixing my little oil heater a few days ago. The thermal fuse went. I replaced it and the neon light came on briefly, then went out again. There is still continuity through the thermal fuse. I will need to investigate further as had to stop and go out on an emergency plumbing job. Any ideas?

I really liked the video. The plug from my Delonghi heater is damaged but the power chord is still good. But I can't find a new cable to replace it where I live. So is it ok to replace the plug but keep the original chord? Thanks in advance

Split system "INVERTER" air conditioners are really cheap and have ~300% efficiency while heating. In Romania they cost around 300USD/unit (12000BTU). That being said, I use a simple, cheap fan heater, when I need instant heat. It cost like 9USD and has two levels: 1000W and 2000W.

I have an identical small heater and I've not noticed a problem like that. I have a similar large one as well. I suspect we both shop at Canadian Tire. The large one draws so much current that the 16 gauge power cord gets hot. I was thinking of swapping it out. I also wanted to comment on heating costs. I use wood pellets but the price has gone up such that they are at the same cost per BTU or watt. There is a factor of locality with heat. I don't need my basement as warm as my living room. So I use the more expensive natural gas for the first 17 degrees and then electric or wood pellets if I want to be warmer than that. But I too have done the math to show that electricity is the cheapest heat these days. I do find that prices vary, and it's nice to be able to choose the energy source that's least costly in a given year.

I heard there was a really good deal on WTI crude oil this Monday ;)

We have those same heater here in Norway

Perhaps you should test and try one of those brazillian element water heaters for giving you that extra oomph factor while you shower. Some call them "death showers" as they use a resistive element to heat water around them, but if you take some time and properly ground it, they represent really virtually no risk. They're branded "Lorenzetti" and mostly available online, although, I believe they are cheaper where I currently live in.

In a way your last comments are one of the great lessons we learned as expats. Only in North America do we insist on heating the entire building envelope. In Asia we had a 1000 sq ft apartment and we had heat control in each room which was off most of the time. We only heated or cooled where were were. Our conference rooms at the office were only temperature controlled when occupied, hallways, elevators etc were not controlled (i.e. heated or cooled). Baseboard electric with some intelligence on the part of the owner or other zoned systems might actually be the most energy efficient (or lowest carbon footprint if you prefer).

I bought one of these "eco/600/900/1200" oil-filed heaters and it just died after two years of use. I used it on all levels previously. I just bought a new one. If I only use it on 600 (per your suggestion,), do you think it might last longer? Whatever the case, I have no reason to leave it running all the time. I normally turn it off for at least 8-10 hours (during the night). Thanks.

yes, but a shiny fancy new gas heater would LOOK really COOL!

Hi Mathias, I am Luis Pereira from Spain, I really like your videos and that engeneering point of view of everything. I have think a lot about heating and keepeng the heat inside the house, i think isolating is the best way to warm a house. maybe you could thought a way to test how well isolated is a house. tranks in advance

In a pinch, could i just bypass the thermal fuse and run on low?

any suggestions on what type of cord to buy to replace the old one. my cat chewed up the cord on my costway 1500w unit

Is the temperature even on all the radiator's surface? could oil have evaporated from a safety valve or something and make it overheat? or maybe the oil cooked inside? Are you going to try and add extra cooling fins or something? it would make an interesting video

what would happen if you bypassed the fuse and the overheat cutoff switch ?

I guess the higher settings are useful if you are trying to heat a very cold room. Or if you have a fan blowing across the heater (yeah, a cooling fan for a heater).

I'm in Fredericton and I was surprised how expensive the power is here, and yet it seems to be the cheapest option. I've been thinking of installing solar but my roof is not perfectly South facing so it seems to complicate everything. Swapping my heat pump for a geothermal system would be like 25G. Not sure what I can do to reduce my power bills given we did an energy evaluation and no recommendation would help much.

What type of thermostat you used for oil heater is it normally open NO or normally closed NC

Is the thermal switch NO or NC (normally open or normally closed)? Thanks!

What type of oil is used in the heater?

i think it also depends how hot the room is, as in a building which is at 10 degrees will cool the heater alot more than a building at 20 ( Celsius) i guess thats why they have a lower temperature cutoff

What would cause a almost brand new units selector switch not to turn. The unit was purchased in November and its January 21st now so almost new. We used only the Low and Medium Setting. But yesterday it locked up on the Low Setting and will not turn. Amazon is sending a replacement but I am curious as to why??? Many Thanks

Took my Cuori heater apart and found the power switch burnt on one of the connections. Where can I buy a replacement one online? Thanks.

Hi, thanks for the video. What was the temperature rating of the Thermal Cut Out?

Maybe you can use them on the higher settings when your room is colder? Because the temperature gradient is higher?

I don't have any of this electrical equipment to repair my Pelonis heater. Will the company take some accountability for the heater's design flaws and provide a working model in exchange for the faulty model? I won't make it through the winter without it.

The original KSD301 is 125v 16A 150, all the replacement on ebay and Amazon is 250v 10A (choice of NO or NC), what should I order? NO or NC, is that 150 Celcius? thanks.

What led lights do you have in that final shot? The zig zag pattern ones.

What temperature sensor are you using? 1-Wire Digital Thermometers DS18B20 ?

Thank you. Can you advise please. My friend brought a challenge radiator for repair. I replaced the open 15 amp internal fuse and switched on but with bang and tripped a cct which was easily switched on. internal fuses ok. Thermo you show reads short. Is this issue. Please advise. Thank you Lewis uk

Very helpful thank you!

Can you tell me the part that you ordered from Aliexpress. Was it a KSD 301 temperature sensor?

How is the TP Link power meter? Please tell us your observations.

Putting a pc fan on the heater helps to heat the room a lot faster and might stop the thermal protection tripping? Might be worth a try.

Would the higher setting be useful in a very cold setting?

Why do you prefer the oil filled heaters over the "standard" electric heaters that could pump out 1500 Watts without overheating? Safety?

A slow fan really help on the high setting

These things are crazy! Back when I did my compulsary half year of military service I was a guard. In the winter we had one of those in the little guard-house at the entrance to the caserne. When coming inside, after standing in the snow outside, I would rest my feet on one of those heaters and the snow would fall down from my boots and evaporate instantly. This thing was hot as hell! :D

How do you fix it when they start to stink?

Canada is mostly hydro so not an issue environmentally with electric heat. And I'm totally with you on the hatred of those stupid security screws.

You are amazing !!

I replaced the thermal switch with manual reset and the oil heater works but I don’t remember the power led lighting up as soon as I plug it in. I remember lighting up when I set selector to low or other settings from off position. Is there something else that needs finding or is that normal?

@Matthiasrandomstuff why dont you get ur power with solar then? What do you think about renewable energy?

I think this has happened to our heater. Did you get a thermostat that's msinly open or mainly closed? I'm guessing if it only switches off at a certain temperature then it would need to be mainly open. Cheers