DIY oil heater repair
Oil heaters do not often fail as they are reliable classic appliances. But there are times when you need to do a quick repair of the oil heater yourself.
The occurrence of a breakdown of an oil cooler, as a rule, is accompanied by the appearance of extraneous sounds inside the case. Also, a slight oil leak may appear or protection will work, and the heater will simply turn off.
The first thing to do is to disconnect it from the power supply. If possible, you need to take it to a service center for repair, but this is not always possible. Therefore, you need to try to repair it yourself.
At first glance, renovate oil heater at home is impossible. But as practice shows, in 60% of cases, the breakdown can be eliminated with your own hands. To do this, you need to carefully understand the cause of the breakdown.
When carrying out repairs to an oil heater, all safety measures must be observed and the instructions and rules for operating the device must be followed. Violation of any of the points may result in personal injury.
Repair of oil heaters and the main types of their breakdowns
The process of repairing an oil heater depends on the type of breakdown or malfunction.
There are three most common areas of deviation in heater operation:
- Harsh, whistling sounds occurring inside the heater.
- Damage to bimetallic plates.
- Failure of the heating element.
- Deviations in the electrical part.
Oil heating appliances do not like a sharp and prolonged position in an inclined state, therefore it is advisable to transport it vertically.
But if it really happened, you don't need to do anything, you just need to put the device in the room and let it settle for about an hour, so that the oil takes on the operating mode. The device can then be operated.
Damage to bimetallic plates. When disassembling the heater, damage to the bimetallic plates can be found. They are located on the knob of the temperature controller. To repair this structural part of the oil heater, you need to set the temperature control knob to the minimum heating position. Then the screws, fastening nut, frame, spring are removed one by one and the bimetallic plate is removed.
It is not being repaired, but replaced with a new one. This part of the regulator most often wears out during a long period of operation. To completely replace the bimetal plate, you need to remove the sensor rod and magnet. The thermostat is assembled in the reverse order and installed in place.
Failure of the heating element. Teng is one of the structural elements that is most difficult to replace, since it can be either built-in or removable. How to repair the oil heater in this case? If the heating element is removable, you can do it at home by removing the mounting bolts and disconnecting it from the power wires.If the heating element is built-in, you need to bring the heater to the service center.
Deviations in the electrical part. A heater malfunction can be caused by a lack of contact due to oxidation. To check this, you need to remove the heater from the base and unscrew the fastening screws. Using a screwdriver, remove the stop and adjacent washers. Then the anchor is removed, under which the contacts are located. If you see signs of an oxidative process, you need to remove the wires, strip them, and wipe the contacts with alcohol. After repairs, you need to collect everything in its original position and check the operation of the device.
Repair of the casing of oil heaters
Holes in the casing result from corrosion of the heater walls or from mechanical damage from the outside. This breakage will be visible visually. The device must not be operated in this state. Those who decide to take on the repair of the heater with their own hands should remove all oil from the device and rinse the inside of the tank with alcohol. Refrigerator repair equipment should be used to repair the tank, and copper-phosphorus, brass or silver solder should be selected as the soldering agent.
Before soldering the case, it is imperative to clean the damaged area, cover it with an anti-corrosion liquid, and after it dries, degrease the surface with alcohol. The next step is the soldering itself. To do this, the solder is applied to the place of damage and heated with a burner according to the principle of hermetic brazing of refrigeration equipment.
It must be remembered that synthetic oil cannot be combined with mineral oil. Mixed oils should not be mixed. Therefore, if you are not sure which type of oil was filled, it is best to replace the oil completely. If the type of oil is known, according to the passport data, it just needs to be topped up.
After a complete repair of the oil heater, it is necessary to pour the oil inside to 90% of the capacity, leaving 10% space for the air cushion (when heated, the oil tends to expand, and the air will contribute to this process). In the absence of an air cushion inside the case, it may burst from high pressure.
When the body is repaired, you need to check it for leaks. If the oil does not flow even when the heater is fully started, then the repair was done correctly.
Oil heaters are massively used by summer residents for heating rooms in winter. They are efficient and do not burn oxygen, but the danger is that their body gets very hot. If misused, a number of problems can arise that are difficult to fix.