Five Steps to Clean Your Electric Wall Heater
Cadet Tech Support Specialists, Steve and Thomas, demonstrate how to clean your electric wall heater We recommend cleaning your electric heater at least twice per year. Depending on where you live, you may want to clean it more often, especially if you have pets or have other conditions where excessive dirt and dust might get into your heater.
What tools are required?
- Safety glasses
- Dust mask
- Drop cloth
- Voltage detector
- Phillips and flathead screw drivers
- Small container
- Bucket of soapy water and wash cloth
- Air compressor or vacuum with blower option
1: Turn off any circuits that correspond with your heaters
Tech Tip: Once the breaker is turned off, it is important that you test the circuit with your voltage detector to ensure power has been completely turned off to your heater.
2: Remove the grill
Tech Tip: If you have a thermostat on your heater, be sure to remove the knob first very carefully with your flat head screwdriver. Take your time with this. We get a lot of calls from customers who try and force the knob off quickly or who have removed the grill without first removing the knob. This will damage the thermostat, which you will have to replace or possibly you will have to replace the whole heater.
3: Blow out the heater
Tech Tip: If you do not have an air compressor or a vacuum with a blower, a good old fashioned hair dryer will do the trick. But, do NOT use canned air. This is a potentially serious safety hazard because many of these products contain a flammable propellant. Regardless of the blower you use, be sure to keep the fan blades from spinning around while blowing out the dust, this can damage the motor.
4: Clean the grill
Tech Tip: Put the grill into a bucket of soapy water as soon as you remove it. That will allow it time to soak while you are blowing the dust out from the heater.
5: Re-install the grill
Tech Tip: be sure the grill is completely dry before you re-install it. Any moisture that gets into the heater can damage the heater or be a safety hazard. Also, when replacing the screws, just screw them in snug, do not bury them to prevent stripping or damaging the grill.
After your heater has been cleaned you can turn the breaker back on. Turn the thermostat up until the heater comes on, letting it run for a few minutes. Make sure that it warms up normally and listen to make sure it sounds like it is running smoothly. Then set it back to the level you want it.
Following these simple steps will keep your heater running normally and keep you and your family warm when you need it most.