If the heater does not turn on, it may have reached abnormal temperatures. If the manual reset trips (which turns the heater off), the heater probably needs to be cleaned or it’s blocked. Be sure heater is wired to the correct voltage (120 volt supply to 120 volt heater). If the heater will not reset and the circuit is good, the heater will need to be repaired or replaced.

An electric heater that blows cold air could be caused by one or more of the following reasons:

The manual reset has tripped.
The fan switch is “on” and the thermostat setting is below the actual temperature
The fan is dispersing this air after shutdown
There may be a loose wire coming from the elements
The heater element may be defective
Refer to the troubleshooting chart in your Owner’s Guide for more information.

Make sure the voltage supply matches the heater rating and that the heater is clean. If it continues to run slowly, the motor and/or heater may need to be serviced or replaced.

If your wall heater is cycling on and off every 15 seconds, and you are controlling your heater with a digital thermostat, then likely you need to update one of the thermostat settings.

If you have a TH401, in the Set Up Menu, change the Heating Cycle from “Std” to “Fan”.

If you have a TH106, remove the thermostat cover, find Switch 3 and change the factory setting to the right, or the “On” position.

Review the owner’s guide for your specific thermostat for additional details.

If your thermostat is set up correctly or you do not have a digital control and your heater is cycling on and off less than every 5 minutes, you might have too much wattage for the size of the room. Contact our Technical Support team at 855-223-3788 for additional troubleshooting help.

A line voltage thermostat is typically used with single-room heaters, such as electric wall heaters or electric baseboard heaters.

Low voltage thermostats are typically used to control central heating and cooling systems.

Please note! Only use a low voltage thermostat with a Cadet heater if:

The amperage load exceeds the rating of the line voltage thermostat, AND
It’s combined with a relay

The liquid inside the SoftHeat heaters is a non-toxic, non-hazardous circulating heat transfer fluid. If the heater does leak—which is very unlikely—clean the spill with a mild soap and water mixture.

The fluid is non-toxic if it’s ingested in small amounts, but make sure that your friends, family, and pets stay away from the spill until it’s cleaned up.

If your Com-Pak or Com-Pak Twin heater isn't turning on, there may be something blocking the heater or it may need to be cleaned. The first thing you want to do when troubleshooting the problem is a power reset.

If your wall heater is cycling on and off every 15 seconds, and you are controlling your heater with a digital thermostat, then you likely need to update one of the thermostat settings.

If you have a TH401, in the Set Up Menu, change the Heating Cycle from “Std” to “Fan”.

If you have a TH106, remove the thermostat cover, find Switch 3 and change the factory setting to the right, or the “On” position.

Review the owner’s guide for your specific thermostat for additional details.

If your thermostat is set up correctly or you do not have a digital control and your heater is cycling on and off less than every 5 minutes, you might have too much wattage for the size of the room. Contact our Technical Support team at for additional troubleshooting help.

Try to clean out your wall heater at least every six months. It’s easy to do! View our short video for instructions on cleaning your Cadet electric heater.

Watch our short cleaning video on youtube to see how to clean your Cadet electric heater.

Grill discoloration can be caused by dirt or lint build-up in the heating element. Extra heat will occur in the area where the build-up is concentrated, resulting in grill discoloration. To avoid discoloration, clean the grill often and be sure your heater is clean.

The appearance of soot, or black discoloration on the walls around electric wall heaters, is not caused by the heater itself. Sooting is caused by other things in the environment such as burning candles, cooking, cleaning supplies, manufactured fireplace logs, pets, and even plants. Airborne particles from these items get into the heater and partially burn to a carbon material, which adheres to walls, under pictures, and on carpets or drapes.

A dual rated heater can be wired to either of the two voltage ratings listed on the product identification label. However, the wattage output will decrease with the lower voltage. For example: A 240/208 dual rated heater can be wired to either a 240-volt or a 208-volt supply. A 1500-watt fan heater will draw 1500 watts wired to 240 volt and 1125 watts (75% of 240 volt rating) wired to 208 volt.

120-volt heater
Do not wire a 120-volt heater to a 240-volt circuit. The heater will try to deliver four times its rated wattage, causing it to overheat. This will permanently damage the heating element and also void the product warranty.

240-volt heater
We do not recommend wiring a 240-volt heater to a 120-volt circuit. The heater will be underpowered and will only receive 25% of the wattage it was designed to deliver.

Use this handy equation: Amps = watts divided by volts. For example: 2000 watts / 240 volts = 8.33 amps.

Please don’t. Cadet uses a powder coat paint system that is electrostatically applied and baked on the surface. All Cadet heaters and accessories are listed by UL as manufactured, and shouldn’t be altered in any manner

On initial start up, your heater may smell. This is not dangerous, and is due to the manufacturing process. It typically goes away after the heater runs for several hours.

Wall heaters, which use less wall space than baseboard heaters, use fans to push heat into the room very quickly, whereas baseboard heaters generally require 30 to 60 minutes to heat a room. Wall heaters are also generally quieter than a regular refrigerator; baseboard heaters are virtually noise-free, making them a good choice for bedrooms. Further, baseboard heaters operate at lower temperatures, which means their surfaces are cooler to the touch than the surface of wall heaters. Finally, wall heaters will typically last 8 to 12 years; baseboard heaters often have a life more than 20 years.

A few people recently got in touch with our technical support team to ask if the heating liquid in our SoftHEAT baseboard heaters will freeze. The short answer to that questions is no. Here's the long answer:

These heaters use a non-toxic heat transfer fluid. That fluid protects itself from freezing in temperatures down to about 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Even at that temperature, the liquid doesn't exactly freeze. It just thickens into a gel-like consistency.

A Cadet SoftHEAT baseboard heater installed in a living room.

The bottom line is this: If your heater is working, there isn't any reason why the fluid would fall to such temperatures that would cause it to freeze. If the liquid does happen to turn into gel, as soon as the heater turns on it will quickly return to its operating temperature and consistency.

If you happen to be using a SoftHEAT heater in a vacation home in an extremely cold climate, the important thing to remember is even if the fluid temperature drops to 9 degrees or below, the heater will operate as long as it has power. So you'll be fine, even if you leave the heater off in the cold of winter. Just turn it back on when you need it and the SoftHEAT baseboard should get going in no time.

You must use a voltmeter.

Please note: Testing with a voltmeter requires the circuit panel or fuse box to remain on. If you’re unfamiliar or uncomfortable with electrical wiring, please contact a qualified technician or licensed electrician.