InspectAPedia ^®

Electric Heating System Problem Diagnosis, Inspection, Repair, Maintenance HeatAPedia © Search InspectAPedia

This website answers most questions about all types of heating systems and gives important inspection, safety, and repair advice. The heating system articles provided at this website explain how to inspect and detect defects and hazards on heating systems, boilers, furnaces, and other equipment. Methods for saving on heating cost and on improving heating safety are included. Heating safety hazards such as carbon monoxide gas leaks, unsafe furnaces, furnace and boiler recalls are addressed. If you don't know what kind of heat your building uses, see our introduction at BOILERS, HEATING. Sketch at page top courtesy of Carson Dunlop

© Copyright 2009 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Electric Heating System Inspection Methods, Diagnosis, Safety, Repairs

Electric heat is about the easiest heating method to install, the least costly type of heating equipment to purchase, and in many locales, the most costly way to heat a conventional home. Super-insulating a building, and paying special attention to drafts and air leaks can change that picture however, as can special electrical rates available from utility companies in some areas.

Here we describe different types of electric heat in buildings and give some inspection and no-heat diagnosis tips for each.

[Text in process, meanwhile Contact Us by email with your question about electric heat and we'll reply promptly.]

Types of Electric Heat in Homes

• Electric baseboard heat (see our photo above left, and the page top sketch) is installed on (usually exterior) walls in occupied rooms. The number of linear feet of electric heating baseboard (and some other parameters) determine how many watts of electric heat is provided.
• Electric furnaces can provide warm air heat; this Carson Dunlop sketch shows how we figure the equivalent heat between an electric furnace (in watts) and a gas or oil fired heating furnace (in BTUs).
• Electric convectors with fans such as the ceiling mounted garage heater shown at above right are used most often for irregular use in larger cold spaces such as a garage or workshop. But also see wall-mounted electric heaters, below.
• Electric floor-mounted heaters: as this Carson Dunlop sketch shows, an individual electric heater can be mounted right into the floor surface (instead of along a wall). Watch out for kids dropping crayons or things that can catch fire into the grates of heating equipment like this. As the drawing points out, flush-floor mounted electric heaters are used where heat is needed in front of a sliding door (and where no wall is available to mount a heating baseboard.)
• Electric toe-kick heaters (kick-space heaters) are mounted in bathrooms and kitchens as this Carson Dunlop sketch shows. We use a kick space heater (which are also available for hot water heating and warm air heating systems) where a room lacks wall area to mount a conventional heat source.

• Wall-mounted electric heaters (usually recessed or flush mounted such as the Cadet™ electric heater at left; also see Carson Dunlop's sketch) are often used in hallways, entrance foyers, and other locations where spot heat is needed. See Cadet Heater Recall for a safety recall on this heater type.
• Electric heating boilers are commonly used as a backup heat source for heat pump systems or for small radiant floor heating systems (such as our Minnesota fiasco radiant floor heat project). See this Carson Dunlop sketch of an electric heating boiler.
• Electric radiant heat panels have been installed in homes for over 50 years. Here's a sketch of a typical radiant heat ceiling layout. Electric radiant heat in ceilings was produced as both wires imbedded in gypsum board (drywall) and as wire panels taped to the upper surface of the ceiling drywall. Electric radiant heating panels are also available that fit perfectly into a suspended ceiling grid.
• Electric plenum heaters are used as supplemental heat on combination fuel warm air systems such as wood fired furnaces and possibly on warm air systems heated by a heat pump.

• Wesix™ type Wall & Floor Mounted Electric Heaters: general information
• We do not have research data on this nor other specific brands of small point-of-use electric heaters (see US CPSC, Consumer Reports, and similar sources). We have read sporadic field reports of Wesix heaters. These electric heaters were made by the Wesix Electric Heater Company [WEH], a California company, chartered originally in 1938 and again in 1942, and headed by Thomas J. Mellon.
  
  Wesix™ electric heaters were often installed in bathrooms, in floors as a small fan convector unit, and as electric baseboards, including both 120V and 240V models that included a brass data tag on the bottom of some units. The company also made the Wesix Mark IV ion collector used in researching the effect of ions on microorganisms and other biological materials.
• Wesix heater product identification & electrical data:
  • Wesix DHF-30T In-Wall Fan Forced Electric Heater 3000 W
  • Wesix DHF-20 In-Wall Fan Forced Electric Heater 2000 W
  • Wesix in-floor fan type heaters
  • Wesix 220 VAC 6.8 A, 1500 watts
  • Wesix 120 AC, 15CHM-1-G-29-01
    
• Possible Wesix electric heater (and similar product) concerns to be noted by owners or home inspectors:
  • overheating covers
  • age and reliability, including loose or corroded connections leading to loss of heat (easily repaired) and burned-out heater element (replace the unit) - neither of these defects are peculiar to this brand nor to a particular model (as reported
  • Inoperative thermostat or controls

...

Technical Reviewers & References

• Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia^® Website
• InspectAPedia Bookstore lists recommended books, organized by topic & available for purchase. Most of our articles also include a list of recommended books for the specific article topic as well as other references, and information sources.
• Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
• Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.

Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

ELECTRIC HEAT
  Types of Electric Heat
  Feet of Baseboard Heat Needed?
  Electric Heater Locations
  Wiring and Overcurrent Protection
  Electric Baseboard Heat Safety
  Staged Electric Furnaces
  Diagnose & Repair Electric Heat
  Test Electric Wall / Floor Heater

• Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education, publications, report writing materials, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.

How to Inspect Heating Systems

• Heating System Inspection & Repair Procedures for Oil-Fired Heating Boilers and Furnaces Detailed step by step approaches for inspecting complex systems] - this is our detailed heating system inspection course

How to Inspect Heating Systems

• Heating System Inspection & Repair Procedures for Oil-Fired Heating Boilers and Furnaces Detailed step by step approaches for inspecting complex systems] - this is our detailed heating system inspection course

Electric Heating System Inspection & Diagnosis Detailed Articles

• Air Duct Systems for Heating & Cooling - duct defects, inspections, repairs, duct cleaning, flooded ducts, leaky air ducts, moldy duct systems, indoor air quality
• Boiler Operating Problem Diagnosis examples of defects on hot water heating boiler systems and how to recognize them
• Blower Fan AUTO ON controls for air conditioning or heating blower fan units
• Carbon Monoxide Gas Toxicity, exposure limits, building inspection for CO hazards
• DIAGNOSE DARK STAINS on Indoor Surfaces, how to diagnose stains on walls, floors, carpets, and how to determine the stain source
• Ducts - Asbestos Transite Pipe
• Dust from HVAC? An Investigation of Indoor Dust Debris Blamed on a Heating/Cooling System Reveals Carpet Dust
• Fan AUTO ON controls for air conditioning or heating blower fan units
• FAN LIMIT SWITCH control on heating furnaces
• Furnaces, Heating Inspection, Diagnosis, & Repair - controls, diagnosis, inspection, repair, service of warm air heating systems
• Goodman Furnace High Temperature Plastic Vent HTPV safety recall US CPSC notice
• Heating Cost Reduction Advice: How to Save on Home Heating Costs - Book Review & Actual Heating Savings and Energy Savings Tips for homeowners and service technicians
• Heating System Inspection & Repair Procedures for Oil-Fired Heating Boilers and Furnaces Detailed step by step approaches for inspecting complex systems]
• Heating Loss Diagnosis: How to diagnose loss of heat, when the oil burner, boiler, or furnace won't run, or when the system runs but heat is not delivered to the living area
• Home Inspection Report Language Library: Defects in Oil Tank Installations, Tanks, and Heating Oil Piping
• How to Calculate Heat Loss in a Building
• Lennox Pulse Furnace Safety Inspection/Warranty Program: Carbon Monoxide Warning
• NO HEAT - Boiler & Furnace Diagnosis Guide - where to start in figuring out why the heating system is not working
• Odors From Heating Systems - a list of articles addressing the sources of odors produced by various types of heating systems - how to find, diagnose, and correct these possibly dangerous conditions.
• Radiant Heat Floor Mistakes to Avoid - don't let these foolish installation errors ruin your radiant heat floor system
• Plastic Heating Vent Pipe & Other Heating Safety Recall Notices
• Safety During Heating Inspections guide and tips
• Stain Diagnosis on Indoor Surfaces, how to diagnose stains on walls, floors, carpets, and how to determine the stain source
• Thermal Tracking & Stains & Signs of Heat Loss how to recognize thermal tracking or thermal bridging & how to diagnose Stains on Ceilings & Walls, Building Air Leaks & Insulation Defects, as well as other indoor air quality or building concerns

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building design, inspection, and repair, and about indoor environment testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore.
• ...

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• Links to our list of additional information on heating system inspection, repair, maintenance

InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.

The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems

Use this simple, economical mold test kit by following our instructions on how to collect and mail mold samples to our lab

Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.

Building Inspection, Problem Diagnosis, Forensic Investigation & Testing, Repair Consulting

Contact Daniel Friedman for website content suggestions or for fee-paid consulting