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Electric Heating System Problem Diagnosis, Inspection, Repair, Maintenance
HeatAPedia ©
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- How to buy, install, inspect and diagnose each type of electric heat in buildings
- Electric heat choices, electric heat wiring and installation tips and safety suggestions
- How to estimate the amount of electric heating baseboard needed
- How to test a staged electric furnace
- How to save on electric heating costs
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest.
We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices,
false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at
inspect-ny.com/appointment.htm.
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 2008 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
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- 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 kickspace 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.
- 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.
How Many Linear Feet of Electric Baseboard Heat do we Need in a Building?
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Here are some electric heat rules of thumb that will help you see if the electric baseboard already installed in your building will be sufficient. These guesstimates presume your building is located in a climate where there are real winters, not in southern states.
A larger room or a poorly-insulated building will need more watts of electric heat (and pay higher electrical bills). You need about 5-8 watts of electric heat per square foot of the room being heated.
As Carson Dunlop's sketch shows, you can figure that your electric baseboard is providing about 250 watts of electric heat per foot of baseboard length. |
Where Should Electric Heaters be Located for Best Performance in a Building?
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As Carson Dunlop's sketch shows, we usually place electric baseboard heaters on an exterior wall.
Electric heat is also widely used to add a local source of heat in a problem area (such as a cold entry foyer) and where it would be more trouble and expense to add warm air or hot water or steam heat for that spot.
We also like to use small electric heat sources in closed crawl spaces and in spots where there is a risk of freezing pipes. (See our article on how to winterize and freeze-protect a building). |
Wiring and Overcurrent Protection for Electric Heating Systems
The wiring sizes and overcurrent protection for electric heat must be correct for fire safety, as Carson Dunlop's sketch demonstrates.
Special electrical wire used for electric heating circuits is coded with red or orange plastic exterior sheathing and contains internal conductors colored black (hot) and red (hot) as well as a ground wire.
The sketch at right handles a common electric heat wiring detail where this special electric heating wire has not been used. Since usually our electric heaters are 240V and require two hot wires, it's common for an electrician to run conventional 12-2 NM plastic electrical cable or BX armored cable to the heater. In order to avoid confusion during future electrical work, the white wire of the black-and-white wire pair is wrapped with black electrical tape wherever its ends are exposed for wiring connections. This tells future electricians that this is a "hot" wire, not a neutral wire.
Overcurrent protection for electric heat: Electric 240V heaters also should be powered from circuit breakers using a common trip tie or fuses that are linked together - (we don't want just one leg of the circuit to be turned off or to trip off in an emergency).
Electric Baseboard Heat Installation Safety Details
Here are some suggested safety details to avoid a fire from electric baseboard heat. Sketches courtesy of Carson Dunlop.
As we discussed at Electrical Outlet, how to install, we don't place electrical outlets over or too close to the ends of electric baseboard heaters. (Sketch above at right). And we don't locate curtains or drapes over or in front of electric heaters. Keep drapes and curtains at least 8" above electric baseboards, and at least 3" in front of them. The reason for the 1" floor clearance is also to allow air to circulate. Circulating air both helps the heat to enter the occupied space and it also helps prevent the curtain from becoming too hot.
Staged Electric Furnaces Using Sequencers to Control Heat
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For economy, as Carson Dunlop's sketch shows, electric furnaces often use a gang of electric heating elements that are turned on in stages rather than all at once.
As temperatures fall and more heat is needed in the building, more heating stages turn on. By leaving heating stages turned off when not needed we reduce electrical consumption and energy cost.
On a staged electric heating furnace each heating stage typically provides about 5,000 watts (5KW) of heating energy.
The fan limit switch that controls an electric furnace may have a built-in delay so that on a call for heat the blower fan won't turn on until the heating element(s) have warmed up. We discuss fan limit switches in more detail at FAN LIMIT SWITCH |
How to Diagnose & Repair Electric Heat that Has Stopped Working or is Not Hot Enough
What do we check if our electric heat is not working? There are a few basic things to check yourself. Other steps require an expert. Sketches courtesy of Carson Dunlop.
- Is the thermostat asking for heat? Be sure you know where all of the thermostats for your electric heat are located. Some heaters such as flush-in-floor electric heaters may use a wall-mounted thermostat while other electric baseboard heaters may have individual thermostats on each baseboard unit. In a bathroom with electric radiant heat in the floor, Carson Dunlop suggests finding that hidden thermostat, perhaps inside the sink vanity.
- Is electrical power on to the heater? Check the fuses or circuit breakers that supply each electric heater.
- If the electric furnace does not seem to be making heat, the electrician or heating technician will use an ammeter to test each of the heating elements to see if one or more of them is not working. She will also check first to confirm that electrical power is on to the unit. If one or more of the staged electric heaters in the furnace has failed, the furnace may make warm air, but not enough warm air in very cold conditions.
- Check the air temperature rise across the electric furnace. When the furnace has been operating for 20 minutes or longer, typically the temperature at the return plenum (the lower thermometer in the sketch) will show about 70 deg .F. and the supply plenum temperature will be between 120 deg .f. and 125 deg .f. If the supply plenum temperature is too high (over130 deg .f.) something's wrong and you should call a heating service technician.
- Check radiant heat ceiling panels for wire interruptions. If someone drove an nail into a radiant panel heat ceiling or in the attic above they damaged a wire or heating panel, you may find that that room no longer has heat. We use a hand-held infra-red thermometer scanner to quickly check radiant heat floors and ceilings.
Technical Reviewers & References
Particular thanks are due to experts and also consumers who read these articles and suggest corrections, changes, and additions to
the material. Content suggestions, technical corrections and content critique are invited for any of the content at our website.
- Daniel Friedman - principal author/editor of the InspectAPedia TM Website
- 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.
- Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.
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.
More expert information on this topic
How to Inspect Heating Systems
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- Air Duct Systems for Heating & Cooling - duct defects, inspections, repairs, duct cleaning, flooded ducts, leaky air ducts, moldy duct systems, indoor air quality
- Asbestos Paper Duct Insulation
- Blueray Heating Boilers/Furnaces Safety Recall by the US CPSC, with additional history, photos, and technical details; Blue Flame Blue Ray
- Boiler Controls & Switches: a description of heating boiler controls and switches, what they do, how to set them, what problems to watch for
- Boiler Leaks, Corrosion, Stains: where to look for leaks on heating boilers, which leaks are important, dangerous, costly, & what to do about leaks at a heating boiler
- Boilers, Heating Inspection, Diagnosis, Repair - controls, diagnosis, inspection, repair, service of hot water heating systems
- Boiler Operation Details, 39 steps in how a heating boiler works
- 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 Dioxide Gas Toxicity
- Carbon Monoxide Gas Toxicity, exposure limits, building inspection for CO hazards
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Warning - Chimney Safety: US CPSC safety warning [Home Heating System Should Be Checked for proper venting and for CO Carbon Monoxide Hazards - clarifying notes by DJF]
- Chimneys & Flues - Asbestos Transite Pipe - chimney movement, chimney cracks, chimney safety inspection, chimney cleaning, draft problem diagnosis & repair
- 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: Gas Fuel Piping or Tank Faults Basic advice - home inspection report language suggestions
- Home Inspection Report Language Library: Buried Oil Tanks, Basic home buyer advice - home inspection report language suggestions
- Home Inspection Report Language Library: Defects in Oil Tank Installations, Tanks, and Heating Oil Piping
- Hot Water Systems - Tankless Coils - on hydronic or steam boilers for making domestic hot water
- 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
- Oil Burner Noise, Smoke, Odor Diagnosis: how to diagnose oil burner noises, smoke, odors, sooting, and which conditions are potentially dangerous, requiring prompt service or repair
- 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.
- Oil Tanks - The Oil Storage Tank Information Website: Buried or Above Ground Oil Tank Inspection, Testing, Cleanup, Abandonment of Oil Tanks
- Oil Tanks Above Ground, UL Standards, guidance for home owners, buyers, and inspectors
- 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
- Steam Heating Systems - care & maintenance, controls, diagnosis, & repair, safety devices
- 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
- Transite Pipe Chimneys & Flues - Safety Hazards of deteriorated or blocked asbestos transite chimneys
- Water Feeder Valves automatic water makeup valves for hydronic boilers and steam boilers
- Weil McLain Model GV Gas Boiler/gas valve CPSC recall/repair
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