Electric heaters are a popular choice for many consumers because they come with so many benefits. One such benefit is their minimal maintenance and upkeep. 

But just like any other appliance, you still need to conduct routine maintenance to ensure your heater stays in good condition. Often this process is much more simple in electrical heaters. Here are 10 tips for maintaining your electrical heating system. 

Do I Need To Clean My Electric Heaters?

We often need to pay more attention to our heating appliances.

For example, you might forget to give the exterior surface a good wipe or don’t store them properly for the next season. But don’t worry; this problem can be solved easily and quickly. 

If you have an electrical heating system, you must ensure it’s always free of debris and dust. Despite minimal maintenance, you must watch your radiator’s appearance to ensure it lasts a long. 

Regular cleaning will keep away dust from your radiator vents. This is an important element to take care of, as lots of dust can jeopardise the operation of your system. 

In more serious cases, it can even lead to a fire hazard. Even though these appliances are installed indoors, they are frequently exposed to dust and dirt. 

Even normal daily activities such as making your bed, dusting furniture and vacuuming can accumulate high amounts of dust. These dust particles travel easily around your home and settle in the radiator cavities. 

10 Tips For Maintaining Your Electrical Heating System

Not sure how to maintain your electrical heating system? Here are some essential tips to help you get started. 

1. Weatherise Your Home For Better Heating

The first step to reducing too much dust and debris in your home is to create an efficient environment for your heater. Weatherisation is one of the most cost-effective of doing. 

To weatherise your home, you can add insulation and seal any air leaks in your home’s infrastructure. Generally, air infiltration creates drafts and lets in chilly air near windows and doors. If you have a basement, air filtration can bring up cold air in your room. 

These air leaks might come from the window area, doors, chimneys, wiring, and light fixture locations. Once you find out the location of the air leaks, you must seal these areas to achieve proper insulation.  

Some great ways of sealing air leaks include:

• Seal and caulk air leaks in plumbing and ducting areas. Also, seal areas where electrical cabling is coming out through floors, walls, ceilings, and areas over cabinets. 
• Weatherstrip doors and windows.
• Install a foam gasket behind switch plates and outlets on walls.
• Use a foam sealant on large gaps around baseboards, window trims, and other areas where air may leak out.
• Properly seal and insulate open fireplaces to avoid air leakage. 

1. Check The Air Duct

As we’ve mentioned before, your air ducts can affect the heater’s efficiency. The air ducts in your home are responsible for spreading heat evenly throughout your home. 

If there are any leaks in the duct, warmth will escape through them instead of spreading throughout your home. If this happens, your heater must work extra hard and consume more energy to provide better heating. 

This can negatively affect the lifespan of your system and lead to more repairs in the future.  A great way to check for leaks is by visually inspecting your air ducts. 

Check for holes or any cracks in the ductwork and get them sealed immediately. Also, pay attention to the duct joints to ensure they are tight and leakproof. 

If you’re unsure how to carry out this inspection or don’t feel comfortable making the repairs, you can always contact a qualified professional. If you’re inspecting by yourself, make a checklist beforehand to hit all the marks. 

1. Inspect Your Heater

Before you start adjusting your heater for maintenance, give it a good visual inspection. Look for any objects or elements that could hurt its operation. This includes any dirt or debris on the radiator body. 

If any items or furniture are blocking the heater’s vents, remove them immediately. This is a quick way to prevent any small hazards because it requires little maintenance. 

1. Inspect The Heating Element

Unlike gas heating systems, which use a combination of gases to create heat, an electric heater uses electric current. This current is passed through a special heating element, which uses the current to generate heat energy. 

Since this element is so important to the heater’s operation, you must ensure it's in good condition. 

You wouldn’t have to worry about this problem with most high-quality electric heaters. But if you notice the heating is not working properly this could be one of the problems. 

Look for any burns, corrosion, or pitting on the heating element. Sometimes this component might break or get loose during use. 

If this happens, it means the heater will take a long time to achieve your desired temperature. What’s more, your heater will exert more power, increasing your energy bills. So, if you notice this issue, get it repaired immediately to ensure comfortable warmth. 

1. Carefully Store The Elements

Another great way to maintain the lifespan of your heater is by carefully storing the heating element. 

Since this element is metallic, you should avoid contaminating it with corrosive particles. If you remove the element for repairs, ensure to protect it from weather damage. 

Whether you use a thermocouple or a cartridge, you must store them in the right environment. This includes a cool dry space away from any interference. 

Most alloys used in heating elements are prone to rusting when exposed to moisture-heavy and humid environments. 

The rust can negatively react to the natural oxide element created when it’s operating. So, make sure to store the element in the correct location when making repairs. 

1. Handle Element With Care

Since we’re on the topic of storing the heating element, you should also ensure proper handling of this component. 

Even if you store the element in the right place, all your efforts will go to waste if you don’t handle it properly. Your natural body oil easily contaminates the heating element. 

The oil secreted from our hands and fingertips, as known as sebum, can contaminate the natural oxidisation of the element. 

Since the element is important metal on the surface, you don’t want to create a chemical reaction that could ruin the heater. To prevent this issue, handle the element while wearing cotton gloves. 

1. Clean Surfaces

One of the quickest ways to maintain your electrical heating system is by giving it a quick wipe every now and then. Depending on how quickly the dust accumulates on the heater, you can carry this out. 

Even if your heating system is in a clean, enclosed space, it will accumulate dust from various activities and particles.

Make sure to wipe down the exterior surface of the heater to get rid of this. Pay close attention to ducts and vents that lead into the heater's exterior. If too much dust settles in this region, it could lead to dangerous hazards. 

1. Clean The Thermostat

A thermostat is a small but crucial component of your electrical heating system. It’s responsible for detecting your home's temperature and then returning the information to the furnace. 

If your thermostat is not working properly, the heater will have a hard time creating the ideal environment for you. 

A broken thermostat will also not know when it switches on/off automatically. This can lead to the heater working long and increasing your energy bills. 

Keep this component clean whenever possible to avoid any future problems. You can use a multimeter to test the voltage on the thermostat terminals for a more detailed inspection. 

If you detect a low reading or no voltage, the thermostat is not getting enough power. This can happen due to the control panel, loose wiring or dead batteries.

For dead batteries, you must replace them immediately. In case of loose wiring, tighten them to get the thermostat working. 

Regular inspection will allow you to attend to these problems immediately. Always consult a professional if you’re unsure about doing the inspection yourself. 

1. Upgrade Your Thermostat

As mentioned previously, a good thermostat can make or break your electrical heater. 

To get more about your system, you can also install a smart thermostat to regular your home’s temperature and save up heat energy. 

Proper temperature control is important as it ensures you are not wasting any energy. A smart thermostat will help you save money on energy bills and create comfort in your house. 

You can save a lot more on your energy bill by turning down your thermostat by 10 degrees for 8 hours a day in both the autumn and winter months. 

A smart thermostat is wifi-enabled, automatically adjusting the heating temperature for an optimal environment. 

Smart thermostats with certified ratings provide ample energy savings. You can control most smart heaters with either a handheld device or a phone. This allows full control of the temperature. 

Smart thermostats also have a very accurate room temperature reading, so you have full control over your energy use. Here are some common features of a smart thermostat:

• Learning your preferred temperature and establishing a schedule that automatically adjusts the temperature for energy savings when you are away from home or asleep. 
• Some smart thermostats provide data on your home’s energy use which will help you track and manage your energy use. 
• Smart thermostats give you remote control of heating through your smartphone or tablet. 

1. Unblock Your Air Ducts

As we’ve mentioned before, air ducts are one of the important features in a home as they carry the air from the heater to each room. 

If the ducts are poorly sealed, poorly sized or poorly insulated, they can contribute to overexertion from the heater and high energy bills. 

One of the easiest ways of fixing an air duct-related heating problem is by fixing blocked vents. You can do this by removing any obstructions from the air vent region. 

You can also fix this issue by disconnecting or removing damaged air vents. If repairs aren’t fixing your air vent problems, removing the entire system is best. 

How To Clean Your Electrical Heating System?

We’ve emphasised the need for routine cleaning of your electrical heater. But you might be wondering how to go about this process. 

You only need to take a few minutes out of your day to clean your heater. If you’re not sure how to start, here are a few simple steps to help you along the way.  

1. Equipment For Cleaning

To get started, you need to gather some cleaning equipment. Most of these items are easily available at home for better convenience. Here’s what you need:

• Sponge
• A microfibre cloth
• A bucket of water
• Dishwashing soap
• A vacuum with a brush attachment
• Mask - optional

Wearing a mask while cleaning can protect you from dust particles, but it’s up to you if you want to wear it. However, we recommend using a mask while cleaning if you have asthma, dust allergies, or any sensitivity to these particles. 

It’s also crucial that you use a microfibre cloth and no other material. Anything else could spread additional particles instead of collecting them. 

Also, avoid using spray detergents unless they are specifically designed to clean heaters. If you use one, make sure to spray it onto the cloth and not directly on the appliance’s surface to avoid moisture and potential hazards. 

1. Turn The Heater Off

Since some heaters get hot to the touch when operating, you need to switch them off before you start cleaning. 

Unplug your heaters and wait around 10 to 15 minutes for them to cool off completely. Even if your heater doesn’t become hot when operating, switching them off when cleaning is safe.

1. Inspect The Appliance

Once the heater is switched off/cool to the touch, you can do a visual inspection. Look for dust, debris, greasy fingerprints and any other stains. 

A visual inspection can also show any damage to the exterior of the heater that you might miss otherwise. 

1. Vacuum Cavities, Vents And Grilles

Regardless of the heater model, these are certain components that collect more duct because of their shape and/or location. 

These include the grilles in a panel heater, the cavities of an oil filled radiator and the vent of other electrical heaters. 

The best way to clean these areas is with a vacuum. If you use this appliance with a brush attachment, you can easily get to any hard-to-reach areas on the heater. 

1. Wipe The Heater’s Exterior

Use a slightly damp microfibre cloth and wipe the exterior of your electric heating system. Pay close attention to any nooks, cavities and button areas. 

Even fingerprints and food marks can ruin an otherwise clean and smooth surface. To remove these stains, put 1 to 2 drops of soap on a damp sponge and clean the surface. 

A universal cleaning solution can work well on plastic, metal or ceramic electric heaters. 

1. Dry The Exterior And Plug It Back In

If you clean your heater with soap, make sure to let the surface dry completely before turning it back on again. 

Water and electricity are dangerous, so give your heater time to dry off. You can let it air dry or use a dry cloth if you want to use heating soon. 

Switch To Efficient Electrical Heating

One of the best ways to reduce maintenance hassle is by switching to an efficient electrical heating system. 

Smart heaters efficiently heat up your room, and they are also cost-effective. Meteor Electrical has a wide range of smart heaters options to help you create a warm and comfortable environment without worrying about your energy bill.  

Another great way of maintaining your heating systems is by conducting regular inspections. Remember to conduct annual inspections and maintenance of your heating systems to ensure they keep working efficiently. 

If you don’t check your heating systems regularly, you might be wasting energy. Inefficient heaters won’t provide adequate heating but will still accrue high energy charges.  

Some other ways of maintaining heat energy in your home include:

• Get an energy assessment to analyse your heating unit
• Install a smart thermostat
• Use heating units with proper certifications to ensure safety and energy efficiency.
• Install water heaters that do not require special taps. 

Enjoy Excellent Heating With Meteor

If you’re looking for high-quality electrical heaters with minimal maintenance, visit Meteor Electrical. Our range of Lifestyle heaters provides excellent heating without driving up your energy costs. These innovative heaters have a long lifespan, requiring little maintenance.