Lucky I still have a shop?

[Mike Cruz]

Well, my heater started acting a bit odd last week. It seemed to not come on enough, then it wouldn't shut off, then it wouldn't come on at all. So, I called the number on the manual. It went straight to Grainger. I didn't buy it through Grainger, I got it through another company. I bought it last year, this time. So, it was still under warranty. I explained the issue to Grainger and they knew exactly what the problem was because it seems that they've been having this sort of problem with these units. It was the thermostat. I called last Friday, and Grainger would have the new thermostat to me on Monday. But, since I didn't buy it through Grainger, I had to call the company I bought it from, and didn't get around to calling them til Monday. So, I've been heating my 24 x 30 shop with one of those electric oil heaters all week. Along with a ceiling fan, it kept the shop at 40-45 degrees even with temps in the teens and pretty good winds. I got the replacement thermostat today. I went in to replace it. Now you'll see why I might be lucky to still have a shop...

If you have one of these models, you might want to look to see if you have the same thermostat. While it doesn't seem that there is a recall on them, Grainger certainly knows about the problem.

[Aaron Berk]

Great googly moogly man

That's a 220v device right? And whats the breaker amperage?

You are indeed blessed. I've heard of places burning down for less of a fault than that.

Glad your good to go now.

[Gene Howe]

As the kids say "OMG!"
One little gas leak and a spark from that connection

[Bruce Page]

Hey Lucky, did they redesign the part or just give you a replacement?
If they just gave you a replacement I would start looking for another heater.

[bruce buren]

I had the same problem with the heater i have which looks exactly like yours except for the dayton sticker. It is probably the same unit. I did not install the replacement thermostat they gave me, i put a wall mounted thermostat in and have not had any issues.

[bob ware]

Mike, thanks for the report. I have one of those heaters so will be contacting Grainger first thing Monday.

[Mike Cruz]

Bob, that's kinda why I posted this. For anyone else that has one of these, may want to be careful and check your connections to see if they look like they're wearing out.

Aaron, yes it is 220 on a 30 amp breaker.

Gene, I don't have gas in my shop...well, not the kind that explodes.

Bruce Page, the new one looks similar, but not the exact same thing. Looks like a different manufacturer, or same manufacturer with a different run or at least some changes.

And I'm not too worried about this "new" one having the same problems. I mean, I trust the Dayton name and Grainger name. Knowing that they've had problems with this part, sending out replacements that were just as faulty would be, let's just say negligent.

[Rick Moyer]

Thanks Mike. I have one (Dayton) that I wll be checking tomorrow. Have had it for two years now and it has worked flawlessly so far. Was the connection not tight, wire pulled out, or what happened (if you can tell)?

[Mike Cruz]

Honestly, I don't know. Seems like it just over heated and fried. Not sure if it is really the thermosat, or if it is a wire (wrong size) issue. Even if it is a wire issue, it might be that it just seems to fail at the thermostat. OR, it could be that in the process of making these units, the stripper/crimper was snipping off a significant number of the strands, therefore reducing the the wire size from say a 14 to a 16 guage and overheating. Who knows...

[Chris Mahmood]

Yikes, I just installed what I think is the same one although it has a different label (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_595_595). The thing works well but scares the hell out of me because of the amount of power involved so I added a contactor which is switched by the shop lights (if the lights are off then power to the heater is cut). It's cheap bit of security as long as you're conscientious about turning off your lights. I used a small one that fits nicely inside the heater right next to line terminals: http://www.mcmaster.com/#7384k31/=a3wm2s

Thanks for the warning,

[Joshua Dinerstein]

Holy Crap! That is rather horrifying. Time to go out in my shop and check everything over. That is frightening! I am wicked glad you shop/house/place of Zen peace didn't burn down!

Joshua

[Don Jarvie]

I'm heading out now to check. I wrote the serial no down so I can see if I have the same part.

Thanks Mike.

[Jaromir Svoboda]

I had the same problem with the heater i have which looks exactly like yours except for the dayton sticker. It is probably the same unit. I did not install the replacement thermostat they gave me, i put a wall mounted thermostat in and have not had any issues.

Bruce,
I need to install wall mounted thermostat.I'm tired going up and down on step ladder.
What thermostat did you used?
Thank you.

[Rick Moyer]

I just checked mine again. Mine has black wires instead of red, and the number is 5813-2050-000. the wires are 14 AWG. not sure what yours are but they look similar. I'm curious, as well as concerned, to see why more than one of these has happened. (See Dayton Heater post started by Don Jarvie)

[Rick Moyer]

Yikes, I just installed what I think is the same one although it has a different label (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_595_595). The thing works well but scares the hell out of me because of the amount of power involved so I added a contactor which is switched by the shop lights (if the lights are off then power to the heater is cut). It's cheap bit of security as long as you're conscientious about turning off your lights. I used a small one that fits nicely inside the heater right next to line terminals: http://www.mcmaster.com/#7384k31/=a3wm2s

Thanks for the warning,

But, I keep mine on low to keep things from freezing in the shop, so that wouldn't work for me.