Hmm, dunno 'bout this one. I think if the heater was low on oil it would overheat dangerously. I have one of those in my bedroom, it takes a few minutes to warm up. Are you aure you have it on it's highest power setting. Are you sure the outlet you're plugging it into is live and the circuit it is connected to has the capacity to handle an 1000+ watt heater. If all else fials, it is not worth you screwing around with an old heater when the new one is only $35.

I'm sure the circuit is live.
I'm certain the heating element is getting power.
The thermostat quit working so I bypassed it.
Power is wired straight to the heater element.
I absolutely don't leave this heater unattended for even one minute.

It puts out heat, just not as much heat as my other smaller units.

The unit is old. And bigger than any of my other units.
I use it in my workshop. It should heat that little room
enough to run me out of it. But it barely warms it.
Last summer I thoroughly sealed and insulated my shop.
I ran a window A/C unit during the hot summer.
Was hoping to work in there all winter too.

I tried one of my other oil heaters in the shop.
The heater wasn't big enough to heat the 12x20 shop.
Two of them mite do it. 1500watts each.

Pooh Bear

You said you bypassed the thermostat.... You know that there are 2 heating elements on that type of heater. You need to power up both elements to get the full heat setting.

If both elements are on the bottom then both elements are
getting power. (wondered why that third wire was there).
I didn't change the wiring configuration.
One wire went to the thermostat,
one wire went from the thermostat.
I took the thermostat out of the series.
Now plug it in to the wall for on, unplug it for off.

I have an almost new heater here in the family room.
On it's lowest setting it will get this room (12x14) too hot.
That bigger heater should heat that 12x20 shop plenty.
Once the shop gets warm I can unplug the heater and it will
stay warm for hours after that. I do this on warm days.
I open the door to let the warm air in. Then close it in
the evenings to keep the warm air in. Works great on warm days.

I think if the heater was low on oil it would overheat dangerously.

Maybe it did and one of the elements burnt out in it?
Have to do some testing to see if that is true.

Thanks.

Pooh Bear

Did the heater leak? If not, where did the missing oil go?

The best thing to do is take an amp draw on the heater and compare it to the current rating on the data tag. This will determine if it is operating correctly and how much heat it is putting out.

I have a similar heater and you can hear the oil slosh around in it if you turn it upside down etc. Mine works just fine maybe the heating element is bad in yours. Personally I'd spend a few bucks on a new one rather than jerry rig an old one.

That mite be best to just replace this heater.
It only marginally works. And they are too cheap to fix.
I could put two of the smaller ones in the shop to heat it.

Still wondering what diathermic mineral oil is.
I guess that is the stuff used in commercial oil filled transformers.

Pooh Bear

The term "diathermic" means essentially the opposite of insulation. It promotes the transfer of heat.

"If your heating element shorts out to the calrod you could get a pretty good suprize if you touch the heater when your bare foot is on the home heating grill or your foot is in the toilet bowl"
Hey kalining, I'm trying to picture you making french fries with your hand on the frier basket and your foot in the toilet! LOL Don't forget, that aluminum beer can you're raising to your mug conducts electricity too. And you say us Americans do strange things! :-)

Poohbear,

You DO find yourself in some dangerous situations and jump in with both feet :)

Have you considered the thermostat was there for a reason (ok it was broken) - have you considered how DANGEROUS it would be without one, if it continued to heat to the point the oil boiled? That thing could explode. Boiling oil poured over invaders was a popular, effective deterrent in olden times!

I can't believe you'd even consider messing with the oil. The thing appears 'half full' for a reason, to allow for thermal expansion. I'm sure how it is, is quite normal.

You may well be right, it may not be heating very effectively, however, oil-filled heaters are designed to heat gently and slowly, bringing the heat up gradually - you won't get a blast of heat from them, and if the size you have is insufficient for the size of room, it may not appear all that effective.

Just buy a new one, methinks.

Yes, I know the dangers of boiling oil.
The thermostat was a simple temperature controlled on/off switch.
I just bypassed it so that it is always on.
I would think the room would get too warm for me before
the heater got dangerously hot. And I would unplug it.
A similar smaller heater I use here in the family room
will get this room way too hot, even on the lowest setting.
I usually turn it on high to get the room warm,
then turn it off and unplug it till the room cools off.
I don't know where the oil went in the other heater.
But I'm certain there is some missing. It's only about half full.
I can't imagine it would need that much room for expansion.

I've only got couple more months of cold weather.
So I'm not going to mess with this heater.
Mite test it to see if an element is bad in it.
And see if I can scavage another thermostat for it.

Pooh Bear

Has anyone ever thought that his smaller heater " that gets this room way too hot " is defective and over heating ? Shorted stat. ? Shorted Calrod ? Maybe the old one is working fine ?

The smaller heater has worked like that since I got
it new for Christmas 3 years ago. My parents have one just like it.
The big one is a very old heater. My brother (electrical tech)
has worked on the wiring and who knows what else. He
supposedly fixed the thermostat but apparently not.

I still think the heater needs more oil in it.

I could probably set a small desk fan behind it and it
would heat my workshop just fine. Have to give that a try.

Where could I get oil to put in it.

Thanks.

Pooh Bear

I think your heater has run it's course. It's bagged.
Everyone on this site agrees. Toss it. It's sealed at the
factory.you ain't puttin oil into it. NOTA. DONE. NOT HAPPENING. Anyone who tells you other wize is an idiot.
Maybe not an idiot but very dangerious advice.

I agree the heater is at the end of its life.
And the oil for it would probably cost more than a new heater.

I'm mostly just curious where you would get the oil
and what it would cost. The heater elements look like
a type of water heater element. Shouldn't be hard to remove.
And while it is out new oil could be added.
Not that I plan on doing this. I'm just a believer that
someone done it once when it was made. So I can do it too.
And I really am just curious to see about the oil.
Guess I'll have to google it to find out more about it.

I can tough out the next two months of cold weather.
And find a solution for next year.

Pooh Bear

It wouldn't matter where or if you could get the oil because the heater is sealed and it would cost more to obtain and add the oil than to buy a new heater.

I'm not certain but I think I remember seeing
bolt heads holding the heating element in place.
Just like on an electric water heater.
If I remember tomorrow I will check.
The oil had to be put in there somehow.

Pooh Bear

Geez, mate, give it a rest!

Since you readily admit you are not a heating engineer or electrician or anything else vaguely related (nor am I) you have no way of knowing HOW MUCH oil should be in it. ALL oil heaters are partly filled, perhaps for reasons I have theorised before. I also doubt you could buy less than a rather large drum of it, if you could find it.

Tell me - any signs of a leak?

Do you have an identical heater? If so, weigh both with good scales. That would indicate if oil was low.

As I've said before, oil-filled heaters have a very gentle heat, so may not feel as 'warm' as others, still, with a little time they will fill a smaller room with a nice all-over heat.

If you could compare identical heaters you might be able to say one was hotter than another.....I suspect it's fine apart from the thermostat, and, chances are, you're on the low setting. I don't think running it without a thermostat is safe, even if you do watch it.....

Trust me, I've seen/bought/used a lot of heaters in my day, probably more than most posters here, since I lived in Australia and portable heaters are all 99% of the population use, since few people have central heat.

Just chuck it. Get another sort, if you don't like the oil heat type. Personally I like them almost as much as baseboard heaters (and they're easier to cover up accidentally, although I don't know how much risk of fire they pose) - I bought an oil heater for both my daughter's rooms since they were the safest we could find, and they may well have been Delonghis. For us, they worked well but to this day, they still make a hot paint smell when they run.

DON'T BOTHER ABOUT THE OIL - YOU CAN'T RESEAL IT, AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHETHER MORE OIL WILL HELP OR WILL EXPAND AND CAUSE LEAKAGE ETC.

I did manage to find oil for it.
Except it costs more than a new heater.
1 gallon was just over $30. Then there was shipping.

I'm not gonna try to fix this one.
I'm just curious to know more about it.
Then I'll chuck it.

No I'm not a heating engineer or an electrician.
But I was a math and physics major in college and can
probably do some simple thermodynamic calculations to
find what I would need to know. (still not worth it)

I have an un-ending curiosity about all things mechanical.
"Giving it a rest" is not really an option for me.
This is something technology related and I simply have to know.
Can't see where there would be anything wrong with that.

Still haven't had a chance to take the heater back apart.

Pooh Bear

Please, stop messing with it and just get a new heater before you electrocute yourself or burn your house down!

I can understand the desire to see how stuff works, especially when you can't fix it and can just "go for it" - I also try to scavenge usable parts from stuff too, but you should be warned, I believe that oil's an environmental hazard, and I'm not sure if it'd be too good for you either.

My sister, who lives in NZ where, like I mentioned before, heaters of that type are pretty much the only heating most people have, is associated with some people who reclaim or recycle old oil-filled heaters, and they had to go through quite a lot of permits, setting up etc, to be able to remove the oil and dispose of it/recycle it, so it's not simple.

Hi Pooh Bear.

After several weeks of search in google about diatermic oil, I found this blogs.

I have one little project for recycling heat waste from my liquified propane heater, if you are interested we can discuss it later. So I need diathermic oil, my question for you is very simple: Do you have in hand the name or URL of the store or company who sells the oil as you mentioned it for $30+SH a gallon?

Thank you very much.

I couldn't find that site again.
But Grainger has it in 5 gallon containers for $94.15
That's less that $20 per gallon.
Grainger Item # 1C191

A neighbor sold me a small wood stove for my shop, $25.
It is the stove at the link below.

Pooh Bear

Here is a link that might be useful: Vogelzang

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE THROW THAT HEATER AWAY AND GET A NEW ONE!!!

Who are you talking to.
Why are you shouting.
I did get a new (used) heater. A wood burning stove.
Didn't you read my post above?
And I have an endless supply of wood for it.

So I'm all set. The oil heater is out of the picture for me.
I like a woodburning stove better anyway.

Pooh Bear