Hey how's it goin'?
I had the same problem too.
There's a couple reasons the heater will do that, neither of them are good.
One reason is the heater has developed a leak and you can't fix that. The units are oil filled and if it was dropped or the dog chewed a hole in it ( I had a pretty mean dog ) then you can't seal it, it's time for it to go.
How the heater works;Oil inside the unit heats up, expands and holds heat while you're getting warm. If the unit is leaking oil, you might even smell something like motor oil burning. That would be a gigantic tel-tale sign.
One other reason, and I had this problem too, is the wiring is getting tired and the wire jackets are getting too hot.
There's a couple reasons for that too, but unless you're a wiring expert or electrician, you're outta luck again.
Once the jackets of these heaters wiring starts to burn, there's no turning back. You need to replace all the wiring and terminals or solder new wiring inside. Special wiring, terminals the whole nine yards.
Rewiring one of these baby's is a job for an expert, even I might shy away from one. And I've been in the industry for 35 years.
The final question is this;
Is your dog's life worth saving $20 at a garage sale?
I know, I know, it can be a toss up.
But make sure and DO NOT USE A HEATER THAT SMOKES.
TURN IT OFF
UNPLUG IT
TAKE IT OUT OF SERVICE TILL REPAIRS ARE MADE
IF YOU WONT FIX IT, DISPOSE OF PROPERLY
Good luck.
Russini
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