Do-it-yourself oil cooler: common failures, repair of faults

Installing an oil radiator for heating in the house in the country or in the garage at the moment is a matter of ordinary and necessary. Indeed, despite all the delights of scientific and technological progress, interruptions in heating still occur. Such a unit can be assembled by hand or purchase a factory model, but in any case, sooner or later all owners face the need to repair these products. We will talk about possible breakdowns and intricacies of the assembly now.

Oil heater repair

The older generation remembers that earlier in the accompanying documentation for all electrical devices there was necessarily a detailed scheme, thanks to which it was possible to repair the product with their own hands.

Modern instruction, as a rule, does not contain such explanations. But you should not despair, the oil heater is not a spacecraft and it is quite possible to understand it.

Common Damage

Important: no need to be intimidated if the oil cooler clicks on heating or after shutdown. When the technical oil inside the unit warms up or cools, a slight crackle is normal. Plus, such sounds can make a thermostat. In some cases, installing the device on a solid, flat surface removes the problem.

• If the sensors on the control panel of the electrical device do not show signs of life, then first of all you need to make sure that the socket is working. A large load entails burning of the contacts. The next number is the plug, here the reason is similar. Making sure that the socket and plug are in order, you need to check the mechanical integrity of the wire itself, chafing, creases, and overpressing;

• If the indicators are lit, the fan, when it is, turns, but there is no heat, you need to check the operation of the thermal relay. Such things are often not repaired, the price for it is small and there are such relays on offer. Unscrew the pair of fasteners and reconnect the terminals will not be easy;
• In the case when the unit heats up normally, but does not turn off after heating, the reason should be sought in the thermostat. As in the case of the thermostat, the thermostat is not repaired, it immediately changes to a new one. Despite the fact that the device seems to be working, it is not worth delaying with the replacement of the thermostat. TENY, working in the mode of constant overload, quickly burn out, and this is serious;
• If the wires and automation are normal, you need to check the condition of the heating elements.. "Punched" TEN can be replaced only in the case when the possibility of dismantling is provided. In low-cost models, heating elements can be tightly sealed in the case, it is already cheaper to buy a new heater here;

Fault Repair

Tip: although the scheme of the oil cooler is relatively not complicated, if you decide to fix the unit with your own hands, do not rely on the memory. All disassembly actions must be recorded on paper or video, in order to subsequently return everything to its original state.

Repair outlet, plug or cord is extremely simple. The socket or plug unwinds and in the event of a carbon attack, all burnt parts are removed and trimmed with emery. The cord simply looks around and “rings” with an ohmmeter.

Do not forget about the contact group inside the device itself. After removing the protective cover, the internal contacts should also be examined and preventive.

It happens that small debris gets into the anchor of the thermostat and the contacts also burn. In this case, you need to disconnect this node, remove the cause of the blockage and clearing the circuit, wipe it additionally with alcohol.

When completely replacing the thermostat, it is advisable to immediately adjust the settings. This can be done by setting the movement of the anchor in the range of 1.5 - 2.5 mm. Kohl the casing was removed, it is useful to immediately ring the thermostat and fuse.

If after all efforts it turned out that the cause of the malfunction is a “punctured” heating element, then it will need to be replaced. Make it easy, but you need to act carefully, so as not to pour the oil. Plus, our Chinese friends prefer to save on the quality of gaskets, which often leads to a slight leakage of oil, the algorithm of actions will be the same.

The device of the oil radiator provides for the installation of heating elements in the lower end of the device. The cover can be fastened with several bolts or a pair of locknuts. The device must be turned upside down and unscrewing the fasteners, carefully remove the heaters.

Tip: on the modern market there are a lot of various models of heaters, visually similar models may differ in characteristics or have a different mount. Therefore, the ideal option would be to take the old heating element and, presenting it in the store, ask to choose the same one.

In order to eliminate or prevent the leakage of oil when changing the heating element, you should use paronitic gaskets, as a rule, they come complete with heating elements. Note that rubber gaskets are not recommended to use, they may deteriorate upon contact with technical oil or will not withstand elevated temperatures. In order to be safe, in addition to paronite, you need to additionally smear the compound with heat-resistant sealants.

How to assemble the oil heater

Make such a unit at home is not a big deal. Moreover, the scheme of the device of the oil radiator is the same everywhere, the difference lies only in the power of the equipment and the size of the instrument case.

Depending on the size and required power of the device, from 1 to 4 heating elements can be installed in it. Often for a domestic heater is enough one heater.

As for the case itself, the choice is huge. Most often, standard cast iron aluminum or steel batteries are used for this purpose. But you can also use a conventional metal gas cylinder, a pipe of a suitable diameter, or a generally tightly sealed pot. The main thing that the heater does not touch the case.

Do not forget the oil itself. As a rule, it is advised to take any refined technical oil. But the ideal option is considered electrical transformer oil. This composition is already adapted to work at high temperatures.

The price for it is quite high and can take up to half of the budget, so the choice of volume of the body should be weighed.

The most convenient way to make a heater is from a standard cast-iron MS-140 battery; it has an acceptable cost, plus there are ready-made heating elements on the market and related fittings adapted to this model.

As already mentioned, the heaters are mounted in the lower end of the unit. The housing must be earthed, on the opposite side of the structure; a ball valve and an oil radiator drain hose are installed at the bottom. This is especially true for volumetric heaters with a heavy casing, where oil drainage, if necessary, is hampered by high mass.

Kohl, we are talking about the heater on the basis of MS-140, the upper opening of the battery, which is located above the heating element, is closed with a stopper. And above the drain valve, the hole is closed with a plug with a Mayevsky valve built into it, so that if necessary it is possible to release pressure.

Important: regardless of the size and volume of the heater, its filling should be within 85%. The remaining 15% will go to compensate for the expansion of oil when heated, plus in large units it is desirable to install an additional expansion tank.

The video in this article shows the details of the heater assembly.

Conclusion

As you can see the malfunctions of the oil radiator, as well as the assembly of a handicraft electrical device with their own hands, are not transcendentally complex and impracticable. For those who find it easier to visually perceive the information, we have prepared a video in this article.