Try this first: thermostat, breaker and airflow

Why this happens

Cadet's owner's guide says every baseboard heater needs a thermostat, and that a double-pole thermostat has an OFF setting while a single-pole one does not. Cadet says baseboard heaters generally take 30 to 60 minutes to heat a room, and BC Hydro says cranking the thermostat does not warm a room any faster. Cadet's guide says the heater has a built-in high-temperature safety shutoff that stops power if it gets too hot inside, and that it resets by itself after cooling. Cadet's FAQ says a heater whose reset trips may be blocked or need cleaning. Cadet lists a faulty circuit breaker among the reasons a heater does not work at all.

How to fix it

1. If you see smoke or flames, smell burning or gas, or see scorch marks, sparks or a heater glowing red, stop here. Leave if there is smoke, flames or gas. Otherwise follow the burning smell page linked below.
2. If your baseboard has metal pipes or a water line running to it, it is a hot-water baseboard and not electric. This Old House says a boiler heats the water that is circulated through pipes to radiators or baseboards. Do not look for a heater breaker. Call an HVAC technician or licensed heating contractor.
3. Set the thermostat a few degrees above the room temperature. Cadet says to turn a mechanical thermostat knob to the right to call for heat. For an electronic thermostat, follow its guide. If yours has an OFF setting, make sure it is not on OFF.
4. Wait. Cadet says baseboard heaters generally take 30 to 60 minutes to heat a room. Do not keep turning the setting up.
5. Clear the heater. Cadet says to keep furniture, pillows, bedding, clothes and curtains away from it and not to block its air intake or exhaust. CPSC says towels, clothing and bedding were the things most often ignited in the heater fires it investigated.
6. If the heater was working and then went cold, give it time to cool. Cadet says its built-in safety shutoff resets automatically after cooling. Never tamper with it. Cadet's owner's guide says a heater that repeatedly gets unusually hot and shuts off should have its circuit breaker turned off right away. So if it keeps shutting off, switch its breaker OFF at the hinged panel door, leave it off, do not use the heater and call a licensed electrician.
7. If you did not already switch the breaker off in the step above, check it now. At the panel open only the hinged door, never the metal cover behind it, and do not touch the panel if the floor is wet. Family Handyman says a tripped breaker sits in the middle, and to reset it by moving the handle to Off and then On while you stand to the side and turn your face away.
8. Reset it once only. If the heater runs, you are done. If the breaker trips again, leave it off and call a licensed electrician, since Bob Vila warns that resetting over and over can cause an arc flash.
9. Do not remove the heater's cover or touch its wiring.

When to stop. Stop and call a licensed electrician if the breaker trips again, or if the heater smells like burning, glows red, shows scorch marks, sparks or buzzes, or anything near it is wet. If you see smoke or flames, leave and call 911 from outside.

Start this troubleshooter over

FourHome is our sister brand. Browse all FourHome replacement faucet and shower parts on the FourHome Amazon store. We earn from purchases made through this link.