Why Does My Electric Fireplace Keep Shutting Off?

If your electric fireplace keeps shutting off, the thermostat may have a problem. Follow these steps to troubleshoot and fix the issue.

Electric fireplaces work like regular heaters, with many safety features to keep them from overheating and starting a fire.

An Electric Fireplace Can Shut Off When:

1. It Has Overheated.
2. Airflow Into the Fireplace Is Limited.
3. The Desired Temperature Has Been Reached.
4. The Electric Fireplace Heater’s Outlet Is Blocked.
5. The Element of The Heater Is Dirty or Dusty.
6. The Wrong Bulbs Are Used.

An electric fireplace will shut off if one of these safety features is set off. If your electric fireplace keeps shutting off, you’ll be able to figure out why by learning about the different parts.

Why Does My Electric Fireplace Keep Shutting Off?

Many things could cause an electric fireplace to turn off, some happening more often than others. Each type of fireplace is different, so looking at the list of the most common reasons electric fireplaces shut off will help you figure out why yours is doing it.

Overheating

The first reason your fireplace might be shutting off is that it’s overheating. If the glass door at the front of your unit gets hot to the touch, there may be an issue with airflow or ventilation where the air isn’t being moved through the venting system properly.

This makes sense if you notice this problem immediately after using it for several hours and then turn it off before all the hot air can escape. Most of the time, this problem can be fixed by putting a new fan in the unit. You can do this yourself or hire an electrician if you need to.

Restricted Airflow

If the room has no vents or windows, the fireplace might not get enough air to burn well and will shut off. Make sure a window or vent is open so fresh air can enter the room. This will keep oxygen flowing, making it easier for the logs to stay lit and keep making heat.

It could also be that there is too much furniture in the room, making it hard for air to move. Provide enough space around your fireplace so that air can flow freely and that there are no carpets or rugs on the floor near it that could block the holes up underneath.

The logs won’t burn well enough to keep the electric fireplace lit if there isn’t enough airflow. Make sure the room has fresh air by opening a window or vent where needed and removing any furniture blocking vents or windows. Also, ensure the air flows well by leaving a lot of space around the unit and not hanging curtains, carpet over ventilation openings, or anything else over those areas.

Temperature Settings

There are usually four temperature settings for the heater in an electric fireplace: off, low, medium, and high. The fireplace may turn off if the room’s temperature is already at the right level for that setting.

If your electric fireplace has a thermostat, set it to a higher heat level than your home’s temperature to keep it from shutting off.

Blocked Heater

A blocked Heater may be one of the most common reasons your electric fireplace keeps shutting off. When it is blocked, air can’t get to the fire, making it go out.

Blocked flue A clog in the chimney is another thing that could be wrong with an unreliable fireplace that turns on and off quickly after you turn it on or after you keep it going for a while. This could happen if there were a blockage in the venting system, where the hot fumes are supposed to go, so they don’t gather back inside your home. Instead, too much heat would go outside, and there would be no way for warm air to flow freely through your space as it should when you use an electric fireplace.

Electrode Blocked When the electrode is blocked, it won’t light up like it usually does. This can happen for many reasons, such as when too much carbon builds up on the electrodes or dust causes a chemical reaction. When this happens, your fireplace is no longer helpful or out of order.

Burnt Out The last reason why an electric fireplace turns off while it’s being used could be a burned-out motor or a bad connection between the wires, among other things. It could happen if you used your fireplace when there was a power surge.

Dusty or Dirty Heater Element

It’s important to check on your electric fireplace every so often, especially where the heating element is kept. If dirt or dust builds up on the heating elements, they can get too hot and shut off the fireplace.

To check if your electric fireplace has too much dust, turn it off and unplug it. Let the fireplace cool down first before looking for dust or dirt.

While waiting, check the manual with your electric fireplace to see how it should be cleaned.

Incorrect Bulbs

If the bulbs in your electric fireplace have a higher wattage than what your model can handle, it could shut off.

If you just changed the bulbs yourself, this is more likely to be the case. Check the owner’s manual for the fireplace to see which bulbs should be used.

Other Possible Reasons Why an Electric Fireplace Might Shut Off

• Circuit breaker trip unit. Have you tried turning off the power and back on? If not, try it now to see if this fixes the problem of an electric fireplace turning off. It would help if you looked into this first because it’s easier and cheaper than hiring a professional electrician or heating technician (although calling one will be necessary).
• The appliance doesn’t work right when another electrical device is on the same line. Other appliances may be plugged into different outlets that share their power source. Depending on how they’re wired together, these can cause brownouts or blackouts that cause the electric fireplace to turn off. Before using the electric fireplace, unplug everything else so this doesn’t happen again. Or you use the extension cord power strip for many appliances on the same line.
• The cord is not plugged in the right. This seems like a crude mistake, but it’s surprisingly easy to make. I know because my electric fireplace has done this to me more than once! Before you plug things back into their original outlets, read the owner’s manual and double-check that everything looks right (or new ones).

FAQs

Take a look at some of our related articles below.

• Do electrical fires smell like fish
• Do electric dryers produce carbon monoxide
• Where is the fuse on electric fireplace

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Video References

HowMuchTech

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Ray Whyte

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