Red hot Heatrae Sadia immersion stat - help please!

[Fareham Grecian]

Hi all.

I have recently moved into an all electric flat with a Heatrae Sadia megaflo direct immersion heater. There are two stats; I assume one was for econ 7 but there is only one meter, so this one doesn’t work.

The main one is controlled by a programmable timer. The casing of the stat was scorched when I moved in, the water was scalding hot so I figured the stat had failed. I replaced scorched stat, and the new one worked fine for a while then started cutting out more and more frequently, needing resetting. Now if I turn it on there is quickly a smell of burning, and it starts giving off smoke, with one push connector glowing red hot - so I have turned it off.

It doesn’t matter what the stat is set to (and it still works) but this still occurs.

I guess that whatever caused the original stat to burn out is happening to the new one. Anyone any ideas what the problem could be?

 

[ProDave]

Are you sure when you pushed the new stat on that both spade terminals engaged properly, if the terminals on the heater are bent, then it is possible for one to miss and just be touching the side rather than engaged properly inside the terminal.

We discussed not long back that is is possible for a faulty heating element to heat the terminals from inside, so worst case a new element.

 

[Evans Electric]

I always think that manufacturers  are pushing their luck when they use spade connections for  higher current appliances .     Problem is almost certainly the spade connector .

 

[Geoff1946]

Yes push-ons can be dodgy. They rely on everything being spot on in cleanliness and tightness . The least bit of corrosion equals trouble. I've often squeezed them slightly to make them really tight to push on. Also one that has been hot will never be any good again as it will have lost its "spring".

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

I always think that manufacturers  are pushing their luck when they use spade connections for  higher current appliances .     Problem is almost certainly the spade connector .

+1 to Sir Dekingtons comment....

I would guess the previous failed stat has scorched the terminals that you are now connecting the new one onto leaving a poor electrical connection...

Bad joints = More heat = More failure!!!

Guinness

 

[Fareham Grecian]

Thanks everyone.

it is def connected ok but yes there are signs of scorching on the spade connector. Is it worth cleaning this, and if so how would you recommend, or should i just get someone in to replace the element?