Faulty heater from manufacturer/supplier
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Warning to anyone considering purchasing a heater from a Chinese company to (save money) be cautious about buying from there as it’s not UL rated(from my research). I purchased a very large heater from a supplier in China and I had a licensed electrician come install everything needed to run it( he was skeptical about the heater and only helped with the circuit breaker and outlet). Then two months later after running the heater up to 100c (because the build plate is a 1/4 inch thick and heat transfer is low) the heater started smoking by the wire leading out of the base of the heater. Photos attached..... lesson learned and could have led to a fire. I won’t be buying a heater from that specific Chinese company again. Now I’m looking for a US manufacturer that can make a heater so it’s gonna be pricey but you get what you pay for($180).
BTW the heater is “rated” for 120c max and the configuration was 120v at 3000w at 30a which was doable and the electrician confirmed it but recommended a 240v when using that much power next time to reduce the amps. So I won’t be cheap when it comes to heaters and high powered units like this from now on.
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@aprz can you tell us the brand or supplier of the heater?
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@dc42 here’s a screenshot of the company on Alibaba.The heater could have caused a fire either way anyone else looking for a heater avoid this company. I’m still in the process of getting a refund.
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A single failure does not a pattern make ......
Having said that, Keenovo and JSR are known good suppliers.
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@jens55 Completely agree, I doubt all manufacturers in China are like that but it is a dangerous mistake for one of these companies to make since it’s not just transferring a couple amps and it’s heating up to 120c which can be a fire hazard. The company should have done multiple test to make sure it would work as intended. I’m just sharing the info to help anyone in the future.
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@aprz , it could also be a defective install. If any section of the heater separates from the heat bed, this is the kind of failure you get.
While I have always used the normal 'glue it to the build plate' approach, there are people calling for other approaches including high temperature RTV and supplying constant pressure onto the heat pad from below to specifically prevent this kind of situation. It is not an unusual situation and does not necessarily reflect on the manufacturing of the pad.
It is a good reminder that we are in fact dealing with stuff that can burn down your house and your printer design should include safeties. The most obvious safety is a heat activated fuse which would not have helped in this case. Some people install smoke detectors and really paranoid people will install fire suppression. Other people will follow the standard 'do not print unattended' mantra. People like me are lulled into a false sense of security and do print unattended but we are fully aware that this never happens to us and only the guy down the street
Edit: my first printer didn't have a thermal fuse. Printer #2 has the fuse, printer #3 currently in the build stage will have both a fuse and a sandwich bed construction.
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@jens55 I'm going to be taking it off soon and having the company that makes my next heater who is close by, take a look at it to verify whether it was the manufacturer or the users fault. Will post some updates soon and will make a new post confirming whether this was either case for any future community members with this type of concern.
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@aprz. great idea! Looking forward to the result.
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Looking at the photo, I'm wondering if sitting on top of that extrusion (which would act as a heat sink) might have caused uneven expansion which led to the heater pad de-laminating from the bed.
I would probably put something in place to sandwich and insulate the heat pad from the frame. -
@jens55 said in Faulty heater from manufacturer/supplier:
Keenovo and JSR are known good suppliers.
+1 for Keenovo. I don't know JSR.
what kind of sensing can detect issue like this, other than smoke detectors?
BTW, Keenovo recommend to not rely on the adhesive and use some mechanical support below the pad, though I never seen anybody doing it.
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@zapta, JSR does exactly the same stuff as Keenovo but at a slightly better price. Good quality product.
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@zapta, I don't think this fault can be detected unless it happens at the exact spot you placed the thermal fuse.
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@jens55, thanks, I will bookmark it.
Do people in Canada use those silicon pads to warm their engine blocks? Some of the ebay posts suggest that.
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@zapta, those people unfortunate enough to live in the colder regions generally use block heaters. It is a heating coil that is installed directly in the cooling jacket of the engine and is plugged into a standard 120V outlet.
I live in the 'banana belt' and our vehicles don't need no stinkin' block heaters
... but I did live in Calgary many many eons ago and a block heater is a requirement.
