The main reasons behind the Duraflame heater flame not working are damaged light bulbs, faulty motor, stuck rod, a faulty thermostat, and malfunctioning electrical components.
Keep reading this article to learn more about these issues in detail that keep the flame effects in your heater from working properly and learn how you can fix them.
You’ll also learn how the flame effects of the Duraflame heater work, and how you can reset it. Let’s begin!
Table Of Contents
- How Does The Flame Effect On Duraflame Heater Work
- Why My Duraflame Heater Flame Not Working [5 Easy Fixes]
- 1. Damaged Light Bulbs
- 2. Faulty Motor
- 3. Stuck Rod
- 4. Faulty Thermostat
- 5. Malfunctioning Electrical Components
- How To Restart A Duraflame Infrared Heater
- FAQs:
- What can cause no power if my Duraflame heater is okay?
- How can you know for sure if the bulbs on the Duraflame heater aren’t working?
- Why does my Durflame heater keep shutting off?
- How long does a Duraflame heater last?
- Conclusion
How Does The Flame Effect On Duraflame Heater Work
Before we dive deep into the reasons why the flame of a Duraflame heater may not work properly, let’s take a look at how the flame effects work on it. That’ll give you a better understanding of the process and what can go wrong in it to create issues with the flame.
The flame on your Duraflame heater is typically created using a light source and a rotating rod that has some strategically placed mirrors.
When the motor spins, the rod will start to rotate and the light will be reflected from the mirrors to the screen of your heater.
The mirrors are designed and placed in such a way that they imitate how the flickering effect of a real flame looks. But in reality, it’s the bulbs that are being lit and create that realistic flame effect.
Why My Duraflame Heater Flame Not Working [5 Easy Fixes]
There are many potential reasons behind the Duraflame electric heater flame not working properly. We’ll discuss the reasons behind it in this section. The good news is that you can fix most of these issues on your own without the assistance of a professional.
Note: You can also read how to fix the Duraflame heater fan not working.
1. Damaged Light Bulbs
The flame effects of any electrical heater use both mechanical and electrical components to function properly. The same goes for the Duraflame heater.
If you don’t see the flames coming from it, it’s more than likely that the bulbs have worn out. It’s common for the bulbs to get damaged with time as they’re not meant to last forever.
Another indicator that you can use to confirm that your lights are out is to listen for the motor. If you can hear the motor making the noise, but not see the lights, they have gone bad.
Solution:
You need to replace the bulbs so that you can see the flame coming on once again in your Duraflame heater. Before you work on the heater, make sure that you unplug it from the electrical outlet and wait for it to cool down.
If you don’t do that, you can burn or damage certain components and also be electrocuted. With that said, you can follow these steps to replace the bulbs on your own:
- Make sure you let the heating element cool down before working on it.
- Remove the access panel using a screwdriver.
- You should see the bulbs once you remove the access panel.
- The bulbs sit on a flame generator.
- Reach the bulb carefully by going around the flame generator.
- Rotate it in a counterclockwise motion to remove it.
- Install the new bulb by tightening it in a clockwise motion.
- Repeat the process for all the faulty bulbs.
- Screw the access panel in its place.
That’s how you can replace the bulbs in your Duraflame heater. Be careful not to bend the flame generator when you’re replacing the bulbs. If you make sure of that, it’s an easy job and you’ll be alright doing it yourself.
2. Faulty Motor
The next thing to check if you don’t find the Duraflame heater not working its flame properly is the motor. The flame can only be lit only when the motor starts to spin and creates movement in the rod.
You’ll find the motor connected to one end of the spinning rod. If the motor doesn’t spin the rod, the lights won’t work properly and you won’t see the flames from your heater.
In some cases, you will notice that the flame is lit but it’s not moving at all. There’s a high chance that the motor has either been disconnected or gotten damaged if you see that happening.
Solution:
If the motor in your heater has gone bad, it needs to be replaced. It’s as easy as replacing the light bulbs, which you’ve already learned in the previous section.
You’ll remove the access panel by unscrewing it just like last time and locate the flame generator.
You’ll find the motor at the end of the spinning rod. Unscrew the motor and pull it out by disconnecting the wires attached to it as well.
Put the new motor in its place. Everything should run well now if a faulty motor was causing the issue in your case.
3. Stuck Rod
Another common thing to check during infrared heater troubleshooting is the condition of the rod. The rod is connected to a bearing on one end that enables it to rotate freely and mirrors on the other end.
If the rod gets seized or stuck in its position, the lights won’t work and you won’t be able to see the flame.
You’ll often hear squeaking noises coming from the heater when the rod is faulty. If you can hear the motor trying to work, but it is getting stuck and not moving, the rod is stuck.
Solution:
If the rod is stuck, the first thing you can do is add some lubricant to it. That could free up the rod and help it to function properly. WD40 is a good choice of lubricant for this purpose.
Make sure you don’t spill any liquid on the heater while applying the lubricant as that can cause issues with the other electrical components in it.
If the rod remains stuck even after applying the lubricant and keeps making squeaking noises, you need to replace it as well.
4. Faulty Thermostat
The Duraflame heater thermostat not working properly can easily cause issues with the intensity of the flames in your heater. If you notice that the flames aren’t too bright, that could be because you’ve set a low temperature on your thermostat.
How to set the temperature on the Duraflame heater? If your Duraflame heater comes equipped with a remote, you can easily adjust the temperature using it without touching the heater itself.
If it doesn’t have a remote, you’ll find two buttons on the heater to adjust the temperature.
The button pointing up raises the temperature. The button pointing downwards decreases the temperature when you click on it. You can get to your desired temperature by using these buttons.
Solution:
If there are no issues with the electrical or mechanical components and your flame is dim because you’ve set the temperature too low, it can be easily fixed by cranking it up.
But if your thermostat is faulty and you’re not getting a good flame despite dialing up the temperature, the thermostat needs to be replaced.
5. Malfunctioning Electrical Components
There are many electrical components in your heater that are responsible for its functioning well. For example, if you turn on the switch and nothing happens with the flame effects on your heater, the switch could be faulty.
Just like the switch, there are many other components that are needed to run the heater but the average Joe won’t be able to detect issues with them.
In that case, you need to consult an expert technician after you’ve exhausted all the obvious options to inspect your heater.
Solution:
If it was a faulty switch that has been causing the issue, you can replace it with a new one.
Otherwise, you’re reliant on the feedback of the technician and he’ll guide you in terms of what components need to replace for the heater to function properly once again.
How To Restart A Duraflame Infrared Heater
Restarting the heater can get rid of electronic glitches and reset the settings on the thermostat. There are two ways you can go about restarting the Duraflame infrared heater.
The first one is the manual process and the second one is the Master reset. Let’s look at the manual process first.
Cut off the power supply to the Duraflame heater and unplug it from the socket for at least 5 minutes. Put it back on after 5 minutes and it should start operating like normal if there are no significant issues.
If the manual restart doesn’t do the trick, you can try the Master reset. Disconnect the unit from the socket and hold the power button of the heater to start the master reset process.
Hold down the power button while you plug the heater back into the socket for at least 5 seconds and then, release the power button. After you let go of the main power button, the master reset process will be completed.
FAQs:
What can cause no power if my Duraflame heater is okay?
A blown fuse, tripped circuit breaker, or faulty power outlet can keep the heater from working even when nothing is wrong with it. Test the heater on another power outlet to see if it’s okay.
How can you know for sure if the bulbs on the Duraflame heater aren’t working?
If you can’t visually see the flames but you can hear the movement of the flames, there’s a strong possibility that the bulbs in your heater have worn out.
Why does my Durflame heater keep shutting off?
The most common reason for an electrical heater to shut off is because of overheating. A heater typically gets overheated when too much dirt and debris has built up inside of it.
How long does a Duraflame heater last?
Duraflame heaters are of good quality and they typically come with a 3-year warranty. Good electrical heaters last for 20 years on average while the bulbs need replacing every 2 years or so. The same goes for Duraflame heaters.
Conclusion
The flame components in an electrical fireplace are integral to giving it the feel of a real fireplace and it’s frustrating when they don’t work properly.
But now you know the main reasons behind the Duraflame heater flame not working and how you can fix each of them.
Hopefully, you’ll find the exact issue that’s causing the problem with the flame of your electric fireplace heater and solve it. Leave a comment below if you have any questions about Duraflame heaters.
