i fix it; iFixAll

I have this DeLonghi radiant electric space heater for 30 years. I have always taken good care of it, and it never failed me until this winter. Inexplicably the dial of the thermostat seized up and cannot be turned. The heating elements still function just fine except I cannot change the thermostat set point. I finally found time to investigate.

to be able to access the thermostat without causing other damage I label the connections to the heating elements and disconnect the wires.

I was expecting a metal shaft that is seized due to corrosion, but surprised to found it made of plastic

Evidently the plastic shaft melted due to overheating at the contacts. I infer the contacts developed higher resistance due to oxidation, which in turn increase created excessive heat and cause the plastic shaft to melt.

at the mean time I found a good price on a new one also by DeLonghi; with exactly the same capacity and functionalities it is much smaller due to cost reduction

the styling is embellished

using the part marking on the thermostat I found out the thermostat still can be procured, from Europe; except they are out of stock

I patiently waited and watched. Eventually the part became available from Latvia. The price and shipping is very reasonable, and it arrived within a week.

the new part is identical except the color of the shaft

even being 30 years old the heater is extremely well designed and cost optimized

I gave it a good deep cleaning and it looks and works as good as new

I actually prefer the old classic understated styling over the embellished new one

with more surface area the original one would operate at lower surface temperature