# need baseboard heater relay information ?



## [email protected] (Aug 24, 2005)

This one should be easy for you heating experts; PROBLEM: no heat -- the stat is set at 76 and the temp in that stat's room is 64 degrees, cannot hear the baseboards coming on 1) I need to know how to check out a relay and specifically to begin with " where is a typical place for it to be found ? 2) How do I check one out and 3) how do I also check the thermostat (T87 Round model) as opposed to the relay... Said another way, to find out which is bad without changing both ? P.S. I don' t know what relay is the controller here (maybe a honeywell R841E- 1068 -24v) that is why i need to find out the "typical" place for it's probable mounting.

i would appreciate your help gents .. thanks for now.. JIM


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## darren (Nov 24, 2005)

Do you mean electric baseboard heaters, either 120V or 240V. If so i doubt if there will be a relay in there. If it is a 120V or 240V baseboard you could take the thermostat off and join the two wires that are on the stat together amd then your baseboard will be powered all the time. make sure you do this with the circuit off.


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## Celtic (May 23, 2007)

I'm thinking these are water(hydronic?) and not straight electric BB heaters here...


Can you answer a few ?'s first?

Has anything been changed/modified? ~ new zone, new t-stat, etc

Does the room get any actual heat?
- Does the pump/motor work
- No air in the lines ~ system bled?

Simplest way to check the that stats operation....remove the cover from it....turn out the lights....go rotate the dial SLOWLY. You are looking for a blue spark on the mercury vial.

If you see the spark, chances are the 24v transformer is good as well as the stat itself.


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## [email protected] (Aug 24, 2005)

*[email protected]*

these are just electric baseboard heaters and no water of any sort in relation to the system, in conversation with others there was just some jabber about maybe a faulty relay but given the forum's expertise perhaps there is no such animal in the system as a controller ? i will disconnect the stat and jump the wires and see if the heaters power up at all... Good thought about checking the spark on the stat mercury switch in the dark, I'll try that first and then proceed to the jumper for the stat and if they power up then I'll R&R the stat in the A.M. thanks to date for the enlightenment(s). Jim


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## Celtic (May 23, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> these are just electric baseboard heaters and no water of any sort in relation to the system... Good thought about checking the spark on the stat mercury switch in the dark...


I wouldn't do that!


Now that I know these are NOT hydronics....


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## randomkiller (Sep 22, 2007)

If you have low voltage stats such as T87's then yes they go to a relay, the stat is connected to "T" & "T" on the relay, the 1,2,3,4 terminals on the bottom of the board are the line voltage terminals on Honeywell type relays. There is a connection diagram inside the cover. If they are line voltage there could be four wires inside the stat you don't want to try and jump these out without knowing which wire is going where. No knowledge, no meter, don't touch.


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## [email protected] (Aug 24, 2005)

thanks for the good advice... I'll have to go searhing for the relay as it has HW T87 stat in the system...WHERE is a typical place for the relay and about what size could it be ??????? thanks JIM


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## [email protected] (Aug 24, 2005)

thanks for the good advice... I'll have to go searching for the relay as it has HW T87 stat in the system...WHERE is a typical place for the relay and about what size could it be ??????? thanks JIM P.S how do I go about checking/troubleshooting the relay?????


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## MechanicalDVR (Jun 23, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> thanks for the good advice... I'll have to go searching for the relay as it has HW T87 stat in the system...WHERE is a typical place for the relay and about what size could it be ??????? thanks JIM P.S how do I go about checking/troubleshooting the relay?????


A Honeywell switching relay is about 5" wide by 7" high, it could be anyplace between the breaker panel and the baseboard. As for troubleshooting, if the thermostat terminals are closed and the relay has power to it, the holding coil should be pulled in. If you break the thermostat terminals the coil should drop out.


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## te12c02w (Jun 1, 2007)

Checking and or troubleshooting the relay can be intimidating to the uninitiated. Take that cover off and there are a lot of wires in there. There might also be a fuse in there, but if so I've never found a blown fuse. It has always been something else. Definitely need a meter and a little know how.


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