Menu
LifeSmart Comfort

LifeSmart Comfort review: E1 faults 70

B
Author of the review
7:27 pm EST
Review updated:
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

I have 3 heaters from lifesmart. 2 work fine, but the third is a constant E1 code. I have cleaned the filter and checked the unit completely. It will run about 20 minutes and then shut down. I have already replaced one unit where I bought it and the new one works fine. This is the second unit to malfunction this way. The owners manual does not address the problem and the manufacturers 800 number sends consumers to a recording. Luckily my local Menard's has been extremely willing to exchange the units and are extremely helpful. They did state that they have returned several units for the same problem. Maybe a government or consumer protection investigation and recall may be in order. The lifesmart folks seem to just blow it off as a too bad/so sad attitude. I would have expected better from a company that is currently selling hundreds of thousands of these units. On a footnote I have friends who purchased similiar looking units made by EdenPure and Bear who are having no issues whatsoever after several years of use. The units cost more, but seem to have better quality and customer service. I feel it is time for the US Consumer Product Safety Commission to step in and correct this companies shotty products and even worse attitude toward the consumer.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

70 comments
D
D
Dreadnaught
Smyrna, US
Feb 13, 2022 6:28 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

02/13/22 Smoke alarm went off in my shop, opened the door and it was dark and full of smoke inside. The internal parts of the fan control knob burned up on my Lifesmart portable heater serial # HR272000401 and kicked off the breaker. Really? What the flip!. PffffffffffT. Could of lost my house.

View 0 more photos
B
B
Brauner
, US
Oct 30, 2019 4:04 am EDT

Hot tub has no power when plugged in it started tripping the dedicated electric box first. Now nothing spa is only 13 months old.

K
K
K4nh
, US
Oct 10, 2019 8:30 am EDT

I too had E1 code but once I fully unwrapped the cord from the back storage pegs so it wasn’t blocking that thermistor thingy it worked fine.

R
R
Rhonda Daniels
, US
Oct 21, 2018 8:15 pm EDT

The main power lights up. The front of it does not AMD wont turn on

P
P
Patty Perry
, US
Oct 01, 2018 11:48 am EDT

My unit smells like something is burning awful smell, your [protected] Not taking any calls, the [protected] is always busy- what the hell is going on here. You sure took our money for your products & oh boy you sure made money on us. Your products are terrible. I think you should reimburse us for the bad products you are selling.

T
T
Taylor Andres
, US
Aug 20, 2018 8:12 pm EDT

Purchased a heater from you had it plugged in all of a sudden we look over and it's on fire could have killed us. Would like to talk to somebody from the company immediately we will be telling everybody about this if not [protected]

View 0 more photos
J
J
JaNelePhant
, US
Jan 11, 2018 4:29 pm EST

let the photos speak for themselves,

View 0 more photos
M
M
Mable Simmons
, US
Nov 02, 2017 12:21 pm EDT

Used the heater for 1 winter. This year when turned on got E1 code. It heats up, but won't shut off. Runs all the time.
does anyone know what could be wrong? I am afraid it will burn the house down

J
J
Jake357
, US
Dec 27, 2016 4:30 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I had same issue, had this for a year, keep getting e1 code, after 20 min. Cleaned filter, no go, pulled unit out of cabinet and checked all connections for heat, checked fan for dirt. Put unit on top of cabinets and ran it, still e1, took compressed air to fan, power board, front control panel, and everywhere else, problem solved. Cross your fingers.

B
B
Blu01
, US
Nov 17, 2016 6:02 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

It's sad how they want so much for a product that won't work for the price they want to sell it for. Just get a real one

O
O
OneUSAMan
, US
Jan 28, 2016 12:21 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have two heaters I bought the "New" 6 element heater after a few months the control panel stopped working. It seems to get hot and needs to be unplugged and allowed to cool down before it starts working again. I removed the front control panel and let it hang in front of the unit, this solved the shutdown problem and the overheating of the board. However if the unit is set to max temp the unit keeps running but the control panel will not function.
The older unit stopped working altogether, I took the unit apart and found the main power switch on the back of the unit had melted and was burned brown on all of the connections a better switch would have solved the problem. I replaced the switch with a much heavier one then replaced a heavier gauge wire to the board. The unit works great.
I found the all to common E2 message is a loose thermostat wire it simply has to be reconnected (a very cheap clip was used to secure it to the board.

D
D
Debra Jean
, US
Jan 04, 2016 10:26 pm EST

I bought one of the lifesource heaters about a month ago and just started using it as the temperatures are dropping. Worked fine for about a week and then started the E1 error code. cleaned the filter which wasn't dirty, unplugged and plugged back into different outlets throughout the house, still doesn't work. I will stick to the Edenpure heaters from now on.

J
J
jimmy matho
, US
Dec 28, 2015 5:19 pm EST

i tried the "rocking the heater unplugged"...and HAHAHAHAHA...it worked!...it has been on for over a day now, no ER flashing...works great, knock on wood.

S
S
Samuel Duncan
Sturgis, US
Feb 28, 2015 12:12 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

well my Life Smart plug in and it does nothing! Can't seem to fine anything to do about it, it like it not even plug up!

G
G
G Stout
, US
Feb 15, 2015 12:16 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Purchased one of these 3 months ago. Turned the unit off this morning to leave for work when my smoke detectors in the house goes off. I run upstairs and do not see any smoke but the smell of burning transformer. I check heater and front unit says off but heating element is on but fan is not. Have not see anyone else with this problem but if smoke detector had not went off before leaving for work my house would have surly caught fire.

F
F
Foozler Ken
, US
Feb 10, 2015 8:38 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

After installing 3 different thermostats made in China, I found a U.S. manufacturer named Senasys that I ordered from.
The China thermostats have a problem with the ceramic, that is breaking down after a short period of use, causing the heater to become erratic, and even inoperable. Buy your thermostat from a U. S. manufacturer, as I did and it will solve this problem.

D
D
Drake Ferguson
, US
Dec 15, 2018 11:29 pm EST

Was there a part number associated with this?

J
J
Jasminky
, US
Feb 09, 2015 4:12 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Our Heater kept shutting off as well. It is still under warranty. We called and they sent us a part that truly would and should have a QUALIFIED electrician take care of. You have to almost gut the unit. There is no electrician at my house. First thing after opening the unit my husband notices that the wire leading to the power switch is melted! I call them back with my concerns and my concerns of even having to try and fix this and I was told I can have them fix it but I have to pay shipping BOTH ways. I told her that would be just like buying a new one. So then she offered to split the shipping with us. I thought about it and we are concerned about this unit with the melted wires and I would never feel comfortable leaving it on! Then if something happens again we have to pay shipping again! I have decided to send them the picture of the melted wires and just buy a new one from another manufacturer. This whole warranty thing is not right! My sister works at the local news station here and I am sending her this story and all the pics of what this heater looks like with all the melted wires. I am also going to send her a copy of all these problems that people have listed on here. Then I am looking into whatever else I can possibly do to get someones awareness and attention! I will never purchase another lifesmart product in my life!

R
R
rpeabody
Boyne City, US
Jan 04, 2015 3:33 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Mine does the same thing. The E1 error. I found that if I run the heater on the low setting it works fine. So that's what I've been doing to avoid the issue. Of course that means I'm only getting half the amount of heat that the unit should provide. But for now at least thats something.

F
F
Foozler Ken
, US
Dec 30, 2014 10:17 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Jim,
I believe your problem is the snap thermostat switch, mine is part number KSD301, which turns the unit off at 120C, or 248F temp.
If you have an ohm meter, it will test open when the unit fails. There are a bunch of them out there with this problem. Most people throw it away, and buy another, but the part is $6.50 for 5 shipped off eb@y. There is a good video on y0utube showing how to disassemble and remove the KDS301

J
J
Jim Millard
PacificBeach, US
Dec 30, 2014 10:05 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Well I'm back, my unit is now shutting down without displaying the error code. I will check the sensor and tighten the connections if possible and then re post if it works. I will also see if I can get some pictures and post them here.
Jim

G
G
Gabrie1
, US
Dec 30, 2014 12:14 am EST

Totally have the same problem. It didn't start to happen consistently until relatively recently. Only difference is i've never seen an E1 error. I turn it on, starts to heat up. it seems once it gets to a certain temperature it shuts off. After a short time it turns itself back on with a beep. Once it's warmed up, it happens within a few minutes. If it has sat for awhile, like a few hours, it takes longer for it to happen but once it's warmed up, it goes back to shutting off after just a few minutes.

I've taken it apart and almost everything seems fine on the inside. I plucked out the little sensor thing at the front of the heater and ran the heater to see if it would stay on with that thing out of its hole, no joy. I noticed that little sensor thing gets hot while the heater is running, like too hot to touch after awhile. I don't mean it gets hot from the hot air it gets like, electrically hot like there is a lot of resistance there. i notice only the one wire gets hot, the bottom one. The heater shutting off corresponds with how hot that little sensor is, again, from resistance not from the heater itself. i checked the connection on there and it's loose on the bottom connection. pretty sure that's the problem. (Yes, i took a risk and was handling that thing while the heater was running. Yes, i received a bit of a shock from handling it too much trying to figure out why it was so hot. Don't be like me.)

The rocking thing unbelievably does work, sometimes. I didn't realize it until i came across this complaint thing. A few nights ago, i was trying to run the heater and it was shutting itself off and while it was off, i raged on it grabbed it and shook it cursing it. once the thing beeped and was ready to power on, it stayed on that whole night. Honestly, i think that was a fluke. I believe the problem is with that sensor thing toward the front, but who knows with these things.

J
J
Jim Millard
PacificBeach, US
Dec 24, 2014 11:09 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

The people posting on this site have a legitimate complaint. I have a unit ls69xxxxxx and it does the same thing, but it is about one year old. I do suspect that the over temp sensor is the problem as ours will run most of the night on high without shutting down. I did the shaking thing and it has not quit since. will re post if it shuts down again.
Jim

B
B
Bill Keefe
Lexington, US
Dec 21, 2014 1:05 pm EST

Same model...Same problem...twice.
I bought my unit 2 years ago. Within the first month the unit started shutting off after 3 minutes of use. I managed to reach customer service and they had me to try a couple of different things. Unplugging, rocking the unit (There's a unit "tilt" switch which they say may cause the problem.) After troubleshooting online for about 30 minutes the rep took down my info and sent me a new power supply board and a thermostat. When I received them I took the unit apart and changed both pieces and the unit ran fine for one winter. The second winter (now) 1 month into the winter, it began shutting off again. I work in an electronics field. We discuss the possibility that some manufacturers may build in an intentional fail feature so people will be placed in a position to buy another unit. From the sheer volumes of people online reporting the same exact fail I feel this may be what we are experiencing.
It isn't like there's different things going bad like bulbs burning out or fans smoking. It appears to be a timed shutoff. Anyone know how to point the better business bureau at this product?

F
F
Foozler Ken
, US
Dec 08, 2014 7:49 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Yes, I too have one good one, and one new one which is defective. They have a quality problem on a part that retails for less than one dollar, that permits the unit to randomly turn itself off. It is the overheating sensor, which is part KSD301, a ceramic disc that acts as the overheat sensor. With the sensor removed from the heater, using an ohm meter, it tests eratic open and closed. It should test closed until a temperature of 60 degrees C is reached. I have ordered a new sensor.

L
L
Logic_Rules
, US
Dec 08, 2014 4:16 pm EST

E-1 is typically an error code that indicates a possible overheat warning. Picture it as a “check engine” light on your car. Although it is an indicator, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is overheating.

This could be due to a few things, and we suggest you review each of the following, and record your finding. If this still occurs after the steps have been reviewed, we can isolate and address the issue if any:

1. Do you have the heater at least 2-3 feet from the wall or any coverings (curtains, etc)? Typically, if the case is somehow obstructed from free airflow, the sensor may detect it is too hot and give the error code.
2. Have you attempted to disconnect for 15 mins and let it cool off, then re-connect? This sometimes resets the sensor.
3. Does the E-1 come on all the time (as soon as you plug in and power up), or intermittently only?
4. Do you have it on a dedicated outlet/15amp circuit? Should be by itself due to safety precautions.
5. Do you have it on a GFCI? This can sometimes cause power failures and give false positives.
6. Do you have it on an extension cord or surge protector? Same as above.
7. Please check your filter on the back of the unit to ensure it is clean of debris.
If none of the above are applicable, you need a new thermostat and, for some units, a new power board.

I hope this helps. I've had a LifeSmart heater for over 3 years and never had a problem.

F
F
Foozler Ken
, US
Dec 06, 2014 2:21 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

My Lifesmart renew 1500 was also turning itself off. I found a good video on utube that addressed the problem as a thermostat inside the unit that caused the issue. It requires getting inside the unit which gave detailed instructions, and testing the thermostat.
My unit is identical to the unit in the video, and I found the replacement part on Ebay for 3.99 shipped, for 5 thermostats.
Figured that was the best solution instead of dealing with Lifesmart. Other posts say they do not answer the phone, and you have to pay for shipping if they repair it.

A
A
Angiefaye
Sheridan, US
Dec 02, 2014 10:26 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I purchased a LifeSmart Heater model number LS1002HH13 in May of this year. Used it for the last month, set at 64 degrees automatic shut off. Last night I smelled this odd smell. I went into where the heater was, checked the plug, it was melted to the outlet, cord was hot all the way from the plug end to to one foot away on the cord. Unplugged the heater to find the plug end melted, the outlet had plastic melted on it from the plug. Very unsafe, there is a one year warranty on the unit, but the cord obviously has an issue. Has anyone received a satisfactory fix from the company for this issue or any issue they have had with this heater? It is suppose to be rated very safe and efficient.

G
G
Greg_T
, US
Nov 12, 2014 8:29 am EST

These heaters are junk and probably a safety hazard. They should be recalled.

A
A
AL Baldwin
Thomasburg, CA
Apr 18, 2014 8:22 am EDT

I would not recommend this heater to anyone, it does not heat what the company says it will. The only way you would get even close to what the company says it does, is the temperature outside has to be above 60 degrees and the heater in a area no bigger than a 18 foot travel trailer. This companies and it's product should be band from all retail stores to sell it is garbage do not buy it.

R
R
rick ch
janesville, US
Mar 15, 2014 10:39 am EDT

heater gave e1 error code unplug and plug in and worked until it quit working all together. took apart on off switch was melted and metal prong stuck on wire still. kind of scary.

R
R
Rexella Shipman
Fredericksburg, US
Mar 03, 2014 12:41 pm EST

We had the same problem when we first purshused ours 2 years ago. Husband took it apart and it was a loose wire. He fix it and has been working well ever since.

F
F
Fixinjunk
Stoystown, US
Mar 02, 2014 6:25 pm EST

Ok everyone I figured out the problem with theses. It is a easy fix with a little solder. You need a Phillips screw driver and Take the plastic sides and front off. Remove the screws from the front exhaust plate and bend it up. You will see the thermo switch. Un hook it and look at the pins that hold the push tabs on the switch. Chances are they are loose. The loose pins need soldered fast look at my pic. The pic showes them soldered. Those loose pins loose contact and heat up the thermo switch in just a few min. Shutting it off. I did mine and it works fine now. If you need more help with these or want me to repair your switch contact me bryansatv@live.com. Hope this helps everyone. I hated to toss my heater cause they do work really well.

L
L
Laura P.
Lake Ariel, US
Feb 17, 2014 8:47 am EST

Igot heater used at 2mths old, &in 1wk, E1 prob began. W/no info in manual, no way 2reach Lifesmart, no luck w/cleaning filter, & unable to return it, I found this website.Some comments' suggestions were not possible, 4me, w/out proper knowledge.1comment, stating "it sounded nuts", seemed easy to try. I unplugged it, gently rocked it, front to back&side to side, 5-6Xs, &waited 5min.Its ran on high, 2+ wks, since, w/out issues. Ur not nuts-it works! Thanx to ?

J
J
Jugerard
Westminster, US
Jan 31, 2014 10:38 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I brought a new unit home yesterday and while carrying it into the house there was a loud rattle in the box. After I opened the box and placed the unit on the floor the rattle was evident and loud if the unit was moved slightly. It seems to heat well but the rattle seems to indicate that something is loose or broken inside. I think I will have to exchange it for another unit.

J
J
Jim In NJ
Secaucus, US
Jan 28, 2014 8:05 pm EST

Bought A Lifesmart 1500 - 6 element infared heater from Home Depot for under $100. Heard loud pop upon plugging in - figured an element blew but it started up. Got the E-1 code after 4 minutes operation. Unit went back to Home Depot. Stupidly ordered a newer model from Amazon just over $100 with free shipping. What a mistake...This one starts up and blows lukewarm air and never goes over the starting 72 temp. On hold for support for over 45 minutes listening to horrible & loud music designed to make you hang up. Prompted to leave a message every 2 minutes. Finally left a detailed message with my phone number but 4 days later I'm still waiting for their response. Amazon will now have to pay to pick up Lifesmarts defective merchandise. Buyer beware! This is NOT A REPUTABLE COMPANY. Retailers - you are losing money selling their defective merchandise.

L
L
Lisa Kanney
McGaheysville, US
Jan 02, 2014 5:33 pm EST

I am having the same issue with the heater I bought at an auction. Stays on and heats well for about five minutes and then shuts off. The power goes off all together and then after a few minutes powers back on. My husband is an electrician and has taken it completely apart to see what is causing this issue. I will keep you posted!

P
P
poetikus
, US
Dec 20, 2013 1:48 pm EST

I too have the same problem. Purchased from Ebay, it worked fine for first season but starting last winter and still this year, the same thing: heats for a few then shuts off.

K
K
krissymac
Woodville, US
Dec 12, 2013 7:36 am EST

Everyone, hang in there I promise I will find an answer. I tend to go straight to the top and forget the "tech support" dorks. I'm on it and will let you all know what I can find out and what we can do with these pos heaters

A
A
4034alvin
starkville, US
Dec 11, 2013 1:00 pm EST

I had not used the unit for more than a year, I plugged it in and did the same thing E1 error.
I rocked the unit and the damn thing works,
Thanks

C
C
citrus26
Windsor, US
Nov 20, 2013 2:44 pm EST

Same problem. E1 error code and the thing is not even a yea rold and only used on cold days. . Just bought a second unit a few weeks back and it is working fine, but I think I am going to return it before I have ayn issues and get a better product.

Learn how the rating is calculated

Write a review File a complaint

LifeSmart Comfort contacts

Phone number
Website
Category