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LifeSmart Comfort

LifeSmart Comfort review: E1 faults 70

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7:27 pm EST
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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.

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

70 comments
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tommyj445808
honor, US
Nov 12, 2013 8:55 pm EST

I got my heater given to me because it wouldn't. stay on. I opened it and unhooked the thermostat that's in front of the blower and hooked the wires together. the bad part can be bought on eBay. part #ksd301a-a. it's a five dollar part. and if your cords getting hot its because you don't have it on its own. breaker so its not getting enough power.

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Jack of some
Hamilton, CA
Nov 05, 2013 8:30 pm EST

Do what JETBLAST says, I tried his advice and now the unit is working fine ...he wrote...Unplug the unit for 5 minutes or so. While the unit is unplugged( i know this sounds nuts) gently rock the unit side to side and front to back 3 or 4 times. You may hear a slight rattle from the inside.Plug the unit back in and it should work for hours with no error codes...

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Toddizzle
Camp Hill, US
Mar 25, 2013 8:13 am EDT

Sounds like a broken record same problem here... I took it apart thought it might be the thermostat but now I'm thinking its in the motherboard ... Very disappointed in the money i spent...

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Ghmh
Johnston, US
Feb 09, 2013 3:14 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

We are having the same problem with our heater too. We bought it almost a year ago and at first it seemed to work fine but now it will only run for about 10 min or so beep and turn off. I don't get any codes but just a beep. I can turn it back on while its in cooling down mode but it will still turn off again after about 10 min. Then some days it has run all day with no problem. It's even turned off then in a few moments turned itself back on so weird. All I can say is I agree with everyone. It's a scrap heap and I'm going to see if Job Lot will take it back. I have a Lasco upright that works great for our bedroom. Wish I had of read the reviews before I purchased this piece of crap.

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bjensen6
Parkersburg, US
Jan 27, 2013 2:54 pm EST

I just recently got the Ei error code on my Life Smart heater. I tore into it since it was about a month past the warranty and found out that there is a rubber bushingin one end of the squirrel cage fin that the drive pin from the motor goes into. Most of the bushing had twisted off of the part attached to the fan and it was making a loud squeaking noise before the E1 message came up. I fixed the bushing so that the fan turns with the motor shaft but I continue to get the E1 error message. I believe the problem now is with the over limit switch that is mounted inside the blower housing close to tZonehe one little bulb in the unit. We have 2 other Comfort Zone heaters that do a good job of heating our 1500 square foot house down to about 10 degrees. The Life Smart units are cheaply made and I would not recomend them unless you can work on them yourself or just want it to last a year.
If your are going to work on one be prepared to take out lots of screws beginning with 4 flathead screws in the casters.

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Lifesmart infrared heaters
Evergreen, US
Jan 11, 2013 2:38 pm EST

YES! A class action siut should be filed. We have had the same E1 problem. Took 3 weeks to get a live personand they said
we needed a new thermostat and fan motor. The woulod send us these. NEVER have received them and have spoken with a rep.
who saw nothing about my file and complaint or parts to be sent. I am STILL waiting and nobody will return my calls.
NEVER buy one of these units!@!

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Jetblast
Shamong, US
Dec 12, 2012 5:20 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Try this.. I have had the same problem right after receiving my unit. Unplug the unit for 5 minutes or so. While the unit is unplugged( i know this sounds nuts) gently rock the unit side to side and front to back 3 or 4 times. You may hear a slight rattle from the inside.Plug the unit back in and it should work for hours with no error codes.I have not had the time to disassemble the unit but I'm guessing there is something loose inside causing these error codes. It worked for me. As far as customer service, unless you have all day to wait on the phone calling them is useless!

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dabears8504
, US
Dec 02, 2012 2:13 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

same problem here folks...bought mine last winter worked fine and then when we broke it out this year..non stop e1 error code, cleaned filter, didnt help...just keep unplugging and plugging back in to get temporary heat...cant get ahold of customer service or anyone at the company...not sure if i still have receipt or if its under warranty still from menards...we all got took here, someone needs to stop this company before they burn someones house down, what a joke!

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Arkup
Monticello, US
Dec 02, 2012 9:14 am EST

My lifesmart heater is about a year old so I guess I should consider myself lucky that I am just now getting the E1. It was a gift so I don know where it was purchased. It was a good heater until now.

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Randy Adcox
Rocky Mount, US
Dec 02, 2012 6:33 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Yep, I too bought the SmartLife 1500 - two of them in fact. Same story as the others...Problem started with the "E1" code. Now, it runs for awhile then shuts off. It doesn't even give the "E1" code anymore. It just shuts off, and Will NOT come back on, until it sits for a few minutes. It then "beeps" (I guess to tell me it's "ready" to go back to work), and the LED over the "Power" button illuminates. Then it WILL come back on, but it only runs for a few minutes (maybe 5 - 10 minutes), before shutting off again. It appears to me that this is an overheating issue. I've noticed that if I leave it off for several hours (presumably long enough for it to cool down completely), it stays "on" longer, but it still shuts off after about 20 minutes of running. Sure wish I'd known about all these other peoples' problems before I spent my money on this piece of crap. All I can say is don't waste your money! If you want an "auxillary" source of heat, you're better off with an extra layer of clothes!
Oh, and I will GLADLY participate in a "class action" lawsuit if anyone wants to get one started!
- Randy Adcox

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jim woods
Moundsville, US
Nov 07, 2012 1:35 pm EST

the heater is junk and everyone should know not to buy anything from life smart. They will not answer their phone

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bethyann76
Cherry Tree, US
Oct 30, 2012 8:58 am EDT

What a piece of garbage. It's a caveat emptor: "Let the buyer beware"! Unit kept shutting off; did receive new thermostat and circuit board and a new heating element. Upon opening the unit to replace the parts found the inside burned! Glad my house is not the same, but now I am out $180.00 and the only thing burning now is my temper. Company will not answer phones or respond to e-mails. Next call is to the Better Business Bureau! This would make a great class-action referendum.

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Joy Mae
, US
Oct 19, 2017 4:06 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more
Replying to comment of bethyann76

I so agree. I have had ours for a month and it heats fifteen minutes and shuts off I will be taking it back to Menards and I will not buy another one from this Company. They don't answer their phone or emails

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Toni Gathings
Mount Gilead, US
Oct 30, 2012 6:59 am EDT

I purchase my Life Smart heater online and placed it in a house that no one lives in. Everytime I went to check on the house the heater is not running, but only flashing E1. I have looked in the manual but nothing in the manual covers my problem. Thank goodness last winter was mild, but this winter is expected to be extremely cold. This E1 code started on day 1. I moved the heater to a different outlet but nothing has helped. Please send something to help me fix my problem.

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ricksparadise
Ogden, US
Oct 10, 2012 5:09 am EDT

I too have been having this e1 problem! I only purchased my heater 2 months ago...Aug 2012 to be exact. Can not find any fix on the Internet, nothing in the owners manual and only get a recording when I call lifesmart. Buyer beware...you're hearing this complaint here from a lot of folks all telling the same story.

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bige3411
, US
Oct 09, 2012 4:31 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I am having same problem as others my unit runs for a few minutes and then shuts off. Bought it from a so called certified seller on ebay. Contacted lifesmart but no reply. Wish i could do something about it but cant. Have a newborn so i dont have the time or money to waste.

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xtacy78
, US
Oct 06, 2012 7:40 am EDT

I bought one of these 1500W wood finish heaters from ebay, it totally sucks, the manufacturer is the seller on ebay. I always get to stuck with this e1 code. Its such a shame they cant fix this, I wish someone from the company googles for complaints on them...

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ronygman
mocanaqua, US
Apr 05, 2012 4:10 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

this heater is really bad--runs a little while on high then get a e1 error and it shuts off--looked for a number to call to get it fixed and i can't find one-i ran it on low and it doesn't shut off, but u don't get enough heat out of it unless it's 60% outside--really bad heater

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NoHeat
, US
Mar 21, 2012 7:48 am EDT

I have one of these heaters as well. Biggest complaint is that when the heater is set on the High setting and runs for a period of time the power cord gets extremely hot almost to the point of burning to the touch. This does not happen on the low setting, electrician said it was a faulty power cord that cannot support the wattage of the higher setting. Additionally heater worked well for several months then has just recently started giving the E1 error. I haven't checked the filter yet but will do so then try running it again, however from these posts I'm not sure it is going to make much difference.

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Jroux
Jefferson City, US
Feb 22, 2012 8:14 pm EST

We have had 3 of these heaters now, 2 have had the same issue. After a short 2-4 weeks the element no longer heats, wont turn red even on its hottest setting and just blows warm air... not enough to warm your hands by. we returned one and purchased a larger unit for our upstairs, it is still running but has E1 errors. the unit downstairs is heating a much smaller area and stopped working just this morning. The units being in 2 different areas of the house says its not the area it is sitting in causing problems, and the smaller space of the downstairs area(where the second unit is placed) tells me its not being overworked to heat too large of an area that caused the units to fail. So I can only guess at this point that these units are indeed faulty at best.

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nd farm girl
, US
Feb 16, 2012 10:05 pm EST

I bought the heater in dec of 2011, gave to my brother to put in a small 8 x 16 warming room for farm chores, worked good for awhile then the E1 problem started. we are 100 miles from the store we bought it and just keep unplugging it and plugging it back in when the code comes up. I have cleaned the filter and it still bucks. I would not recommend this for any one who doesn't have the time or patience to keep returnming the product.

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Todd101
, US
Jan 29, 2012 10:40 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

There garbage:( no respect for the consumer:( what goes around comes around:(

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hunertom15
East Lansing, US
Jan 26, 2012 1:15 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I also am on my third Life Smart Heater all of which have shown a code E 1 when they stopped working. All from Menards who has been very helpful with returning all of them. All 3 were gifts givin to family members and all 3 went bad within 60 days.. Seems there MUST be a problem with these units. Can you guess how much money I saved by purchaseing the life smart over the eden pure? Not enough to cover the cost of my gas to keep returning them ...not to mention my time and frustration.

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life smart heaters
Sequim, US
Nov 08, 2011 5:49 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I too have a unit that will run 19 mins. and shut down. Can't find anything wrong. Looking for some tech support. Can anyone tell me how to contact mfg? E-mail:Robertv98382@yahoo.com. thanks

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Tgate52
Pembroke Pines, US
Sep 30, 2011 8:45 pm EDT

They don't ansewr thier phone. Have to leave a message and will get back within 48 hours, How has the time to wait for a phone call. This is the end of this product for me. I need anothe 03 heaters. Not form LIFE SMART

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ItsreallyjustallYOURfault
yahooooooooooooooooooo, US
Feb 02, 2011 8:13 pm EST

The E1 error code indicates the that the electronic control board detects an "open" thermistor which would need to be replaced.

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Looknforanswers
, US
Nov 25, 2019 5:28 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Did you find that information somewhere or is it from hands on? And can I solder in a new thermistor? I would appreciate any feedback so I can resolve it.

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Looknforanswers
, US
Nov 25, 2019 5:30 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Can I solder in a new thermistor or does the whole board need replaced? And where did you find this information?

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Looknforanswers
, US
Nov 25, 2019 5:32 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

My bad, just signed up and didn’t realize it sent my original message