As a wall heater owner, you should know how to turn the heater on. However, it could be having the wall heater for the first time that you want to use but do not know how to turn it on. Do not worry about how you will work with the wall heater since they are easy things to work with since it has a few steps to follow.
There are different types of wall heaters since there is an electric wall heater and the gas wall heater. The electric wall heater has a few steps to follow and is easy, but check on following all the steps needed to avoid injuries with the gas wall heater.
The article below provides all the necessary information to help you turn on the wall heater. Since there exist different wall heaters, there will be a description of the different kinds of heaters available for use.
Steps of turning on wall heater

You can use three steps to turn on the wall heater, whether it is an electric or gas heater. Below are the steps you can follow to switch on the wall heater:
Techniques used to switch on the wall heaters:
Technique | Function | Essential product |
Locate the pilot light | To identify the position of the pilot light since it is an indicator that the wall heater is working. | Check Amazon for the best pilot lights to use with the wall heaters |
Ignition process | To identify the type of power you are using, if it is either gas or electricity. | |
Set the wall heater with the right temperature | Using the electric thermostat, set the wall heater to the right temperature following the manual. | Check Amazon for the best electric thermostat to use. |
i. Locate the pilot light
The pilot light differs from the different types of heaters you are using since some are easy to get the pilot light as they are near the heater vent. In some heaters, the pilot lights need to search for them as you need to check the panel of the burner area and remove the site, then move in the direction of the main gas supply. The pilot light is in the forum on the metal plate. Choose to use a torch to find the pilot light in the metal plate. Check Amazon for the best pilot lights to use with the wall heaters
ii. Ignition process

The ignition process differs with the different types of heaters you are using. Let us discuss the process below:
- Electric heaters
When using electrical heaters, locate the dial on the heater and turn it on, facing the pilot’s direction, then hold on to the ignite button. Consider repeating the process once more with this process until the pilot light starts working.
After turning on the pilot light, keep holding the button for minutes before releasing it. The maximum time should be a minute, but ten seconds to save time is best. Then choose to turn on the dial, igniting the main burner. To know that the pilot light is lighting, you hear the sound of the burnet lighting up after all that fixes everything back to its place.
- Gas heaters
The gas heaters are the old day heaters but are still in use. Therefore, with this type of heater, choose to turn on the dial in the direction of the pilot lights and hold the pilot gas button down. Give the switch some time while holding it for 15 seconds.
Press the pilot gas button once more to light the pilot light so that all the wall heaters will start the pilot light with a spark. It would be best to use a match stick or a lighter to light the pilot with ancient wall furnaces. After lighting up the pilot, press the pilot gas for some seconds, then release it so that you can now turn on the dial to start the main burner.
iii. Set the right temperature
After turning on the heater, please set it to have the correct temperatures using the electric thermostat by checking on the manufacturer’s manual for the right temperature. Some wall heaters have the temperature dial, while others lack it since they have digital displays with buttons to set the temperature.
A thermostat in the heater helps keep the temperature at the right degree, that is, either one above or below the set temperature. The right amount of temperature range should be between 70 degrees to 78 degrees Fahrenheit.
Safety precautions when handling the wall heaters
If you have the wall heaters, they must have the thermocouple. The thermocouple is a part of the heater that helps the pilot light be on and visible. The thermocouple works by connecting from the pilot main gas supply area on one side to the other side of the thermocouple. The thermostat provides heat that reads its voltages and sends them to the gas valve.
Reasons why the wall heaters won’t turn on

- Dirty air filters
The dirty air filters can cause the wall heaters not to turn on since it blocks the flow of air in and out of the heater. Ensure you clean the air filters or buy new HVAC filters. Clean the vents regularly to prevent further issues. Therefore, you should periodically check the air filters and ducts to avoid problems without your knowledge. Check Amazon for the best filters
- The switch is off
You can turn on the wall heaters, and the switch is off; this will probably fail to work. Therefore, ensure you switch on the button so that you can go on and turn on the wall heaters for them to be on.
- Set the thermostat
The wall heaters must have thermostats that you can set for the heater to start working since the thermostats must have a specific temperature that they can run with. Sometimes, you can select the thermostat at an auto mode or heat mode that you need to keep watch of and raise the temperature to be high when the level drops.
- Issues with the pilot light
If the pilot light is faulty or dirty, the gas furnace will not start. It is good to keep on checking the components of the wall heaters and ensure they are clean to avoid some of the following issues. If the pilot light is pure or after cleaning, but it is not working, try and consult a technician to help fix the problem. However, the only thing needed is to turn off the power supply and natural gas of the furnace and then start the device if you are willing to fix the issue.
- Low level of gas
The gas level supplied to the wall heater may be below that the heater can fail to turn on the wall heater since the device needs an adequate supply of power to work. Therefore, check the gas connection to the wall heater and check its level. To do this, check the gas control valve by turning it on.
Frequently asked questions:
- Is it advisable to use wall heaters at home?
Wall heaters are good to use at home since they provide warmth and comfort to the members in the house in case of any condition within. However, the wall heaters, at some point, turn out to be dangerous as they can produce very high levels of heat that cause the temperatures to be very high such that they can cause a fire.
- Do wall heaters consume much electricity, or do they save it?
Wall heaters use a very high amount of electricity such that you choose to use them if you have enough cash to pay for the electricity bills at your home place. Therefore, most people recommend using natural gas to power the wall heaters since they save a lot of money.
- Can there be any incidences of fire when using the wall heaters?
Yes, wall heaters can cause fire at home in most cases when they heat at higher temperatures and children are playing around the area. The fire does not need to have flames or any explosive substance near to happen in the wall heater. Therefore, we should be careful with the temperatures from the wall heaters.
Conclusion
Wall heaters are the most common heat source in a home that most people prefer using to heat the house. Wall heaters are easy to use and install even if you know nothing about them, so follow the required steps, mainly those using natural gas to power them. The guide above shows all the steps you need to turn on the wall heaters, whether electric or gas heaters.
There are different types of wall heaters for use, which are mainly gas heaters and electric heaters. In this case, electric heaters are easy to use, mainly with the turning since you press to turn on. On the other end, the natural gas heaters are a bit complicated, but you will fix everything as needed if you follow the proper steps.