[MrFixItAlready!]

I have a Nautilus (A Nortek Company) in-wall, electric, forced air heater that is probably more than a decade old, but I can't find any information about it at all via Google or anywhere else I've searched. The information sticker states that it is "Model Numbers" N184-A and N186-A, but searches for just the model numbers does not give any useful results either.

Regardless, the issue I have is probably not model specific. When I turn the heater on by turning the single knob, whether I set it for low, medium, or high, the heater runs for about one minute, then shuts off. The only way to get it to turn back on is to press the reset button, which indicates that an internal circuit breaker is being tripped. In addition, when I have the front cover off, I can see that only about 1/8th of the heating element is actually getting hot, but it's enough to warm up the bathroom it's installed in anyway as long as I can get it to run longer than a minute. So what is the likely cause of the internal breaker being tripped? Will I need to replace a part, and if so does anybody know where I might find parts for this unit?

[MrFixItAlready!]

Now that I think about it, it's probably the result of a bad thermostat, reading the temperature as higher than it actually is. Does this sound right to you or could there be another cause?

I'm guessing that since I can't find any info on the model, it will be just about impossible to find a replacement thermostat, so it's time to look for a replacement unless someone has another suggestion about the problem. I just lost my job, so any cheaper suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[MrFixItAlready!]

I know it's only been a few days, but since these can drop off of the first page pretty quickly, I need to ask:

Any ideas people?

[whsydddy9]

May be a bad limit switch, any and all of them need to be ohm checked, plus the heating element needs to be physically examined for a break. Hope this helps.

[MrFixItAlready!]

One way or the other, this pretty much means I'm going to have to replace the whole unit since I have no clue where to find parts for it. I've found the company's web site (nortek-inc.com), but I can't find a single mention of this unit's model number or even the Nautilus brand at all.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I guess I'm spit out of luck.