Katherine Young

Thermal cutoff devices trip when either the air is restricted or the heater is running hotter than it should. tbh If yours used to go ten minutes and now it fails sooner and sooner even after cleaning and parts may be aging so yeah bimetal switch can become oversensitive and coils can sag and make hot spots, or the motor bushings can wear which slows the fan. A quick check at home is to run on high fan with no heat. If it runs indefinitely, airflow is probably fine. Then try heat on the same high fan setting. If it trips fast, the cutoff is telling you the heater area is too hot. You can keep using lower heat and high flow to nurse it along, but if there is a burning smell, discoloration at the front, or it trips within a minute after a full cool down, retire it. Not worth defeating a safety device.

You should choose impact friendly materials like grippy silicone or a rugged hard shell and add waterproofing and a stand if needed, and check reviews for durability, fit, port access, bulk, and price. Do quick carpet drop tests to confirm protection.