Storage heaters

[scentral]

I've got these and they're crap. Fine in winter but useless in spring/autumn when you've got to be Mystic Meg to predict the weather.

 

So they've got to go. I've got no problems with getting rid and installing new, electric slimline heaters but it's the power thing.

 

At the moment, the power lead to the storage heaters is fairly thick (about 12mm) and leads into a wall plate (not plug socket). Is it safe to make sure the wires are securely insulated and use a 'blank' plate to cover the previous supply and then just use a 13 amp 3-pin socket for the new heaters?

 

Or (and here I'm showing my lack of electrical knowledge), is it possible to substitute the existing wall plate with a 3-pin socket?

[Alex C.]

The wall plate works in exactly the same way as a socket, it is connected to the ring main in your house. It's recommended that heaters are hard wired in (as now, a flex going straight into a blanking plate), particularly if they are 2kw or above heaters - but if you wanted to swap the wall plate for a plug, it's easily done.

[scentral]

Trouble is, the exiting heaters run to 30 amp fuses. Surely it wouldn't be advisable to just substitute the existing wall socket with a 13 amp 3-pin socket?

[small_hall]

our flat also has storage heaters which seem to be circa 1970.... they stick out a mile from the wall & really don;t get that warm... in winter we froze our ass off the entire time & i permanatly had a blanket round me as well....

i could mention it to the landlord i suppose but we have already had to have the washing machine & cooker replaced . That probably sounds like we live in a hole , the flat is actually very nice indeed its just the appliances that have seen better days...

anyway my point is i will never move in to somewhere that has storage heaters ever again

[Alex C.]

Trouble is, the exiting heaters run to 30 amp fuses. Surely it wouldn't be advisable to just substitute the existing wall socket with a 13 amp 3-pin socket?

 

As I said, for permenantly fixed heaters, hard wiring is recommended anyway. I'm not an electrician so I don't know the in's and out's, but I work for a heater manufacturer. What heaters are you looking at replacing them with?

[phawley]

The wall plate works in exactly the same way as a socket, it is connected to the ring main in your house. It's recommended that heaters are hard wired in (as now, a flex going straight into a blanking plate), particularly if they are 2kw or above heaters - but if you wanted to swap the wall plate for a plug, it's easily done.

 

Storage heaters work on "off peak" electricity on a separate or dual meter they are not connected to the ring main and if the wall plates were changed for sockets they would only work during the night.

[Alex C.]

Storage heaters work on "off peak" electricity on a separate or dual meter they are not connected to the ring main and if the wall plates were changed for sockets they would only work during the night.

 

I'm not sure how I missed that bit, thanks for the correction - as far as I've understood, the off peak supply is usually on it's own ring main - seperate to the peak electricity, however, the electricity company should be able to switch your tariff (they may charge) and meter without the need for internal rewiring.

[Rupert_Baehr]

Storage heaters work on "off peak" electricity on a separate or dual meter they are not connected to the ring main and if the wall plates were changed for sockets they would only work during the night.

 

Are you sure about that? When I had an 'Economy 7' white meter ALL the electricity I used during the daytime was charged at the higher rate and ALL the electricity I used during the 7 hour economy period was charged at the lower rate. There weren't two sets of wiring. The meter had two dials and a little arrow which pointed to either the 'economy' dial or the 'normal' dial.

[HeadingNorth]

Are you sure about that? When I had an 'Economy 7' white meter ALL the electricity I used during the daytime was charged at the higher rate and ALL the electricity I used during the 7 hour economy period was charged at the lower rate. There weren't two sets of wiring. The meter had two dials and a little arrow which pointed to either the 'economy' dial or the 'normal' dial.

 

The way that a storage heater should work is that it is on during the Economy 7 period, and the plates/bricks inside it heat up; then the hot plates release their heat all during the day, without power being needed.

 

Whether that means that the wiring to the heaters can't be used during the day at all, I would not know. I would have thought it was the heater itself that had a timer fitted, and not the socket part, but I know considerably less than nothing about electrical heater systems.

[Alex C.]

Are you sure about that? When I had an 'Economy 7' white meter ALL the electricity I used during the daytime was charged at the higher rate and ALL the electricity I used during the 7 hour economy period was charged at the lower rate. There weren't two sets of wiring. The meter had two dials and a little arrow which pointed to either the 'economy' dial or the 'normal' dial.

 

The tariff usually works this way, but the storage heaters would still have to be on a seperate timed circuit usually - or a timer would be fitted at each heater. If there's power coming to the heater, the bricks will be heated up, they're not aware of when your economy 7 hours are.