Dangerious Wiring.

[Mark1Stelios]

Hello. I live in a flat we have one main heater which is a storage heater (the one with the bricks in).
For some reason this heater is drawing way to much power.
The plug, wires gets very hot.
The fused switch that it was on stopped working, so I unwired the switch put a plug on it and plugged it into a socket.
That socket stopped working so I plugged it into another one and realised that it was drawing to much power and was getting hot.
It was okay if you used for a few hours.
My missus went to bed and forgot to turn it off so it killed another socket.
Yes I know plugging it into different sockets isn't fixing the problem and is dangerous, but we can't afford to fix it at the mo'.
My question is what is it in the heater that is making it draw so much power?
Has it melted the wires in the wall.
how would I go about replacing the wires that are burnt out?
If the wires are broken I wont be able to join the wires and pull them through to the box?
Any help much appreciated.
Regards

Mark.

 

[ColJack]

storage heaters shouldn't be plugged in..
they should be hardwired direct to a 16A breaker..

they are usually in 1.1KW increments..
so a small one is 1.1KW ( one element )
a medium one is 2.2KW ( 2 elements ) and a large one is 3.3KW ( 3 elements )...
or there abouts.. it varies from manufacterer to manufacturer...
1
so at between say 3.3KW you're drawing 13.75A ( based on 240V as they are likely old heaters rated at 240V.. )



also...

Yes I know plugging it into different sockets isn't fixing the problem and is dangerous, but we can't afford to fix it at the mo'

is a completely stupid argument..
can you afford a new house and new furnishings? because if your house catches fire and they find a plug on a storage heater, your insurance sure as hell won't pay out..
can you afford a funeral and wake too? in case you or the missus is caught in the fire?

 

[ericmark]

ColJack is spot on. In theory 13A plugs and sockets should take 13A and for intermittent loads they do. Kettles work fine as not on long. But although originally designed for heaters in late 40's early 50's in practice not too good. The FCU (Fused connection unit) although same fuse seems to get rid of heat better and with work will continuous loads of 13A.

So either you get the storage heater repaired or replaced or you use a cheap 2Kw portable heater.

Inside the storage heater you are looking at 900 degs C and if there is anything wrong with the control circuit then fire is something which can easy result. I know as I was involved in the making of the concrete blocks to go inside and with dismantling and re-building so often to test product one did go on fire.

 

[Mark1Stelios]

Thanks for the replies. I know it was stupid but what were we to do?
It was very cold we are struggling every month to pay the mortgage and the bills every month.
I borrowed some money off my mum to get the heater fixed but we had to use it to pay the council tax.

Any ideas why the fused switch went kaput in the first place?
Do you think it has damage the wiring to the sockets that have stopped working?
How would I go about replacing the wiring to these sockets?

Thanks for the help

 

[Steve]

Any ideas why the fused switch went kaput in the first place?

Because you're pulling 14 amps through a 13 amp device.

Please, please, dont use that heater again until you have a proper supply for it.

Storage heaters are designed to be run overnight for 7 hours constantly, and give off the heat during the day. The way you use it, it sounds like you'd be better off with oil radiators.

 

[conny]

Do you think it has damage the wiring to the sockets that have stopped working?
How would I go about replacing the wiring to these sockets?

YOU DON'T!

A qualified electrican checks it out and does whats necessary.

 

[Mark1Stelios]

Any ideas why the fused switch went kaput in the first place?

Because you're pulling 14 amps through a 13 amp device.

Please, please, dont use that heater again until you have a proper supply for it.

Storage heaters are designed to be run overnight for 7 hours constantly, and give off the heat during the day. The way you use it, it sounds like you'd be better off with oil radiators.

No it was originally directly wired into I don't know the proper name is but it has an on/off switch and a 13amp fuse.
This flat is only about 6/8 years old?

 

[londonboy]

edit - re read post

 

[Steve]

No it was originally directly wired into I don't know the proper name is but it has an on/off switch and a 13amp fuse.

It shouldnt have been! If it really is over 3kw, it should have been wired through a 20 amp switch (no fuse), back to a 16 amp MCB.

 

[londonboy]

Take a pic of your consumer unit and upload it, a property of that age I'd assume would have radials to each heater, in which case you could swap the fcu's for dp switches. As said above.

 

[Mark1Stelios]

Hello sorry for the delay.
This is how it was wired originally before it stopped working.

Is this okay what would have made it stop working in the first place? The sockets that are now dead will the wires be burnt out?
Thanks.

 

[Steve]

Hello sorry for the delay.
This is how it was wired originally before it stopped working.

<Photo of an FCU and a switch>

Is this okay what would have made it stop working in the first place? The sockets that are now dead will the wires be burnt out?
Thanks.

OK, listen. For us to help, you need to provide more data than that. It looks like that storage heater has 2 supplies. Some do. Usually the switch on its own will be a 20 amp switch, back to a 16A MCB. This is the night charging circuit. The FCU will be the day supply for a controller, or a fan and electronic flap. Normally though, there will be two flexes visible from these switches to the heater (have you removed them? Or is the flex plastered in?)

Please open up the units and show us a photo. Also, if you know, explain what the two switches do.