ESWA Celing Heating / Thermostats

[JLGARBUTT]

I have been a tennant for a number of years and recently started having problems with the installed ESWA heating.

All of the rooms have individual Thermostats, which have gradually started dying. We originally suspected it was the heating elements in the ceiling themselves - but recently after removing the covers to the thermostats (Eberle ??) noticed that only one or two actually produce a small spark when the temperature or dial is adjusted. The ones that do produce this small spark appear to still be working.

I have tried many local DIY shops for a possible replacement thermostat with the view to try replacing one and see if it does the trick. Thermostats seems to be fairly cheap for a basic room thermostat.

Anyway most DIY stores do not seem to know which one to sell me. Attached is a photo of the thermostat currently installed. The inner cover shows :-EBERLE TYPE 17215.3582 16A 250V / II



I would be grateful if anyone knows anything about the ESWA system or could suggest a suitable replacement thermostat unit

//www.diynot.com/network/JLGARBUTT/albums/




THANKS

 

[bensewell]

Hi,

I have the same ESWA ceiling heating system as you. I also have a problem with the system, the downstairs is working fine, however the upstairs in all three rooms has stopped working. The thermostats click but the ceiling is not heating up.

Did you have any luck in finding the fault was is just the thermostat units or was it the actual heating elements in the ceiling?

I have called ESWA and they want £170 just to come out and tell me it's broken before they carry out any repairs!

Also, is there a way to test the thermostats to check if they are at fault?

Many Thanks.

 

[cjones586]

A cheap circuit tester will tell you if the thermostat is working. The heating panels have a 20 (ish) year life expectancy, and in my house all but one have lasted 25 years so far. They're not expensive to replace - if in the loft space you can easily do that yourself. However, if downstairs then it's either a case of taking the ceiling down, or pulling the upstairs floor boards up...... Which is obviously a bit more involved and could be expensive.

 

[bensewell]

A cheap circuit tester will tell you if the thermostat is working. The heating panels have a 20 (ish) year life expectancy, and in my house all but one have lasted 25 years so far. They're not expensive to replace - if in the loft space you can easily do that yourself. However, if downstairs then it's either a case of taking the ceiling down, or pulling the upstairs floor boards up...... Which is obviously a bit more involved and could be expensive.

Hi,

Thanks for your your reply. Could you let me know where you got your new panels from? It's in the loft space so might attempt to do it myself!

Many thanks.

 

[cjones586]

Eswa have an office in London;

020 7582 4300

I'd recommend having a look at the broken panel to find the part number before you call them - or just measure the panel so they know which replacement you need. Probably worth you checking them all while you're in the loft!

 

[ChrisOxford]

My wife's old 1st floor flat had ESWA ceiling heating.

Their UK office is in SE London as stated above. Seems to be a one-man band but I found the guy very helpful and willing to give out technical info to me as a DIY-er. This was about 18 months ago.

The original mats were nailed to the ceiling joists before plasterboarding when the flats were built (1980ish), so had to be cut out with a Stanley knife. The new ones were smaller and were simply held in place by the loft insulation above. Easy to intall but a lot of care is required not to wreck the new mat when trimming to size (ask the nice man)... and they cost a small fortune (about £300 for enough for a small bedroom)!

Other golden rule when installing seemed to be to cover the mat evenly to avoid hot spots which would cause premature failure.

Half of the mats in the flat had failed. All the stats were fine.

The family in the ground floor flat said theirs had failed years ago and had been abandoned, as replacement would have meant tearing down ceilings

C.

 

[DeltaT2]

I have been a tennant for a number of years and recently started having problems with the installed ESWA heating.

All of the rooms have individual Thermostats, which have gradually started dying. We originally suspected it was the heating elements in the ceiling themselves - but recently after removing the covers to the thermostats (Eberle ??) noticed that only one or two actually produce a small spark when the temperature or dial is adjusted. The ones that do produce this small spark appear to still be working.

I have tried many local DIY shops for a possible replacement thermostat with the view to try replacing one and see if it does the trick. Thermostats seems to be fairly cheap for a basic room thermostat.

Anyway most DIY stores do not seem to know which one to sell me. Attached is a photo of the thermostat currently installed. The inner cover shows :-EBERLE TYPE 17215.3582 16A 250V / II



I would be grateful if anyone knows anything about the ESWA system or could suggest a suitable replacement thermostat unit

//www.diynot.com/network/JLGARBUTT/albums/




THANKS

But if you're a tenant, it's your Landlords problem, they must ensure you have heating??!! Also, you're not qualified to mess around with the electrics in his property...............

 

[ChrisOxford]

And no spark usually means the mat's knackered, not the stat

 

[cjones586]

Half of the mats in the flat had failed. All the stats were fine.

The family in the ground floor flat said theirs had failed years ago and had been abandoned, as replacement would have meant tearing down ceilings

Guess I've been lucky then - in my 25-year old 4 bed house only one mat and one stat have gone!

... and they cost a small fortune (about £300 for enough for a small bedroom)!

I just bought ceiling mats for an extension to our house, and thought they were pretty good value - assuming they last the expected 20 years of course! Compared to slimline storage heaters they're pretty competitive, and definitely a lot nicer having no radiators spoiling the room layout!

 

[ChrisOxford]

They certainly work surprisingly effectively, and as you say, are utterly invisible. Silent and very controllable too.

Much more popular in certain parts of the Continent and in the USA than here though.

 

[bensewell]

Thanks for the replies. Can I just ask if one panel fails does it stop the whole system working i.e. if one panel in the bedroom fails the system in that room stops as the circuit is broken by the failed panel? If that's the case then only one panel needs to be replaced? It's just that the whole of my upstairs has stopped working two bedrooms and bathroom. Would each room be on a separate circuit or is it one continuous circuit linking all rooms?

Thanks

 

[ChrisOxford]

i.e. if one panel in the bedroom fails the system in that room stops as the circuit is broken by the failed panel?

No, the panels are usually wired in parallel, so failure of one shouldn't affect the rest.

It's just that the whole of my upstairs has stopped working two bedrooms and bathroom. Would each room be on a separate circuit or is it one continuous circuit linking all rooms

It does sound like there's a common cause, e.g. a blown fuse or tripped MCB. You need to trace the wiring and do some methodical fault finding.

A handy tester can be made up of a light bulb in a holder with a short length of wire and bared ends. Or you could use an old bedside light with the plug cut off. Switch off your mains supply, then connect the blue and brown wires across the connections to the mat you want to test. Switch the mains back on. The lamp should switch on and off as you click the thermostat on and off. Don't do this if you're not used to working with mains electricity, as it can be lethal if you're not careful!

Good luck.

 

[bensewell]

Thanks for your reply. I also thought it must be a fuse or something like that as one day the upstairs was working then the next every room had stopped. I have checked the main circuit board and there is only one fuse that controls the entire house and that must be ok as the downstairs is working. I thought there would be some kind of junction box for the system but there doesn't appear to be one?

 

[chrisbla8]

Hi There,

I have recently started renting a flat with ESWA ceiling heating – can anyone recommend the best way to use it? Not sure if I am missing something but there is no timer on the thermostats in each room so I’m assuming that this type of heating is designed to be left on all night? If we do this it gets too hot during the night or on the lowest setting it is still too cold in the morning. There is a main switch labelled HI/LOW which I have been told by my landlady is heating on/off but some of the time the ceiling still heats up when switched on low! Very confusing to me. Any help greatly appreciated, Thanks.

 

[bensewell]

Hi,

I have a similar system and there is no timer function so it is either on or off and controlled by the thermostat.

The 'Hi' switch sets the thermostat about 5 degrees higher than the 'low' setting. So even when the thermostat is on min the ceiling will still heat up to a certain amount.

My heating upstairs has packed up and i've replaced the ceiling heating with some electric convector heaters on timers.

Having no timer setting for the ceiling heating is a real downside to the system. I don't know if one could be retro fitted?

Cheers.