Is it OK to use two 3kw fan heaters in conservatory?

[ishaqmir]

Hi

I bought the house a year ago with conservatory already built. The electrics 'look ' as though they've been done professionally, as does the whole conservatory itself.

The conservatory has about 3 double power sockets installed around it. I was thinking of using it as a dining during winter, but its cold as heck !!!

Question is will I be risking burning out the wiring if I use two 3 kW small fan heaters from argos, I could use two separate sockets of course.

Thanks

Ishaq

 

[stem]

It all depends upon the design of the circuit supplying the sockets.

If it is a 30 or 32 A ring circuit then that will be rated at approx 7 kW, so you have 1 kW spare, however you will have to consider what else is connected to it at the same time, as it may also supply other rooms.

As the conservatory is an extension, it could be wired to a lower rated radial circuit, or even a fused connection unit, in which case it could be much less. Between 13 & 20 amps (3 to 4.5 kW)

The circuit protective devices (fuses or MCB's) are there to prevent the circuit being overloaded and are designed to trip before damage occurs.

Because of the high load, if you do use two heaters, it would be better to use separate sockets. By separate sockets I don't mean both outlets of the same twin socket.

A total of 6 kW is a lot of heat, unless you have a very large conservatory 3 kW is normally adequate, you could try that first and see how you get on.

 

[ishaqmir]

Many thanks

Looking at reviews on argos for fan heaters I reckon I'll be fine with just one 3kw heater.

Really appreciate your sound advice

 

[ekmdgrf]

The virtue that allows light to pass into conservatories also readily lets heat travel in the opposite direction. 6KW of electricity is very expensive and it won't hang around for very long. That's a lot of money to enjoy the pitter patter of rain hitting a glass roof while dinning. There's an old saying: people in glass houses should buy a really thick coat. You could look at fitting fibre glass insulation to the walls and roof. Get the foil wrapped stuff, it's much nicer to handle.

 

[AndyPRK]

I notice there are now companies which replace your glass roof with a proper roof !

 

[stem]

I tried to do that with mine, but the building inspector threw it out.

As a conservatory, with over a certain percentage of the walls and roof in glass, it was exempt from the building regulations, however, when I wanted to replace some of the glass in the roof it was no longer classed as a conservatory and so had to comply with the building regulations, except it didn't as there was still too much glass in the walls to make it meet the energy efficiency requirements, so, I can have more glass than I want, or less glass than I want, but not what I want!

 

[ericmark]

In an ideal world sockets are supplied by cables protected from overload at the consumer unit the whole idea of the post war 13A plug and socket was for heating the house after all.

However the 13 amp plug was altered the live pins now have protectors to stop one touching the live pins which has reduced the ability of the pins to transmit heat away from the fuse in the plug. Also the house may have been wired with a ring final but unless tested that ring final may be no more a ring. If on change of ownership the EICR has been completed then there should be no problems.

So for items used for an extended time using 2kW is a better idea as less likely to overheat the fuse in the plug and 4kW (2 Heaters) would equate to just over 17A and the cable is rated at around the 20A mark so less likely of both overheating plugs and overloading circuits.

As already stated not uncommon for extensions to be fed from a 13A fuse in a Fused Connection Unit (FCU) in which case two 2kW heaters could rupture the fuse but it should fail safe.

As to heater types there are three ways to transmit heat, Convection, Conduction, and Radiation. Forget about conduction the electric heaters can use convection or radiation the latter can be both better or worse.

With radiated heat it can travel through windows even double glazed but it does not heat the air it heats what ever it's aimed at. So if there are drafts then radiated heat can heat people but leave the air cold and also is instant hardly any warm up time required. It will of course heat tables, chairs etc which will in turn heat the air in the room but if aimed at some glass will send heat out of the room doing nothing.

With converted heat be it helped with a fan or not it heats the air and so double glazed windows will retain the heat but any drafts will let the heat out.

So a heater like this

aimed correct will likely be better for room used part time but aiming is important likely mounted high facing house not facing any windows. The fan heater because it moves the air will allow heat to be transferred to any cold surface non double glazed windows would quickly transfer the heat outside. If you use something like an oil filled radiator then heat is slower to perpetuate throughout the room so non double glazed windows would not have as much heat on them to be able to transmit it outside.

 

[bernardgreen]

when I wanted to replace some of the glass in the roof it was no longer classed as a conservatory and so had to comply with the building regulations!

You could double or triple glass the roof providedthe structure can carry the weight of extra glass.

Or thick drapes such as these

which might reduce heat loss.

 

[winston1]

The cost of electricity is about 3 times as much as gas. Could you not extend your central heating into the conservatory?

 

[maltaron]

I think you will find that extending the central heating will render the conservatory liable to building regs with regard to insulation.

 

[OwainDIYer]

I think you will find that extending the central heating will render the conservatory liable to building regs with regard to insulation.

Not as long as the conservatory heating is separately controlled (separate zone)

 

[AndyPRK]

I think it would be better to leave the dining table where it is!

 

[securespark]

Really appreciate your sound advice

You mean his heat advice, surely?

 

[ishaqmir]

Really appreciate your sound advice

You mean his heat advice, surely?

LOL

by the way, i had guests around and so used a single 3kw fan heater in one socket in conservatory. good news is, it heated it up in no time and was comfortable for guests.

BAD NEWS is the friggin plug started getting 'quite' hot, so i switched it off and decided to use a 2kw fan heater i had. that plug also got hot but not as hot as the 3kw fan.

i had a powerful halogen uplighter in the conservatory on max too (probably 300-400 watt i reckon), that plug was absolutely fine.

so i think the wiring in the conservatory is trash?

the halogen uplighter and fan heater were connected to two different sockets on opposite sides of the conservatory.

 

[winston1]

Nothing to do with the conservatory wiring and all to do with the fact that 13A plug fuses do get hot at full load, especially with cheap plugs. Check the connections inside the plug. Also check the fuse holder.