Panel heater wiring

[ridgeway]

I have a 1KW panel heater that is fed via a timed supply (on a individual radial circuit) and FCU. I'd like to have the option of using it outside the set times.

Near the heater is a socket fed from the ring main. Coould I connect a supply from this socket via a 'boost switch' to the existing FCU using this...

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/93158/Plumbing/Central-Heating-Controls/Horstmann-E30-Boost-Timeswitch

Would I need another FCU prior to the new boost switch?

Obviously someone could press the boost switch when the timed supply is energised meaning that the heater would be connected to two different circuits. Would this be an issue?

TIA.

Neil

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Obviously someone could press the boost switch when the timed supply is energised meaning that the heater would be connected to two different circuits. Would this be an issue?

Oh yes.

When you say "timed supply", do you mean some kind of peak/off-peak setup? What controls the on/off times of the circuit supplying the heater?

 

[ridgeway]

Thanks.

The apartment is heated solely by panel heaters. These are controlled by a central heating programmer that turns on the heaters via two contactors in the CU.

Unfortuately, there is only 1 zone, so even though I can set on and off times, all of the panel heaters in all rooms are either
on or all off at the same time.

Is connecting 2 circuits as I described unsafe and/or against the regs.?

 

[Aragorn84]

Its very unsafe as you'd be creating a parallel circuit via the ring main.

Depending how is wired, turning the boost switch on could feed power into ALL the panel heaters, not just the one you want to power up.

 

[ridgeway]

Thanks for the point about feeding multiple heaters. The boost switch would only turn on the intended heater because each heater is fed from a separate pole on the contactor.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

And whichever circuit you take the boost from will be supplied in parallel from the heater one...

You'd need to put a changeover switch after the boost switch so that you can only ever have 1 circuit supplying the heater.

When was all of this installed?

 

[ridgeway]

True. Is this unsafe, not-recommended or just bad practise.

 

[Taylortwocities]

All of the above, and in that order!

 

[ridgeway]

ban-all-sheds, sorry I didn't reply to your question.

The installation was completed in 2003 in a block of 30 new-build apartments - I own one of them, but they are all wired the same.

Is this important?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Just wondered if it was new, or newly refurbished, and therefore in contravention of the Building Regs....

 

[ridgeway]

Is it the single zone issue or just panel heaters that wouldn't meet building regs?

 

[Chri5]

Surely each panel heater has thermostatic and switch on / off control.

You then have a choice, turn all the other panels down accept the one you require heat from and set the master timer on.

Or just turn all the panels off, keeping the one you want on and set the master timer on.

Or am I missing something ?

Yeah the solutions maybe a PITA, but it's the same setup as a CH system. Heat required in 1 room only, turn the TRV's down low or to off in the other rooms.

 

[ridgeway]

Yes they they have, but the big difference to GCH is that peak electric is very expensive. I was hoping to reduce heating costs, by having only certain heaters on when I need them. e.g. bedrooms a couple of hours morning & night, lounge just in the evening etc.

I could achieve some of this by continually manually adjusting the heater thermostats or on/off switches, but am looking for a slightly more automated solution.

I think I will get a sparky to quote for splitting the heaters into 3 zones.

eg. Zone 1 - Lounge/kitchen
Zone 2 - Bedrooms
Zone 3 - Hall, landing, ensuite, bathroom.

Hopefully this will make them more controlable & cheaper to run!

Any thoughts?

 

[Taylortwocities]

My suggestion is:

You have two contactors. Use the existing programmer to control the heaters on the contactor that serves the other heaters.

Get a separate timer to operate the one heater that you have mentioned as it has its own, separate contactor.

Then you have the separate control that you need.