Storage Heater Problems

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Hi, I have moved into a new flat and all 3 of the electric storage heaters don't work. The one in the living room is a combination storage and convector heater and the convector part works but not the storage.

I have checked the fuse box in the cupboard for the heaters and all is OK. When I switch them on at there seperate spurs the light on the spur doesn't light up (apart from the convector spur)....any ideas what the problem could be?

Will there be an internal fuse in the heating unit...can it be reset?

They are quite old models Unidare WMC718

Any hints or pointers would be great.

Thanks
Mallord
 
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I have checked the fuse box in the cupboard for the heaters and all is OK. When I switch them on at there seperate spurs the light on the spur doesn't light up (apart from the convector spur)....any ideas what the problem could be?

The economy 7 circuit these heaters are fed from will only be live at certain times of day. If none of the heaters in the house are working, it would seem sensible to start at the meter and separate consumer unit that feed the heaters. You may have a faulty contactor/timeswitch.
 
You may need to prepare yourself to be awake at the time when the offpeak is working so some checks can be made. Do you have a multimeter?

You should have a separate fuseboard for the off peak stuff. Can we see a picture please?
 
Thanks for the responses. I will post some pics this evening when i dig out my camera. I do not have a multimeter but it was the seperate fuseboard that I mentioned in my post and not the general house fuseboard.

If i want to take the front off the heater to take a pic do i isolate the general fuseboard as well as the specific heaters fuseboard?!

Thanks...pics to follow.

Cheers
Mallord
 
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If i want to take the front off the heater to take a pic do i isolate the general fuseboard as well as the specific heaters fuseboard?!

If you just want to remove the front cover then simply turning off the local isolation switches at the heaters should be enough. However, there's always the possibility that they have been wired wrongly or bypassed, and without any test equipment you have no way of knowing. For that reason, don't go prodding or touching anything in there you shouldn't!

I think pictures of the heaters themselves will be of little use anyway, as it's unlikely that they are the problem. Pictures of the consumer unit, meter, and any associated timeclocks/teleswitches/contactors around that area would, however, be useful.

As already mentioned, you may have to be prepared to wait up and see if the neon lights on the off-peak isolators come on during the night. This would be a good first port of call.
 
Hi, apologies for the delay in getting back. I stayed up and 2 heaters came on and do work. The third one didn't heat up but the light came on at the spur.

In answer to your last question.....the flat is not a new build but was converted from an office block in circa 95. My girlfriend has lived there for 8 years and in that time said that the heaters never worked and the lights on the spurs never came on......I have since realised she didn't understand how storage heaters work!

It would be good to get the 3rd heater working though. As I said earlier the light come on at the spur when it clicks on circa 12o'clock but generates no heat. I shall post pics of the heater and inside. I understand it may have a fuse inside at the top that can burn out if overheated and possibly a reset switch?

Thanks for everyones help...my gf is rather pleased to have working heaters after 8yrs of putting on the convector heater through the night!!!!!
 
Whats the make and model of the storage heater, some have a little reset button you press in the top right hand corner behind the front panel.
 
I just read the manual but it didnt say whether the overheat switch was resettable, I'd suggest contacting the manufacturers for advise.
 

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