storage heater fault diagnosis guide

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rafsparkboy

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Hi guys, not had much to do with these, but had a few callouts recently. Any body clued up on these and want to give us all a step by step guide to fault finding.....much appreciated gents..

cheers

 
hi...i was called to a rental property and tenant just moved in and said `heater doesnt work` . i have checked the 3 elements , fuse and dp switch all ok....maybe now pointing towards switchgear /fusable link...are these obvious to locate / test.... is it a good idea to rig up a bit of flex on a plug to get some juice in it, do some live testing ????? cheers

 
You do know that it's likely to be on 'ecomomy 7' and only live from midnight until 7am! You and the tenant do know this............?

 
Disconnect from FCU, and do continuity / resistance test. If you are reading the resistance of the coils, the heater itself is fine; and you`re looking at the E7 system, as Apache states.

 
hi...i was called to a rental property and tenant just moved in and said `heater doesnt work` . i have checked the 3 elements , fuse and dp switch all ok....maybe now pointing towards switchgear /fusable link...are these obvious to locate / test.... is it a good idea to rig up a bit of flex on a plug to get some juice in it, do some live testing ????? cheers
i get this from rental companies

thermal cut out may need resetting,,,common problem in flats because tenants cover them with clothes

flex and plug a good way to go,,,,,

 
Could be a lot of things. Last one I was called out to was because lady had got it set at 2 and because room was warmer than other rooms in house it wasn't taking charge at night, easy to put right though. Another I went to was a larger heater had been installed and who ever had installed it had not upgraded fuse to 20 amp. Can be switches and regulators on dimplex ones. Best option is to connect heater to plug and then test carefully to see were power stops.

Batty

Also are there any other economy 7 devices in property.

 
A lot of storage heaters have a non resetable thermal fuse in the top of the heater a few pence from rs 9 times out of 10 this is the problem.

 
I'd agree with all the previous posts, Thermal link will melt when customers pile clothing etc on the heater, big no-no . Older time switches can be opened and over ridden to get some juice to the heater. The modern Telemeter switches to E7 on a signal transmitted by Radio 4, so I was told.

The really old heaters ( find a lot of 'em in offices) contain asbestos, Don't even think about it !!

Elements are readily available for Creda etc.

Deke

 
As above, most NSH are very simple. Most problems i encounter are that the people using the heaters don't know how to basically. I always tell people to set the input to about 4-5 and the output to 0. The output controls the flap on top the heater witch is connected to the output knob via a by metal strip. If its set anything about 2-3 the flap opens too soon and the heater will run out of heat by the evening. Leaving on 0 keeps the flap closed right till when it needs to open on the evening :) Fan assisted heaters don't have a flap on top instead they use (you guest it) a fan to expel hot air from the heater. They have a E7 and 24H Supply. Some also have a 500w-1kw "boost" element on the 24H side.

On most older dimplex/creda heaters if the stat is set too low the heater wont charge up at all. The stat has to be closed to put a charge in. If the room temp is already above the stat temp it wont charge.

As above there is always a overheat cut out this can be a thermal link that melts and requires replacing or a push button type witch you can reset. Common cause being the vents blocked.

Elements can fail tested buy load testing OR resistance test.

Some of the more complex heaters use relays and electronic PCB control gear. These will generally be fan assisted heaters from experience.

Some systems use wall stats. Can be a bit misleading if your not aware of the wall stat straight away. Also seen a few systems with a central control panel at the mains using wall stats and even a out side temp sensor to control the heating.

HTH

Ben

 
ladies and gents

I am a first time poster, and not much of a handyman. Have read your expert advise and hoping you can point me in the right direction. I currently have a NEWLEC NLCH24N storage heater (big and bloody heavy) that seems to have stalled. It has two power switches and is not storing heat overnight although the immediate side switch still works and blasts heat on demand. Reading the threads assume it may have tripped (visiting mother did have a habit of putting her towel on it) can someone tell me if there is a reset switch or a specific fuse I should change to check before I call a professional.

Appreciate any help, its bloody freezing in my bedroom!!

thanks

 
Welcome to the forum Kevrico. It's good to have you onboard.

With Respect, may I suggest that you start a new thread up with regards to your querry?

May I also suggest that you add the Model "Newlec NLCH24N" to your 'storage heater fault diagnosis guide' thread title too?

Many Thanks,

Admin.

(PS. It's just a suggestion, Sir). :)

 
ok so the guy with the Newlec NLCH24N reset problem never reposted, according to forum search,

i know i'm hijacking a thread, but its the only thread with Newlec NLCH24N in it, how do I reset this heater its -8 or so met office says, please help:)

ps it used to work, and now doesnt:(

 
Welcome to the Forum Blogga.

I do belive it best to start a new thread with your query. Make sure to add the make and model to the title too, please Sir.

:)

 
cheers mate, where's best?, I'm a web designer by trade , but im cold so needs must:)

 
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