Help my storage heaters aren't working!

furrycat

Typical, the weather turns chilly and my heaters don't work!

I moved into my flat in June and the old guy I bought the place from was still using the storage heaters (phew it was hot in there on moving day!), so I know they did work previously. The day I moved in I went round and switched them off at the wall and didn't think anymore about it.

I have three storage heaters, one in the living room, one in the hall and one in my bedroom. They are Dimplex ones, not very new but not mega old either.

Yesterday, it was cold in my flat so I decided to switch the hall and living room ones on at the wall so that they would charge up overnight and today I would have a cosy flat.

Got up this morning and nothing, stone cold flat and stone cold heaters

I know absolutely zilch about electrics. I've looked at the fuse box in my flat and all switches are in the 'on' position.

What could be the problem? I thought perhaps all three have to be switched on (my bedroom one was off), but surely that can't be the case?

Help!

furrycat

Further info, I've just been down to look at the meter. It is a digital one where you press a button to scroll through daytime and night time readings. On the front of the meter, a red light is flashing next to where it says '1000 imp/kwh'. The light is flashing quite slowly. Other people's meters have no light flashing, except one other meter where it is flashing really fast. What does it all mean?!

Teresa_Green

Hi Furrycat,

Do your Storage Heaters have "input / output" controls on them?

HappyMJ

furrycat wrote: »

Further info, I've just been down to look at the meter. It is a digital one where you press a button to scroll through daytime and night time readings. On the front of the meter, a red light is flashing next to where it says '1000 imp/kwh'. The light is flashing quite slowly. Other people's meters have no light flashing, except one other meter where it is flashing really fast. What does it all mean?!

The flash just mean you have used 1 watt. You might have something turned on and the neighbours have nothing turned on.

furrycat

HappyMJ - yes I realise that now, thanks to google! I really don't know anything about this kind of thing! I've got a convector heater on the go (thanks to no storage heaters working grrr) hence red light flashing.

Teresa, yes they have input and output controls on them, but they are stone cold, they've definately not taken any charge overnight. I had the lounge one set to a low/med level of input and the hall one set to low, but as I say, they are stone cold to the touch.

Teresa_Green

furrycat wrote: »

yes they have input and output controls on them, but they are stone cold, they've definately not taken any charge overnight. I had the lounge one set to a low/med level of input and the hall one set to low, but as I say, they are stone cold to the touch.

OK, try leaving both input and output on high / full all night and they should be warm in the morning as long as everything is switched on and they are working. (I don't think you need all three heaters switched on at the wall if you don't want to). The first time you put them on from completely cold they do take time to get warm but after that they should be abe to be turned down to whatever you feel is the right temperature for you. (Do you have the instruction book? If you know the make / model you might be able to find a copy online).

Try the above and see how you get on?

furrycat

Thanks Teresa I will try your suggestion :-)

Vibrant

Our storage heaters have a separate fuse box, with a switch to turn all the heaters off. Have a look around for another box.

furrycat

Thanks Vibrant, but the fusebox I looked at has a seperate row of switches marked 'heating', there are three swithces one for each heater, all are 'on' and then there is a bigger switch next to them also marked 'heating' and this, too, is on.

It is a mystery, a very cold mystery brrr.

When I looked at my meter I took the readings and the night reading has gone up since I last checked (I use the water heater at night and also the washing machine twice a week), so I think it must be switching over to the night rate properly.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

furrycat wrote: »

I moved into my flat in June and the old guy I bought the place from was still using the storage heaters (phew it was hot in there on moving day!), so I know they did work previously.

on the day you moved in, and place was hot, did you accidentally cover the heaters with jacket, coat, towel?

Reason I'm asking is that the heaters have a thermal cut out, to prevent them overheating, and if you had covered the vents then the stored heat wouldn't be able to escape, thus causing the cut out to break, even though you had already switched them off at wall.

By the way you don't need them all on to work, I put mine on one at a time as weather gets colder.

Some links:Thermal cut out.

pinkteapot

I used to have storage heaters at my flat.

Definitely try turning the input to maximum to test if they're working. The input sets how how the heater gets overnight. On low, it's possible they simply don't get warm enough for you to even feel it.

I wouldn't turn the output to maximum. The output dial doesn't do a lot to be honest. The idea is that when it's set to 'Low', the heater stores the heat and when you turn it up to 'High' it lets the heat out. In reality, if the input is turned up then the outside will feel hot regardless of what the output is set on. All the output dial does is open a cover at the top so more heat escapes. I had old storage heaters then replaced them and even with the brand new ones turning the output up made virtually no difference to the room temperature but did mean the heater got cold again quicker.