Are old storage heaters safe?

Likestowrite

When we moved into our house 23 years ago it had a Heatstore storage heater on the landing. No idea how long it had been there (no sign of a model number anywhere on it) but it seems very basic (only one control going from min to max --you slide a little black pointer to the appropriate setting)

The heater is still going strong. It heats our landing and bedroom well during the night (I've heard that storage heaters don't throw out much heat at night but this one does (it comes on for several hours during the afternoon as well as at night ) and we planned to use it until it stops working.

But I often wonder if, because of it's age something could easily go wrong with it and cause a fire. Am I worrying unneccesarily?

Hazzanet

If it ain't broke, don't fix it I reckon.

penrhyn

Check that you are using the appropriate electricity tariff, and time switch.
If you are on economy 7 it should only be powered for 7 hours during the night.

Wywth

Likestowrite wrote: »

When we moved into our house 23 years ago it had a Heatstore storage heater on the landing. No idea how long it had been there (no sign of a model number anywhere on it) but it seems very basic (only one control going from min to max --you slide a little black pointer to the appropriate setting)

The heater is still going strong. It heats our landing and bedroom well during the night (I've heard that storage heaters don't throw out much heat at night but this one does (it comes on for several hours during the afternoon as well as at night ) and we planned to use it until it stops working.

But I often wonder if, because of it's age something could easily go wrong with it and cause a fire. Am I worrying unneccesarily?

If you are at all concerned by the condition of this rather old storage heater, you could ask a qualified electrician to confirm it is still safe to use.

But in my experience, storage heaters that have not suffered any external damge, tend to be very reliable.

But better safe than sorry...

Ben84

I use many electrical appliances which are far older on a daily basis, so age alone doesn't worry me. I've had more problems with brand new devices than old well tested ones. However, if you have any concerns or it's doing something new or unusual, the heater (and other fixed wiring) in your house can be inspected by an electrician. It might be worth having a the whole installation checked rather than just one appliance.