Moving a Storage Heater

StressedFTB

Quick question I'm hoping someone can advise on.

I'm due to complete on a flat in two days which has night storage heaters and wish to move one by a few feet. There's no need to do anything with the wiring as it's long enough and I'm planning on taking the bricks out of the heater before attempting to move it (already checked that they don't contain asbestos).

What sort of rawl plugs and screws should I be using to attach it? As they'll get hot and be supporting a heavy load, I'm nervous about it falling off the wall. It's a plasterboard/stud wall if that helps.

Many thanks

paulpud

Although storage heaters are indeed very heavy, almost all of the weight is resting on the feet that sit on the floor so the bracket that is fixed to the wall is really just to stop it toppling forward.

If it is to be fixed to a stud wall the first thing I'd do is to see if I could find a timber stud for one or two of the fixings. Try to find a stud either with an electronic stud detector or by tapping the wall and listening to the sound - a deep hollow sound indicates the void between studs with a shallow solid sound indicating a timber, which a screw could be driven into for a fixing. If you aren't able to fix to a timber stud just use any proprietary plasterboard fixings as the heat transference from the rear of the heater won't be significant enough to affect them.

StressedFTB

Thanks Paul, that's really appreciated.

I hadn't noticed any feet on the viewings, but then again I hadn't been looking for them. It's good to know that a rawl plug is unlikely to be affected by the heat.

Many thanks

Risteard

Whilst I would certainly agree that the fixings of a storage heater would not be subject to any inordinate amount of heat (the heater sits a couple of inches off the wall owing to the bracket) - I couldn't agree that rawlplugs would remotely be a suitable fixing in a stud wall.

Ideally aim to screw into the stud, or at least use appropriate fixings (and still seek to screw at least some screws into the stud). Rawlplugs will pull straight out - there is considerable weight to a storage heater when fully laden with the required bricks.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

StressedFTB wrote: »

I hadn't noticed any feet on the viewings, but then again I hadn't been looking for them.

feet might be under the carpet, if new carpet was laid after the heaters installed, or simply to hide the feet.

Wouldn't go to the bother of removing bricks, a couple of strong mates should be able to move it a short distance.

StressedFTB

Thanks Risteard and frugalmacdugal, that's good to know.

This is a stupid question, but if the heater bracket only lines up with one stud and another fixing had to go into the plasterboard, can you recommend any fixings? I've tried to Google it, but the hits I'm getting assume a fair bit of knowledge.

macman

You'll need to put a noggin in to support the other bracket then. Plasterboard will not take the weight of an NSH's, regardless of the fitting used.

Ruski

macman wrote: »

You'll need to put a noggin in to support the other bracket then. Plasterboard will not take the weight of an NSH's, regardless of the fitting used.

As previously mentioned - the wall bracket is only to stop the nsh from toppling forward - therefore 1 screw in a stud and a couple of plasterboard fixings are more than sufficient.

I would recommend these

HTH

Russ