zoothorn

ST I can only understand how a piece conductive of metal stops (excessive 5am charging heat) by becoming in an 'open' position.. if I see the thing doing it, or rip it apart. Trying to explain like this, just words, when I'm still stuck on this bizarre excessively hot 5am situation & trying to fit some flap whatnot into the equation, which is closed by all accounts at 5am, then opens, but the thing is far less hot when it's open.. tbh makes bggr all sense to me. I haven't the feintest idea what's going on! If the thing is logical, I will understand it. But if not.... it likely just won't click with me. Superhot at 5am when you've turned it off.. is illogical.

That's a good plan, if the heater will allow this tho/ doesn't it need to be switched on 24/7 to do it's things?

Hi dpm, unless I rip the thing apart & see how it works I just can't understand the 'flap' thing, or know it's relevance to this overnight excessive heat situation. And I can't visualise how a sheet of metal ( assuming a flap is such a design) can inhibit/ stop the heat emmitting. Especially if metal conducts heat well.

Hi TT, they don't have the means to change these two new expensive heaters now. They have frosted DG panes which they won't do be ause they can't afford to.. not in the sitroom or their bedroom tho. So it's a question of trying to understand them ( I still can't.. so they've no hope in hell of then). I have an oil-filled rad here, which I spent hours on many calls to try understanding the digital display. Finally I did, but now cannot remember: so complicated, so I just use the big back switch to turn on & off. Often I forget it's on ( no obvious on light for eg) go out & waste money. So trv's (was mine stuck? Was it meant to be like this? Could never get the answer- drove me insane), these stupid storage ones, my oil filled rad, & my ashp.. I cannot understand any of them. And I have a background in technical camera assisting, so, my 82/86 year old who struggle with tv remotes... haven't the slightest chance.

Do they do the fan thing on/ off overnight?? Just thought.. this would drive me insane, as badly having a storage heater in my bedroom doing this 11pm to 7 am, as I hear my awful ASHP doing something akin to this within-the-room fan intrusion in terms of noise from 3 bedrooms away. I bloomin hope I haven't made my folks sleep interrupted by these heaters.

Hi ProDave, but both my parents two bedrooms had storage heaters in when they moved there. They must have radiators in bedrooms, especially at their ages. So, the two I told them after alot of research were faulty, are in their bedroom & livingroom. They then got onto a professional company, who replaced the old ones for new ones. No mention either before or at his assessment, ever mentioned they shouldn't have these radiators in bedrooms.

Hi TT, appreciate this. Actually all this I understand. How the thing stores overnight/ releases/ how typical dials work (actually this is still not fathomable to me, let alone my 82/86 yr old folks.. but this aspect isn't in question for now, for this thread). But it omits information on the very aspect I do not understand. The extremely hot rads, at 5am. So the whole design still makes absolutely no sense to me. Conversely it seems idiotic. If there's say a 100 minute period, when the rad is extremely hot (I'm talking, from experiencing two different rads doing the very same thing, at at least twice if not 3x the heat generated as they do when releasing it)... it is ridiculous having this wastefully, sleep-interruptingly, released at a time when it's not wanted or needed. The reason for the time at which it does this bizarre max-heat-release, has been explained, & perfectly easy to understand: cheap rate leccy. But if this 100 min period is wasted, it's nonsensical. It would make -more- sense to have this charge block period, in the daytime even with a higher leccy rate, because this 100min max-release-period could be useable (albeit at an uncomfortablly hot 100 mins but far better this than waking up sweating buckets angry at such a waste of your radiator's heat).

Food for thought there ProDave. At least my folks home is adequately insulated, if not VG, it's a semi-detatched so that helps. They do have a fireplace 'hole' with an electric bar fire in front on it (they dont use as too costly).. which mice were getting into livingroom from. So I've temporarily blocked with a ply board & foil front ( in case they do put fire on) & told thdm "please leave a gap fire to board". But ideally I need to ask on here about a better/ proper block panel, as cold no doubt gets in through my ply. Your reply here describes my livingroom better, & food for thought on undertaking some project to redo it's whole floor: no insulation, permenant cold 'up to knees' level even with my stove flat out for 2 hours. Unbearable tbh. But not to go off track. I'll try tempting them to run the heater earlier in day maybe. But they're so pennypinching even before this energy crisis, so it will be a fruitless task. Thanks, Zoot

Hi ProDave, do you mean better fir an office, because the newly-charged heater at 5am... will work more effectively, if it releases this heat, as soon as possible? Or rather sooner ( during the day) rather than storing all day to less,-effectively release it 6pm-11pm? Ive noticed this new one you see, although I up the temp ( as soon as I visit without them looking) to 23*C, the room remains only tepid/ never warm at all. And yes spot on: the fan is not something I could live with too: it's on/ off/ on regular thing is similar to my dreaded ASHP 11pm-7am going on/ off/ on infuriatingly ( but nothing like as intrusive-sounding, not remotely close). It's background-irritating that's all. But they had no idea any audible fan would be present in any storage heater replacement. Nor would I have. I'd be furious. My dear old folks.. just put up with it, blankets on legs & waterbottles to keep warm because the thing's innefective at their 20*C setting & the room's not warm, & put up with my insisting they spend £1400 on them too. So I'll be pampering them this xmas to make up for my terrible mistake.. it's all I can do. Thanks, zoot

@Susie Hi there, very grateful for your reply. I'll be diving in to these detailed replies, best I do so with the thing in front of me/ at xmas when I visit. It's difficult to fully understand now. Again I can under their overnight charging principle, but the excessive heat at 5am, seems peculiar. From yours & ProDave's replies, if its the bricks that charge/ soak up the heat, getting to maximum saturation let's call it at 5 am.. then why at 7am are they back to an 'off' situation? How (&where) does this heat become hidden then, if they don't feel warm during the day, until the heat is 'released' when the timer says 'on' at 6pm? And my understanding of why any heater would be designed to be excessively hot at the very time it's not wanted, still seems not just bizarre, but completely ridiculous, & totally wasteful; & I just can't see why anyone would deem this a worthy design. I'm kicking myself terribly though, as I persuaded them to replace two large ones ( because it was deemed they were faulty & 'flap stuck open' being flat-out hot at 5am). They're hard up, have no luxuries in life ever, & I persuaded them unnecessarily by all accounts, to spend 2x£700. I feel awful about this. Totally my fault. zoot

Thanks TT & ProDave for the replies btw, I trust you are keeping well. I'll dive in about the intricacies of how they work from your replies.. but it was just this one 5 am thing I was asking about ( ie is it, or is it not... faulty). I cant cope with too much info on any of these wretched heating systems.... be it, trv's, my ASHP ( the most insanely annoying unfathomable thing even for Vaillant engineers here to understand), now these wretched storage heaters, all are unfathomable to me. Im now off to make a fire on a tiny stove a fraction the cost of these systems.. & get warm. Uncomplicated. Simple. And free too. Zoot.

So this new one isn't faulty then-? Which means the old one, which I persuaded them to change ( because it was 'stuck on' at 5am.. this was the consensus, I hadn't heard of any heater 'sticking on', via some flap mechanism, but this was the consensus)... wasn't likely at fault then at all. These drive me insane. I can understand they charge at night & store. Then release the stored charge evenly during the evening for eg. Makes logical sense, due to cost aspects. But if you have one say in a bedroom, you had it on evenly for hours in evening for eg, setting to to go off at say 11pm ( this seems just normal)... I dont want, or either expect it, to be belting out heat at about 10x the rate it did during the evening... at 5am!! This is preposterous. 1) as an utter waste of heat, 2) at the very time it's not needed, 3) making a bedroom uncomfortably hot possibly waking you up ( would me).. then you're 3) annoyed at this situation how irritated at 5am ( so getting back to sleep not easy), and 4) you're stressed because the only logic it's on maximum heat like this... is that it's faulty. Preposterous.

Hi Chaps, I seem to have a similar confusion as before with these damn heaters. Not mine, my parents. I just cannot understand them. Ok my very old parents moved to a house 6 years ago, having old brown 80's storage heaters in. I noticed at 5am one (main livingroom) was on, extremely hot at 5am. So, I think I asked on here at the time wtf? Etc. The consensus was, I recall that it had likely stuck open, or at the least it wasn't correct/ was faulty. So it was replaced, £700 or so, 18 months ago. Now, the last time I stayed, april, this new storage heater was on, as far as I could tell producing tepid heat during the evening (fairly uselessly imho) & the ruddy fan going on/ off slightly irritatingly.. also suggesting the thing was working as normal I might assume during the evening. But again I come down at 5am.... & the damn thing is belting out heat, extremely hot. Just like the old one. This whole thing makes no logical sense. Can anyone shed any light? Thanks, zoot

Atumn greetings all. Have to put an update. No hasn't burnt down.. It's proving a triumph: each weeknight in cabin now, got a nice chair in. Of course the energy crisis meaning I've fluked it too: I'm not using the ASHP for central heating, impossible to afford, so retreating down here is proving invaluable. Just then to run the gauntlet to dive upstairs & put 'leccy blanket on 11.30pm. No cost at all too. I do put a hottie (heat the water top of stove) on my lower back, as chair cold to start off but then I'm tickety boo 8-11.30pm. Cheers Zoot.

I know, but you're all saying the same cause: it's my house damp ST. It isn't due to this. It cannot be due to this. It's not even logical to suggest this is the cause. It could be if these new french doors were put into the old part of the house, I'd not bother even asking why there's such bad mould formed in 18 months. THIS is what you believe/ Here is where you think these doors reside. They are not anywhere near the old part of the house. They're at the very end of a new (dry) extension, joining onto the old part of the house But again I'll just get same reply "put heat on to get rid of the house damp". Omg, it's these replies making me want the therapy!

Apologies for taking this thread off track, entirely my fault, & appreciate trying to offer advice. Once I get this signed off, final-finally, I'll put the thread to bed. Thanks, zoot.

Anyway, back on board of the actual thread title.. Can someone tell me what to expect now; ok yesterday the BCO came, final inspection. Here for 5 mins(!). Happy with everything including balcony even complimentary about it. Knows the builder very well. So all boxes are finally ticked, I know only this much. I showed him the electrician's docs he left me with. Off he goes. What now? Am I waiting for a letter, or email until which time it isn't signed off? thanks, zoot

Suggesting this is psycho-symptomatic, but without actually saying so. -- Given eg's ST. Other houses ST. The same symptoms ST. Now you can suggest we're ALL just thinking this exists then, rather than it just doing so.

Good reply ProDave. Firstly I'm not certain, this suggests its just me, WE ARE ALL MORE THAN CERTAIN... WE KNOW, BECAUSE WE LIVE WITH IT 24/7, 365 DAYS A YEAR). What I'm trying to establish, is what I should EXPECT. EXPECTATIONS. I have first time in my life, built a new extention. I do not know what to expect once it's built. Should I for example expect vermin to infest it, for ivy to penetrate the walls, & for excessive mould to form in only 18 months? I do not know the answers, because I have never been in a similar position before. SO, I can only make rational judgements on what to expect. Vermin infeststion? no. Ivy? no. Excessive mould in only 18 months? no. If I built the thing leaving my lunch remnants each day discarded in the cavities, then if vermin infested it in 18 months... I'd have a rational reason for the vermin. If I built the thing with inadequate materials cutting corners each day, around my french doors.... I'd have a rational reason for the mould. But I didn't do so. And if it's logical to assume the new extention hasn't either been built with damp inherrant within it ( BCO checked at stages during build.. & yesterday on completion, had no such concern), nor has subsequently had damp form within it's structure in only 18months ( again e BCO finalised it only yesterday, & it passed)... ... but if I get excessive mould & material damage, there HAS to be a reason for it. Has to be. Suggesting the reason for it though, is "damp within the house", is utterly preposterous, infuriating, & frankly demeaning to my intelligence if it's only just been built. But this is the only reason suggested. Time after time. By a collection of people too. It's just not rational, or logical. (Especially when I go on to explain the 70's bungalow opposite, & the 30's house (that I sensed not a jot of damp in either, visited both many times) ALL have exactly the same symptoms as me!! These eg's are discarded!!) I thought early on yes I'd need to have to move, Ie explained this. But after 3 months my body attuned to this local 'thing', this need is no longer a proposition. We all choose to live with it here. A caveat the sublime area counters. I'm just trying to show that without anyone suggesting any build-related-shortcomings of the way it was built (all ruled out afaict), then why, can only be the way left, for this to have occured. I didn't expect to be argued with tbh. Certainly not 'put the heat on to rid the house of the damp, dummy' answers.

My builder is coming here today, I popped my cowl off sweeping chimney. We will agree the extention isn't damp, of course we will (because of course...... it isn't). Then, (now the BCO visited yesterday & signing off the whole extention build, who of course didn't detect any damp in the new extention - because there isn't any unlike you're determined preposterousness stating that there is) I can ask him about this mould. He will undoubtedly start by giving a way to fix it. Because that is what a builder does. Fixes & builds things. I will then say, somehow, I am needing to know NOT how to fix it, but WHY IT HAS OCCURED, IN THIS BUILD, AFTER SO SHORT A TIME, PRESUMING ( as is logical to ) THERE IS NOT REMAINING STRUCTURAL DAMP WITHIN THE BUILD. He'll still reply "you need a dehumidifier", or, " put the heating up more" which do not answer the question whatosoever. So I have to try, like I'm unable to with you, to get a reply to this question. Try somehow. I'm exhausted though as I'll still get "have you out the heating on yet?" ( because the question I'm actually asking is SO DAMN IMPOSSIBLE to answer (so forgive me: I don't actually blame you for these replies, they are attempting to be helpful, & they'll chime with my builder I just bet) but they'll still not actually be answers to my question I've been asking 45 times! Thanks for reading, zh

It is not possible. This is half the frustration ( the other half a combination of reading your determination this mould is a result of my house being structurally damp... when you haven't set one foot in it... & the ganging up which IS simoly forum " achilles heel" ways). I have a cheap moisture meter. But this is clearly an inadequate tool. All I can do is give examples. Not just my house's new built extention. But other's houses nearby, bungalows etc. All of which therefore you are dismissing as being either lies, or factually untruths. If the same ultra-high-mould/ moisture-examples happen in my new built extention, dry as a bone, as it does bungalows opposite, terraced cottages 1/2 mile away, 1930's brick houses, in the next valley even.... I do not need you asking me to "proove it" ( I can't with the tool I have). This though IS PROOF ENOUGH. " has he put the heat in to rid the house damp yet the dummy?".. I'll still still still get these infuriating replies, saying I'm all wrong & their all correct, even after explaining till the cows come home!!!

Joe, for goodness sake. You also are saying this mould is a result of 'house damp'. Utter baloney. For crying out loud why cant you accept this: this is mould in a new build. A new structure. Not in the old part of the house. Well away from the old part. Its in the new, timberframe, extention. The furthest point from the old part of the house. You DO NOT expect, whatsoever, in any tiny capacity even, to have damp.... in this new extention. NO. NO. NO. But you & others, keep replying "heat it to rid the damp". For gods sake it's driving me utterly mad reading this. If you came here, in 1/2 hour you'd feel damp. NNNOOOOOTTTT in the house, in the area around it, in the vicinity, in the local area, in the village. IE connected NOT with any house's individual damp, but in the area's moisture. "has he put the heat on yet to rid the damp?" Jesus wept. zh

ST. It has nothing to do with the structure! Its a new build extention! Its been up 18 months! We just had massively hot summer! For crying out loud! -- Nothing to do with the heating system. Nothing whatsoever. -- I just shouldn't -----under normal circumstances------ get this ammount of plasterboard & material damage (albeit minor, i still had to 2 days repair it) in a brand new extention, using modern materials, correct methods to build it, just-signed-off. I just shouldn't. End of. Regardless entirely, of what heater type is in this room, & when it's chosen to be on. The new build's material integrity is NOT NOT NOT dependent on the heating put in afterwards. It should remain --uncompromised-- having been built, after 18 months & one damn hot summer to rid ANY semblence of structural moisture leeching by this time. It just should. Only one factor is logically culpable, which CANNOT be altered, causing or more likely FACILITATING to a high degree, this unusually high ammount of material damage, from mould, which is formed FROM MOISTURE. The air. You are simply determined to disagree with this post. Its not there to help, it's there to disagree with me. Collectively with others. This is what a forum just does ( agree with a group, against one person ). zh

J can I ask, what diameter is your pumice one, & how do you sweep it? zh

Aha ok thanks Peter. That sums things upin a nutshell thanks. I can't do anything about slowing the burn at the stove, unfortunately. My fault for agreeing to buy this lemon, once here & found a leg was damaged I agreed a partial refund/ bought new internal parts clearly heat- warped. Then, later I thought to zoom in on the listing.. & -just- saw the leg damage. Dodgy seller then knew it was dmgd when sold. Clearly been dropped on the leg, causing small mishapen gaps all over the shop ( I only found this out later still).. & almost impossible to determine where. Just known there must be some, as it can never be controlled/ rather runs away. A write off, but can't afford 1k min to replace it. Ok so I'll get another standard birdbarrier cowl, without the narrowed liner section in the middle. And stay with my pumice chimney, albeit 10" which seems not so easy to clean as a smaller one. I don't like this bigger aspect, but if you say it's ok.. I trust you your judgement. I need to consider how better to clean such a big/ wide diameter then. I think I'm scrimping using these drill-driver rods & nylon spinny orange ends. Although this could posdibly be the best way, & I'm doing ok.. I just don't know. Thanks chaps. Zoot