zoothorn Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 @ProDave if it is definitely getting hot, & as said I noticed it was hot both at midnight & 5AM, & as the room was toasty at 5AM I can surely assume the damn thing's been on between these 2 times.. does this not rule out a fault with the bricks, &/ or the flap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 1 minute ago, zoothorn said: @ProDave if it is definitely getting hot, & as said I noticed it was hot both at midnight & 5AM, & as the room was toasty at 5AM I can surely assume the damn thing's been on between these 2 times.. does this not rule out a fault with the bricks, &/ or the flap? No the opposite. It shows the power has been on at the time it should have been, and that should have heated up the bricks. The fact it is not heating up, could be either the boost flap is stuck open, the bricks are missing (clutching at straws) or perhaps all but one of the heating elements are dud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 But Dave, it is heating up. Just at the wrong time. Isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 2 minutes ago, zoothorn said: But Dave, it is heating up. Just at the wrong time. Isn't it? No it's failing to STORE any of that heat that is going in over night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 15 minutes ago, zoothorn said: I tried to give a link to a pic.. scroll down/ twds rhs like the scruffy stewdent-grant one here https://www.northwestheatingsolutions.co.uk/landlordselectricheating/ Aux switch? blimey nothing I can see like this. The unit enters the wall, on which plate is a switch. I'll call it a rad just for here/ easier. A pic of what you've got I meant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 (edited) Right. @ProDave Now I do understand that. But I don't understand the whole damn design then, if the thing is -only- failing to store the heat, & the heat presumably would still have to be pumped in say midnight to 5AM.. then it'd be both warm during night -and- warm during day. When you only want warmth during the day. I can't cope. Where's my Viz. Edited December 27, 2018 by zoothorn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 14 minutes ago, zoothorn said: @ProDave if it is definitely getting hot, & as said I noticed it was hot both at midnight & 5AM, & as the room was toasty at 5AM I can surely assume the damn thing's been on between these 2 times.. does this not rule out a fault with the bricks, &/ or the flap? If the room is toasty at 5am then the flap is not shutting or the boost is not set to minimum. 3 minutes ago, zoothorn said: Right. Now I do understand that. But I don't understand the whole damn design then, if the thing is -only- failing to store the heat, & the heat presumably would still have to be pumped in say midnight to 5AM.. then it'd be both warm during night -and- warm during day. When you only want warmth during the day. I can't cope. Where's my Viz. No, it would have wasted all the heat instead of storing it, and then left you with nothing to use during the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 I did say early on they are a compromise and not my choice of heating. Having the room toasty warm in the small hours is unavoidable and you might say a "waste" but that is an unavoidable consequence of the way they work. The top of the heater should not instantly get hot at midnight. The heater will gradually warm up between midnight and 7AM and by the morning the whole thing will be hot. If you are feeling a lot of heat coming out immediately after midnight then it is not working correctly. In the longer term you might want to think about a completely different heating system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 Its not my rad but my old folks. They can't afford new ones, & will not entertain the idea either that should I know why this one is not working as it should, if that's the case, as "he's not a radiator expert" he being me, they just won't trust what I 'm saying isn't anything but a wild stab in the dark. To them its as it should be (this is what they thought/ think). So status quo remains: total belting wasted heat from 12-5AM.. & a cold rad all day. I was just trying to see why I can't get it to work. If the one upstairs in bed2 -doesn't- show the same belting-out heat 12-5am, as I assume not or I'd have woken up sweating, then this Id have to conclude this alone must be a symptom of a faulty rad.. now I know a bit more about its storing system. And if the most likely issue then is a stuck flap, then there we go. But nothing I can do, most frustratingly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 All you can do is ring a few electricians near them and see if you can find one willing to go and have a go at fixing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 8 minutes ago, zoothorn said: Its not my rad but my old folks. They can't afford new ones, & will not entertain the idea either that should I know why this one is not working as it should, if that's the case, as "he's not a radiator expert" he being me, they just won't trust what I 'm saying isn't anything but a wild stab in the dark. To them its as it should be (this is what they thought/ think). So status quo remains: total belting wasted heat from 12-5AM.. & a cold rad all day. I was just trying to see why I can't get it to work. If the one upstairs in bed2 -doesn't- show the same belting-out heat 12-5am, as I assume not or I'd have woken up sweating, then this Id have to conclude this alone must be a symptom of a faulty rad.. now I know a bit more about its storing system. And if the most likely issue then is a stuck flap, then there we go. But nothing I can do, most frustratingly. Should be a relatively easy fix though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 No point Dave. My folks will never agree its not exactly as it should be, as "he's not an expert" (or mumble "now he thinks he's knows all about radiators" rolling their eyes etc). Its a new system for them only being in 2.5 yrs. Even if I'm 100% certain, have fixed all mine up, with pics to show. 'Mmm.. no, let's just leave it'. Trying to explain trv's to them.. then unable to put proof into practise myself as these damn things are infuriatingly fallible so you can't ascertain if they're working right themselves. And you just give up & put up with cold rooms with cold rads. I'm concerned you see cos their house is cold (nothing like mine thank gawd) & 83 & 78 & frail.. but they never had warm houses like most folks cos they scrimped on the ££'s putting C.heating on for an hr AM & PM. When they had it in last house. What can I do? most frustrating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 7 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said: Should be a relatively easy fix though. Oh I could do it in 5mins flat now I know, Im sure/ put flap convector fix into youtube etc. But they won't do it. Its working you see, to them, as it should be if its getting hot between 2 time periods > then off. They 'just haven't set it right' they'll say & refuse my help to fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 Many thanks for replies chaps- it'll be of use to some other's elderly folks, if not mine I'd hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickfromwales Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 I could always take them hostage, then you could sneak in and repair it in stealth mode. ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted December 27, 2018 Author Share Posted December 27, 2018 Splendid idea Nick- thanks. actually if I got abcd prep ready I could do once they'd gone to bed.. but clang/ if I got in a pickle/ or just if they caught me so much as fiddling the dials it'd cause them stress. Im a long way away too. alas.. it stays as is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeSharp01 Posted December 27, 2018 Share Posted December 27, 2018 4 hours ago, zoothorn said: Its a new system for them only being in 2.5 yrs. Is the system 2.5 years old or did they move into the house 2.5 years ago with an existing system, Sorry of I missed an answer to this question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoothorn Posted January 3, 2019 Author Share Posted January 3, 2019 Hi Mike, no the system is ancient/ 80's looks like. They moved in 2.5 yrs ago (the most un-tech couple ever). If familiar with these heaters, Id be grateful for your thoughts on symptoms of the one i can't seem to work/ figure out (runs flat out 11pm > 6 am.. then simply not on whatoever during the whole day: its LHS dial 'boost' is on low, as it says is 'normal' to on its flip-down cover.. RHS dial -presumably "heat"- is say midway). If I can get a consensus on the likely issue, I can at least give my folks this info. Whether or not they then trust me (even saying its a "reliable consensus of experienced builders' opinions on a terrific site etc".. ie not just my wild guess) to do anything about it, stuck in thought still that 'its working as it should'.. is alas still 50/50. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee J Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 It's how storage heaters (don't) work. 'Storing' heat with the small amount of insulation fitted in these devices is always a flaky concept. Even when definitely working correctly and set up by someone that understands them they're still crap. And won't be warm enough in the afternoon/evening. Scrap them. Have an electrician swap the heater circuits to a normal always-on supply and fit panel convector heaters with integral thermostat and timer (about £120 each) in place. Do not get caught by the snake oil of 'special' 'high efficiency' modern storage heaters at £800 each. And cancel the E7 contract and revert to ordinary tariff. HTH Dee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 3, 2019 Share Posted January 3, 2019 OR think about switching to Economy 10 that has it's off peak 10 hours in 3 chunks including an early afternoon burst, so the storage heaters don't have to store the heat for very long. There is no alteration by the householder needed for that, just getting the supplier to change tariff that may involve them changing the meter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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