couple of questions

[sparklewing]

My flat is freezing I have storage heaters and the one in the bedroom doesnt seem to work(or if it does I cant figure it out). I have 2 electric meters one on peak and one offpeak, the off peak kicks in at various points throughout the day. Storage heater in bedroom is at 4 input and 3 output but doesnt seem to be heating up at all.

My bedroom window also leaks when it rains(and obviously lets in a huge draught) it seems to be the seal around the window that is leaking.

I have no cash at all cos signed off sick just now and trying to survive on sick pay so cant afford electricians/windows etc any ideas?

[nuoyg]

Oh that is so annoying for you. Can you get a new sealant? I know you said you have no money but those all purpose sealers you get in wickes (or even little cheapy shops - wilkinsons may do them) can start really cheap (I got one from Wickes and it was �1.99 I swear) so that may tide you over. For the heater, do you have a friend or someone who may know how it works? Or can you search the internet and see if there are instructions on how to use? As perhaps as you said you are not 100% sure how to use it? If the windows are still draughty for the meantime until your sick pay ends I would tape some newspapers up to the draughts or something?

[nuoyg]

ps - hope you feel better soon and everything works out

[jake-the-peg]

How big is the window? a heavy cutain would cut down drafts and heat loss no end. Would it be practical to get some heavy matertial from a coat or similar from a charity shop to make a curtain?

[funnywebsite]

I have storage heaters and they are not that good. The one in the living heats up at night and the room is so warm in the morning but by the evening the room is cold. We bought a calor gas heater to compensate. The bedroom ones are different you have to put them on yourself or use the timer. They are a waste of time.

[qapmoc]

Storage heaters should warm up on any setting, if it stays cold then maybe it is switched off at the wall switch or something or else is is faulty and not operating at all. To use them to get the best heating effect during the whole day, set the input to maximum and the output to minimum, then they should take in the most energy during the night but release it slowly during the day and still be warm in the evening. However this might not be enough to keep the place warm even then.
Storage heaters were a great design, well at least from the point of view of the electrical supply companies for which they solved a supply peak problem! they are not so good for consumers who rarely find them satisfactory without additional heating input to the house.

[Gef]

Just to add to qapmoc's answer. Keep the output setting at 1 but vary the input setting depending on the forecast overnight temperature. I moved into a new flat with dimplex white meter storage heaters. I emailed them and they sent me a full set of instructions ny return of post.

[rd14962]

Regarding your meters; Off peak only works during off peak hours, which at the moment are something like 2 am to about 8am (check with your supplier) so it wont kick in at various times during the day, the idea of the storage heater for your benefit is to heat them up with off peak electricity. Both heaters will heat up off peak, although you have two meters the supply is the same.

Regarding your windows, a cheap and fairly effective way is to dry the glass off as much as you can and stretch some cling film over the frames, thus insulating the window. As someone else has suggested some sealant would help, the cheapest way is to buy some linseed putty (about 80p a tub) and push it into the cracks and any holes, then when the warmer weather arrives(??!!) you can easily open the windows as the putty takes years to harden. heavy curtains are also an excellent insulator.

If your flat is rented, have a word with your landlord/lady or letting agent, they are obliged to do something about faulty windows. Check there is a light to indicate storage heaters are getting power to them, if no light, check the fuses first of all, if they are wired directly into a socket ( as opposed to a plug) turn off at the mains and have a look behind the socket cover to make sure the wires are all connected, there is also an internal heat core similar to a fuse that can burn out, should they overheat, check this too.

It's highly irregular that you should be living like this, let me know what part of the country you live in and i will try to offer some further help.

Regards Rupert. ps I hope YOU are soon on the mend.

[avis50]

On my storage heaters I have the output set to 1 during the day while I am out, then switch to 2 ("late boost") when I come in. This pushes out the remainder of the heat stored. I then have to remember to set it back to 1 before I go to bed.

I currently have the input set to around 8, but will reduce that when (if?) the weather gets warmer.

You could try ringing Dimplex, who are the major manufacturers of storage heaters, to see if they could offer any advice. (www.dimplex.co.uk)

Do you have an electric blanket? You can get underblankets quite cheaply and they do not use much electricity. As long as I have a warm bed, I do not find that I usually need heating in the bedroom.

I hope that this has been of some help - good luck and I hope things go better for you soon.

[dcannon]

How should I set my storage heaters?

The basic principle of storing and releasing heat is common to all storage heaters, though the names of the controls may change from appliance to appliance. There are two basic controls for storage heaters:



Input Control (sometimes called Charge or Auto-set Control)

This dial controls the amount of heat that is charged into the unit during the off-peak hours, and also the amount of electricity the unit will use. The dial usually has a scale of 1-6. It is advisable to start with the dial on 3 and adjust up or down depending on how much heat the unit takes in during the charge period. This dial should be left on the desired setting.



Output Control (sometimes called Boost or Room-temperature Boost)

This dial controls when the heat is released from the unit. Again this dial usually has a scale of 1-6. When this dial is turned up, it opens a flap on the insulated section of the unit and releases the stored heat, much like opening an oven door. This dial should be adjusted to the lowest setting just before the user goes to bed, and any time they leave the house. This way any heat being charged into the unit over night will not be released before it is needed and the heat will not be released into an empty property.



The output dials should be adjusted though-out the day to release the heat as needed and should be fully open last thing at night. Ideally the input dial will be set to a level that allows enough heat to be charged into the unit to last until the user goes to bed, and no more. The heaters should be cold last thing at night, having provided sufficient heat to last the evening. This way the user is not paying for stored heat they are not using.