Electric Heater Installation Advice

[bigp26]

Hello All!


Before I start, I want to thank you all for your help in advance!


I have recently been refurbishing my flat and decided to replace the storage heaters whilst the builders were in. I opted to replace my old and bulky storage heating solution with some panel headers from the Adax NP range.


What my builder has done, is to convert the fused spurs which previously powered the storage heaters into standard 3 pin sockets and simply plugged my wall mounted electric panel heaters in. This works, however I hate the fact that there is a wire hanging between the socket and the heater (in 4 areas where I have the 4 heaters).


I had asked him to feed the wires for the heaters behind the plasterboard wall, directly into fused spurs rather than fitting a standard 3 pin socket however he had the following comments:

• The wires for the previously fitted storage heaters were not placed behind the wall so there must have been a reason for this.
• Hiding the wires behind the plasterboard could pose a fire risk as the heater would heat up the cable (nb. maybe 5cm of wire is directly behind the heater. This would be the case regardless of if the wire was placed in front or behind the plasterboard wall).
• The plug sockets are getting warm and therefore it poses a fire risk (nb. I tested this theory and the plug sockets for the 2kw heaters do get very slightly warm after a couple hours of use).

Now I’m not sure whether the builder is either being lazy, or simply isn’t sure about the rules and regulations and guidelines about this sort of stuff.


Your thoughts on the matter would be much appreciated!


Kind Regards,
P.

 

[Engineer54]

Probably the builder or his electrician are trying to be polite in not telling the client that his whim is a bloody daft idea to try and retrofit now!! The chances are there will be a wooden frame section between where you want the cable to enter the plasterboard wall and the FCU!! Future need to remove panel either for repair or replacemen t, (requiring fishing cable from a blind hole in the wall to a recessed back box) is going to be FUN!!

Are you getting the gist of why it's not a very clever idea yet, or are you only interested in not seeing a small length of white PVC flex??

 

[davesparks]

Sounds to me like the builder is out of his depth messing with electrics

 

[bigp26]

Thanks for the responses so far people!

Engineer54 - I realise that it may be a bit of a faf getting through the wooden frame etc but if the builder can do it should I not go for it? I get your point about the future, however assuming that I get this done, could I not use the wire as my "fishing rod" to pull a piece of string/another cable through?

What would you do in your own house? The main worry I have is about it being a fire risk...

Also any ideas as to how I can cover/hide the flex in a nice way should I decide not go for the in-wall solution?

Thank you again!

Probably the builder or his electrician are trying to be polite in not telling the client that his whim is a bloody daft idea to try and retrofit now!! The chances are there will be a wooden frame section between where you want the cable to enter the plasterboard wall and the FCU!! Future need to remove panel either for repair or replacemen t, (requiring fishing cable from a blind hole in the wall to a recessed back box) is going to be FUN!!

Are you getting the gist of why it's not a very clever idea yet, or are you only interested in not seeing a small length of white PVC flex??

 

[UNG]

Probably the builder or his electrician are trying to be polite in not telling the client that his whim is a bloody daft idea to try and retrofit now!! The chances are there will be a wooden frame section between where you want the cable to enter the plasterboard wall and the FCU!! Future need to remove panel either for repair or replacemen t, (requiring fishing cable from a blind hole in the wall to a recessed back box) is going to be FUN!!

Are you getting the gist of why it's not a very clever idea yet, or are you only interested in not seeing a small length of white PVC flex??

Problem what problem as said in another thread not a big job if you are equipped with the right tools, most things can be done it's whether the customer is prepared to pay the price for the faffing round

 

[guest119]

What tariff are the heaters running at?

 

[Deleted member 9648]

If you are prepared to do the work the best solution would be to hard wire from the FCU to a flex outlet plate suitably located behind the heater.

 

[bigp26]

Hi All,

Sorry - I haven't been able to check-in on this thread for a few days. Many thanks for all your input!

@Boydy - Currently on the EON Economy 10 tariff - thought I'd give it a go for my first year in the flat. The plan then is to calculate my use and see if it would make sense to switch tariff. Would you suggest a better approach?

@Wirepuller - Thanks for the suggestion but the builder didn't want to move the fused spurs from where they were. Seems like the best solution is to run the wire behind the plasterboard. Hopefully not too much extra work for the builder (as he has already finished up and will be returning to put the wires through) and keeps things simple.

Thanks!

 

[telectrix]

the problem weith sockets/plugs is that you are relying on spring loasded contacts between the plug and socket. the plugs will get slightly warm with use, but after some time, ant resisatance will cause further heating, so FCU s are a better solution. as for hiding the flex in the walls, as long as the walls are not stuffed with itchy -poo insulation, i can't see a problem other than actually getting the cables in there.

 

[bigp26]

All,

Many thanks for your help on all of this stuff. Very much appreciated!

I however now have another problem. My Ariston WRC-NSF tank is not heating water properly (the overflow leak issue was sorted out by Homeserve, and turned out to be the T&P valve).

When I switch the top immersion heater on, I get hot water as expected. When I however switch the bottom immersion heater on (off-peak, main usage heater), the water is only mildly warm.

As I still haven't moved in (but hopefully next weekend

), I'm not quite sure whether the bottom immersion heater was heating water to the correct temperature or not.

Having had a look online, I see that there is a reset buttom on each of the thermostats for the heaters, as well as a screw to adjust the temperature.

I'm thinking to have a go at adjusting the thermostat, but what is the best way to find out what temperature it is heating the water to?

Many thanks in advance!
P

 

[a1guvner]

You could compare the top and bottom element settings and adjust the bottom to match..............

 

[bigp26]

You could compare the top and bottom element settings and adjust the bottom to match..............

Thanks buddy! I think the setting is just a screw - are they normally aligned between different thermostats?

 

[a1guvner]

if they are different there wont be a noticeable difference