Storage Heater Puzzle?

johnpt · May 23, 2009

Hello. I have got a real mystery with a storage heater. In apt there is 2 storage heaters one hall one living room. Hall works fine problem is living room storage heater keeps triping the fuse. There brand new storage heaters. I changed fuse too no avail. It seems to trip when contactor initial energises. I have energised the contactor myself to test storage heater and sometimes it trips straight away and sometimes it works fine and storage heat works fine.
Would it be possible to change the fuse to a C type Mcb. I was thinking maybe the initial starting surge is causing fuse to trip?
Any advice would really be appreciated.

Thanks in advance

johnpt · May 24, 2009

Few weeks. Storage heaters very heavy. I will wire it up to other storage heater as u said earlier and see if it trips.

Thanks for your advice appreciate it

Mac · May 24, 2009

johnpt said:
Few weeks. Storage heaters very heavy. I will wire it up to other storage heater as u said earlier and see if it trips.

Thanks for your advice appreciate it

Hope you get it sorted mate,definitely sounds like a faulty heater.Good luck

joe kane · May 26, 2009

Change the elements around elements wont trip straight away.Storage heaters dont have a high starting current its mostly motors.Mcb should be fine.Is the neutrals in the right side of the c.u?

rubberdougie · May 30, 2009

hello. i'm new here and would just like to say hello to everyone

Guest123 · May 30, 2009

rubberdougie said:
hello. i'm new here and would just like to say hello to everyone

Hi Dougie. Create a new thread in the new members forum for your introduction.

stretchyboy · May 31, 2009

Just to clarify things, it is the mcb that is tripping and not an rcd isn't it?
I know you said you'd changed the mcb but have you tried swapping the mcb's for each heater with eachother?
Are they the same size of storage heater? i.e. 3kW etc
How about taking the heater elements out of it and then trying it to see if it is the controls side or the element side, then you can put each element back in one at a time to see if it's one of them. There's no point moving the whole heater around to another room they are too heavy for all that.