Fix my storage heater!

Posted by AmandaTom on April 24th, 2013

“Fix my storage heater!”- an outcry that during cold weather time, heater repair companies most frequently hear, and there’s no wonder that this happens since as cost efficient as these home heaters may be, many people have difficulties in properly operating and maintain them. Being confronted with a broken storage heater when outside’s freezing and your house is not equipped with other heating devices that make use of electricity during the day is a situation that probably you would never want to occur.

The storage heater is just one option from the numerous types of home heaters you may choose to use, solely or combined. Convection heaters are the most common type, producing the heat themselves and then transferring it to the place, this option being ideal for small rooms. Forced air heating systems use the convection heating technology and additionally the air pressure to speed up the process. Electric heaters are much easier to maintain and much more eco-friendly, although more expensive. Radiator heaters use a heated oil recipient that stays warm for a long period of time, providing one of the most efficient heating options but not one of the safest. Finally, storage heaters work on storage heat and are a great way of saving money, especially when old houses are concerned.

To know how you can fix a broken storage heater, you first have to understand how it works. The principle that stands at the base of its functioning revolves around the need of saving the money invested in home heating by drawing electricity during nighttime, when its price is much lower, and releasing it during daytime, when the house needs to be warm. Although it’s not as cheap as the gas heating systems, it’s much easier to install and therefore preferred by many landlords. For this storage to take place a heat storing material such as brick or concrete is needed and usually for the process to be more effective and rapid, proper air ventilation is required. You must be careful when using its controls, as to set the input control high during the night and low during the day, while the output control should be exactly opposite.

Since it’s hard to detect a broken storage heater by the very nature of its structure, everything being hidden within an insulating case and in the heat storing bricks, the best way of determining whether you require repair operations is to address the services of a specialized company. Since the standard size storage heater has at least 4 elements and the insulating case is so efficient, it’s basically impossible to personally determine any cold spots just by looking. These professionals can safely remove the components of the storage heater, this requiring you to have stopped the heat storing process at least 24 hours prior to the intervention in order to prevent any burns or accidents from happening.

So, the next time you may find yourself shouting “Fix my storage heater!” keep in mind that the correct operation and maintenance of these heating devices is critical if you wish to preserve them in the right state, their components usually having a long lifespan and a reputation for their money saving functioning.

If you find yourself shouting “Fix my storage heater!” with the exasperation of someone confronted with a  broken storage heater in cold winter times, do not despair! Help is on the way and you can request it from the numerous companies that offer their repair services.