Hi,
Would love to know if anybody's managed to resurrect an old night-storage heater, circa 1986.
Mine died sometime during this summer. (Most unfortunate discovery at the start of autumn.) There's very slight warmth in the external casing in the area directly above where the thermostat is concealed. I've opened the heater by taking off the front panel and had a look at the thermostat. It seems a very simple affair and I suspect it's function is to stop the current running into the heater when one of the narrow metal plates in the thermostat gets so hot it bends away from a neighbouring plate and therefore breaks the current. How soon or late in the Economy 7 power period (1am - 7am?) the circuit is broken depends, I think, on your turning the knob, which, I think, moves the live metal plate away from or closer to the neighbouring plate.
I've tinkered with the plates, bending the metal etc., but it's made no difference.
Is it possible to replace these thermostats?
Is it likely that the fault is elsewhere inside the heater? Does the element in a night-storage heater easily break? (I'm not sure if they are strong bars or delicate thin wires.)
Any help or comments would be most appreciated.
The make is Dimplex, if that helps.
Thanks.