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    Underfloor heater information

    Tow Itch
    Tow Itch
    Dandy Expert


    Posts : 3186
    Join date : 2011-06-20
    Location : Leigh Gtr Manchester

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    Post by Tow Itch Sun 15 Jan 2012, 7:23 pm

    Kevin I hope you don't mind but I edited this post of yours, it is very informative and will now be easier to find and because it was removed from another thread part of the conversation just wouldn't make any sense.

    As regards the underfloor heater I tried the one in my Designer over Christmas. Not as hot as the 2Kw convector I was using. I believed it was supposed to be 13/4Kw but having read the literature 6800BTU is all but 2Kw. It feels more like 1.3Kw or 1.4Kw.
    The heater is perfectly safe. Even if the airways needed a clean and it was producing orange flames rich in carbon monoxide. The combustion is in a sealed chamber vented to the outside.

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    The bottom diagram shows how the air for combustion then the exhaust flow through the heater.
    If the heater is burning poorly it's just a blow through with an air line.
    This is others comments on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

    mike
    mike
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    Post by mike Mon 16 Jan 2012, 6:26 pm

    After reading this they are right it must have been the easiest and safest DIY gas heater to fit.
    Tow Itch
    Tow Itch
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    Post by Tow Itch Wed 25 Jan 2012, 1:10 am

    Fond of the idea of these heaters as I am I have to report a problem last weekend.
    Sharing the Designer with a mate of a mate I explained the heater and said that as a final safety measure I did have a CO alarm.
    Both Friday and Saturday Night I lit the heater and fitted batteries to the alarm.
    Both nights the alarm went off 3 hours later.
    Now even if the heater was split open there was that much wind blowing under and even through the Dandy that I'm amazed any fumes could accumulate.
    Due to only getting about 3 hours sleep between the Fri and Sat night my analytical abilities were somewhat limited.
    I've run the heater overnight before (with alarm on) and had no issues.
    So whether it's to do with the strong winds, battery fatigue, or a defective alarm I've yet to ascertain.
    Should have left the heater on I could have done with help sleeping.



    A year and a bit later I've managed to get the CO alarm to go off when using a very large gas lantern. The type used on large camping gas bottles with a lantern diameter of 6" or 7". I've used the Riviera heater extensively and especially two weeks ago when it was severely sub zero but never a pip out of the alarm again. What was it in January 2012???


    Last edited by Tow Itch on Mon 08 Apr 2013, 3:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
    mike
    mike
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    Post by mike Wed 25 Jan 2012, 2:00 pm

    Could have been the wind blowing the fumes back in may have been enough to trigger the alarm but safe for you affraid
    mike
    mike
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    Post by mike Wed 25 Jan 2012, 3:31 pm

    At the time there where a few rumours as to why this heater was banned one was a couple died from the fumes because snow built up under and around the heater and the fumes seeped back into the dandy,but when you think how many variations of this type of sealed heater are available and still used i tend to doubt that,
    Cazz
    Cazz


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    Post by Cazz Wed 25 Jan 2012, 3:38 pm

    mike wrote:At the time there where a few rumours as to why this heater was banned one was a couple died from the fumes because snow built up under and around the heater and the fumes seeped back into the dandy,but when you think how many variations of this type of sealed heater are available and still used i tend to doubt that,

    Interesting, I agree with Mike that Kevin's heater might have been affected by the wind blowing the fumes back in.

    For matter of interest, I know the Propex is a different heater, but for people who don't know, if the exhaust gets restricted, the heater will stop working and flash it's little light a set number of times indicating why it has stopped.
    Biker
    Biker


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    Post by Biker Tue 17 Jul 2012, 11:06 am

    I have found these heaters to be very good in operation, but there are some things that must be checked. There is a grommet around the gas pipe as it enters the unit I have seen many of these missing which will allow fumes to re enter the unit especially in windy conditions. Also if it is burning yellow or orange it needs a service.
    Tow Itch
    Tow Itch
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    Post by Tow Itch Tue 17 Jul 2012, 8:04 pm

    Biker wrote:I have found these heaters to be very good in operation, but there are some things that must be checked. There is a grommet around the gas pipe as it enters the unit I have seen many of these missing which will allow fumes to re enter the unit especially in windy conditions. Also if it is burning yellow or orange it needs a service.

    Reminded me to add to this thread.
    Biker I will check the grommet but since then I've had the unit out twice and fired up the Riviera heater a few times. I've had no repeat of the CO alarm sounding. So I could only put this down to the wind (which was extreme) pressurising the Riviera heater. The odd bit is that the wind was so extreme that the roof was lifting and wind coming through the gap despite bungees being used to hold the roof down. I would have thought that the throughput of air to be such that there could be no build up of CO unless the pressure was so great that the entire exhaust output of the Riviera had passed through the living area!
    I honestly can't stress how windy it got at night.

    Perhaps a testament to the idea of carrying a CO alarm, make your own decisions.


    I did check the grommet it's on the Riviera's outside box/wall not on the internal furnace(?) wall so there are no combustion products that can pass through.


    Last edited by Tow Itch on Mon 23 Dec 2013, 11:50 pm; edited 1 time in total
    Helen
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    Post by Helen Thu 19 Jul 2012, 11:22 am

    If your ever caught in rotten weather where flooding has taken place around your dandy then check your underfloor heater to make sure that nothing is blocked with muck or debris ...... we did escape with a dry floor but water had got into the heater leaving behind dirt in the bottom of the casing.

    Biker
    Biker


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    Post by Biker Fri 20 Jul 2012, 7:23 pm

    Just another thought on this problem. Is it possible that the fumes entered via the waste pipe in the kitchen unit.
    Tow Itch
    Tow Itch
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    Post by Tow Itch Wed 22 Aug 2012, 4:01 am

    Helen wrote:If your ever caught in rotten weather where flooding has taken place around your dandy then check your underfloor heater to make sure that nothing is blocked with muck or debris ...... we did escape with a dry floor but water had got into the heater leaving behind dirt in the bottom of the casing.


    In trying to respond to someone else I've thought about your incident.

    Looking at the diagram for the heater at the top.
    In your case how do you inspect the inner case for debris.
    I realise you can take the air inlet/exhaust off the side to see if that is clean.
    If that is without any signs of muck then that's great but if there was evidence of flood water and muck entering what then?
    Helen
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    Post by Helen Wed 22 Aug 2012, 10:03 am

    Then you find someone who know's how to take things apart and put them back together properly without finding bits that appear to be left over afterwards lol!

    We left ours to our plumber son in law who managed to do this for us. Bear in mind that we were flooded and the heater was partially under water so dirty water had got in leaving muck behind and this is the first time we have had to do anything other than blow through with an airline in 10 years. He took the heater out and took it home, I know he used bottle brushes because we bought three full sets for him of different sizes to knock off any dirt, he also has an attachment that fits onto a hoover for servicing old back boilers so I assume he used that too.

    My advice would be to get a professional should you ever get caught out in a flood before using the heater.
    Tow Itch
    Tow Itch
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    Post by Tow Itch Fri 27 Dec 2013, 9:27 pm

    Just adding these as reference:

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