malfunctioning electric storage heaters

otnomart

Hi,
any advice you can give me is very welcome.
I live in an apartment with electric storage heaters.
Up to last winter, no problem, the came in at night when it was cold, like they were supposed to do.
This autumn I turned them on, worked ok for a while, then last week, one of the really cold days, they did not come on at night.
In the morning they were stone cold.
then when I came back from work they were warm.
Today is very mild (Dublin) but this evening when I came home they were roasting.
What is going on?
the smaller one only has a wall switch.
the bigger one has some controls but I never touched them since I moved in. the two dials say: output 3.5 and input 6.
I have now switched off the bigger one as the heat was unberarable and had to open the window.
Do I need to have them checked out?
Do I need to tell the ESB?
Please advise!
thanks in advance

davelerave

sounds like your esb timer needs fixing

otnomart

many thanks!
Do you know where the timer is located?
Is it something that I could look at myself?
the only thing I can think of I have done recently, was to switch off the sitting room from the mains, whenever I have got to change a light bulb.
Could that have broken the timer?
thanks again,

davelerave

you'd want to confirm the the timing is off and then get someone to call the esb with the account details.you can read the time off the esb timer or else check what time the heaters come on.anything you do in the house wont affect the esb timing.

otnomart

thanks Dave and sorry for the dumb question but I don't know much about these things.
Are you saying that the ESB timer for my storage heaters, is not located in my house?
So, if I call them, they can fix it remotely?
Please advise,
Thanks again,

davelerave

If you have a meter cabinet check the current time showing on the timeclock if u can .as long as the heaters are switching on in daytime its esb timing .you might see the lights on the wall switch beside heaters or hear the contactor in fusebox clicking during day

otnomart

Dave, thanks.
I don't think I have a meter cabinet as I am in an apartment, I assume it is located somewhere in the apartment block.
I don't have lights beside the switches of the heaters, so it is hard to say when they come on.
In the cabinet where the main switch and the room switches are, there is a small white box with a red symbol 710-2.
It has two dials: one dial saying Day and a green light, and one dial saying Night with a red flashing light.
Both dials are pointed at the top middle (like midday if it was a watch), and the other choices are -2, +2, -4, +4.
I never touched them though.
Maybe that is the timer?
I'll call the ESB, many thanks!

davelerave

Thats a devireg for controlling the input .usualy the day button doesnt do anything you set the nite button to zero for a nite or two and then adjust it either way +/- for more or less heat .you can go through this procedure when you get your timing sorted.safe to to assume thats the problem if your heaters are stone cold at 9am and hot in evening

otnomart

many thanks,
it was indeed the ESB timer, they were quite prompt to come over and fix it