Help! Home Electrical Advice Please.

[ringway]

Mornin' all.

My electrical knowledge (and sometimes common sense) isn't good and in an attempt to warm up the Siberian climate in my garage I have mistakenly bought a 3-phase fan heater thinking I could use with a 110v transformer.

I need to do something to avoid freezing this winter, so is there a way around the problem or do I send the heater back and try something else?

This is the heater I have bought. LINK.


Thanks in advance.

 

[BlackC55]

Sell it and buy a waste oil heater.

A few second hand ones on ebay. Its free heat then.

 

[smurgewurfler]

Get a 3-phase socket wired in? We had one wired in for a lathe once and I'm sure it wasn't that much. It must have been a spur off the normal domestic wiring.

 

[Druk]

This is about the max you could safely run on a domestic 13amp socket.
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/hh503e-fan-heater

After that it's going to be a fuel burning heater but you have to be very careful of the ventilation because of CO emissions.

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/devil-650-propane-fired-space-heater

 

[ringway]

This is about the max you could safely run on a domestic 13amp socket.
https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/hh503e-fan-heater

After that it's going to be a fuel burning heater but you have to be very careful of the ventilation because of CO emissions.

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/devil-650-propane-fired-space-heater

I'm not sure the 3kw would be much better than my present 3kw fan heater.

As for the fuel burning heater, I have a Clarke Devil 850 which is very powerful (big time overkill for the double garage) but as you correctly point out, the fumes are the major issue, which is why I don't use it.

 

[ringway]

Get a 3-phase socket wired in? We had one wired in for a lathe once and I'm sure it wasn't that much. It must have been a spur off the normal domestic wiring.

Thanks. Not sure that would be do-able with the set up here.

 

[Giantvanman]

Oil filled portable electric storage heater; we used them for years in the conservatory during winter. Seemed to be efficient, quick heat up and thermostatic control. One is enough to heat a 16 square metre conservatory although we used two on low power. We've loaned them to friends when their heating packed up and the pair was enough to heat the whole house if the doors were open.

 

[renault12ts]

Get a 3-phase socket wired in? We had one wired in for a lathe once and I'm sure it wasn't that much. It must have been a spur off the normal domestic wiring.

You need a 3 phase supply to the house...exceptionally dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.

 

[smurgewurfler]

They must have changed the rules as we certainly didn't change the feed to the house - no idea how they did it but it was done by the electricity board, so 'twas a proper job, as they say. It was done about 25 years ago - and we don't live there any more so I can't go back and find out - sorry.

 

[guydewdney]

I have three phase in the house - very unusal in a normal domestic property. Go have a look at where the power comes in - is there one or three huge 100A bakelite type fuses on it? Most likely one - in which case you cant use that thing without a phase converter, which will be very expensive at that size, plus you would need to upgrade the wiring to the garage probably as thats electric shower territory.

insulate the garage? Draught proof the doors, secondary glaze the windows? Insulation is lower and less sexy than technology, but its far far more effective.

 

[nb_racing]

I looked into 3 phase converters and I think it was about £3-400 or something. Diesel heater or oil are they best. And as said, insulation. Stick some slab insulation up. Much cheaper in the long run.

 

[Benzowner]

As above, you can buy a single phase to three phase converter, the price will depend on the amperage output. We had one in the place I worked for about 12 months until the three phase was installed.

 

[Wayne.clk]

I'd send it back!
Don't even try to wire a 3 phase unit of any sort to domestic supply your just asking for trouble


3kw is the max you can wire on a 13amp plug the only other thing you can do is get a separate supply added into your garage for a better heater
Personally id stick to what u have already not unless you want to spend £££ to have it done right

 

[camerafodder]

Stick a woodburner mate, that's what I did! Alternatively I have a propane blower heater that you can have if you want but is does create condensation and is quite noisy.

 

[sallison1504]

You definitely won't have a 3-phase to your house, and even if you did, you'd have to have a distribution board installed and then a 3-phase circuit (in very expensive 4/5 core cable), and then a 3-phase socket.

A phase convertor also not cost effective at all.

If the heater you have bought is 9Kw, you could just go out and buy three or four 2-3Kw convection heaters instead. If you do, you could only run a max of 3 of them at a time on your ring mains, so you would need to plug the remaining heaters in on a separate ring mains. And if you had them on full blast, you probably wouldn't get away with using anything else plugged into the ring mains. These heaters would be your cheapest, least invasive option to be honest.

Just divide the Wattage by the Voltage to get the approx Amps. Ring mains you can run 32amp max (depending on the installation). Everything is usually worked out on 230V but check the appliance label, and will usually give just 230V, or 240V rating as well.

As a more permanent solution, maybe fixed panel electric heaters on their own circuit?

 

[Wayne.clk]

That's not true if he has 3 phase there u would only need a separate circuit added at the cost of the cable, socket and mcb
I've worked in many houses with 3 phase

 

[Wayne.clk]

240v is old hat it's all 230v now
Look up ohms law for correct amperage

 

[Meldrew2]

Be careful before you add any permanent heating - as this will then impact on your house's energy efficiency rating when you come to sell.

Whatever you fit needs to be removeable - I would suggest an additional 32 amp ring main circuit installed by a Part P registered electrician, serving the garage only and terminating in standard 13 amp sockets. As this circuit is suitable for a multitude of uses there will be no impact on your EPC.

A 32 amp circuit would allow you to plug in a load of up to 7.3 kw - in addition to the 3kw heater powered from your existing ring main this would give you 10 kw of heating.

Cost wise it shouldn't be more than having an electric shower fitted - depends on how near to the garage your consumer unit is...

 

[sallison1504]

240v is old hat it's all 230v now Look up ohms law for correct amperage

230V is the figure Distributors can get the closest to. Most properties still get closer to 240V. That's why it's important to get a QUALIFIED electrician to do the actual maths when it comes down to changing the installation. There are guidelines to the maximum tolerances allowed, which I believe are 230V -6% +10%.

As for working on 3-phase in a domestic property. If the installation is utilising all 3 phases into a distribution board, then yes, a new 3-phase MCB, 4 or 5 core cable, a 3 phase triple pole isolator, then a 3-phase socket. Not expensive at all! (Joke)

If they aren't utilising all 3 phases, and they only have single phase from the service head, into a standard domestic consumer unit, then you would need a lot of work to utilise those phases, Into a distribution board, before you could implement the above paragraph.

 

[Meldrew2]

Not expensive at all! (Joke)

By comparison to MB main dealer prices it's certainly not expensive…

.