Belling Zephyr electric fire

[kirstyd]

I have just saved the above from the tip. It's a bit dirty but under the dirt it's in really good condition and so well built compared to modern heaters .The only thing puzzling me is the flex [which is original] it enters through the back of the fire and connects to its relavent connections there is nothing to secure it no clips or ties nothing .While this is not a problem i would like to know how things should be arranged if anyone knows I would be interested.

[Herald1360]

Was the rubber sleeved part of the flex perhaps secured to the tag sticking out alongside the entry bush?

There seem to be signs of a suitable kink in the flex.

[kirstyd]

i really dont know but i cant see how the flex would have been secured to the shell of the fire because the flex has to be connected to the front panel i can only assume the flex must have been anchored there so that the cable could just be threaded through the hole and a plug fitted .i have found a suitable clip and am going to secure the flex just underneath the live and neutral connections .Anyone know where i can get some new braided flex [whilst the old stuff is not perished i would like to replace[because of its age] it with something that looks the part

[julie_m]

If the fire was intended for permanent installation over a fireplace, with a fused connection unit in the chimney space, then there would be no need for any strain relief.

[mark_in_manc]

Originally Posted by kirstyd

Anyone know where i can get some new braided flex [whilst the old stuff is not perished i would like to replace[because of its age] it with something that looks the part

Skinflint that I am, I tend to collect stuff like that from dead clothes irons. About the only use I've ever found for an iron, to be honest

[Brigham]

The Radiant-Zephyr, a combined reflector fire and convector.
No. 854, or 854F for the wall-mounted version.
That one is a later model, with plastic rocker switches instead of the quick-double-break type in use until at least 1962. The 'normal' flex colours suggest that the change occurred towards the end of the 'sixties. Does anyone have a later catalogue to confirm?

[kirstyd]

I have managed to find some braided flex on Ebay that will do the job and look the part.For now i have refitted the old flex just to try the fire out .Its also had a good clean[there was decades worth of dust and fluff inside just waiting to burst into flames] and i am happy to say the reflector has cleaned up really well with no rust or tarnishing.I certainly gives off a lot of heat but then so does the electric meter as it spins alarmingly fast.

[julie_m]

At least you can say an electric fire is truly energy-efficient -- 100% of the energy supplied to it as electricity ends up as heat

[emeritus]

I remember my school physics master making the same point. He neglected to say that the best coal-fired power stations in use at the time were only about 25% efficient!

[Brigham]

Have you inspected the original flex? It may well be fine. I'm not sure why some types perish to dust, and others soldier on as good as ever. It must be down to chemical composition, rather than use. I've had little-used heaters where the flex has been perished beyond comprehension, and others where the outer braid is utterly worn away, yet the rubber is still good.
Finding a good original flex saves work in sleeving the 'wrong' colour cores.

[kirstyd]

The original flex is in good order, I'm just a bit wary because it's so old. The new braided flex has arrived today [its sort of beige colour with white flecks in it so once fitted it will look the part] so I will fit it at the weekend. I don't like changing things unless it's absolutely necessary but the old flex is well over 50 years old and with both bars and the convector plus the bulb, there will be almost a 3000 watt load on it.

[emeritus]

I echo Brigham's comments. The Pirelli TRS cable I removed when I rewired my house over 30 years ago (and left in a tea chest in the loft) is still in excellent condition. It dates from at least 1938, making it nearly 80 years old. On the other hand I have seen cables of similar age that completely disintegrated when disturbed, leaving only the conductors.

[kirstyd]

well the new flex arrived today now while its rated at 2500 watts as you can see from the photo its not as substantial as the original stuff .Its advertised as being suitable for irons up to 3000 watts i can only assume its ok for those irons because they are continually switching on and off where as the fire will be loading the flex with a constant load .think i may put the old flex back as its perfectly ok and has a nice substantial MK plug in my opinion far better than modern plugs with there flimsy connections. The new flex will go on an old Morphy Richards iron i have thats desperate for a replacement so wont be wasted

[Herald1360]

It looks a bit lightweight. Depending on the rubber, it could possibly handle the current but will certainly get uncomfortably warm. Some silicone rubber insulation is good for 200C indefinitely- not a temperature you want to touch. A lot of modern electrical component temperature ratings are well outside the human comfort zone!

If you've got a micrometer or digital caliper you could measure the strand diameter and count the strands to get the cross section (if it's not stated in the purchase info). For 13A continuous I'd want around 1.5sq mm.

[Boater Sam]

13A 3kW load is 1.5mm cable for continuous load in free air.
Having established that, many washing machines use 1.25mm cable, the 3kW load is short term whilst heating water. But many do get warm.
Tumble dryers tend to use 1.5mm, continuous load.
We used to have severe problems with a certain popular make of water boiler, 3kW on 1.25mm cable and the terminals underneath used to overheat and the stripped lead used to loose its insulation, thin cable, no ventilation, heat from the element in the base, left heating 25 litres all day = failures.

[kirstyd]

Tried it with the new cable on and you were right it gets quite warm [not happy about that ]so i have put the old flex back on secured it to the case and fitted the cleaned up Mk plug .Its been on for 20 mins and the cable is fine not even warm

[Paul_RK]

Sounds good to me. Some of the household fleet of Belling Champions still have old, possibly original, rubber-insulated cable: given the mysterious matter of why the insulation sometimes turns brittle and in other instances seems as good as new, I aim to give each cable a quick inspection in the autumn before use resumes, at the same time as I clean out the year's worth of dust and fluff from the heater.

Paul

[kirstyd]

I have two old electric heater that get used quite a lot in the winter. When I am finished with them for the summer I simply put them in a bin liner and tie the open end that keeps them clean ready for next year.

[kirstyd]

Just a quick story about the MK plug. I have a Morphy Richards convector that we use throughout the winter usually in the hall. Last year I managed to bash the plug with a kirby vac as you can imagine it didn't stand a chance. I replaced the plug with a modern one saved from a dead slow cooker. Big mistake I should have known better. Within an hour it got so hot it damaged the socket it was plugged into and the live pin was burned black. It was only noticed when it tripped the circuit breaker. Just goes to show these modern plugs with there flimsy screws are not up to the job. I had another [on a toaster] where the top came off in my hand. Thank god the switch was off.

[broadgage]

My late grandmother had a very similar electric heater, permanently installed as original equipment in a flat built in the early 1960s.

This was larger than the one illustrated but clearly part of the same family of products. It had a single radiant element, 750 watts in a silica tube, and 3 levels of convected heat.

It was still in good working order when my grandmother passed away about 10 years ago.

I had replaced the radiant element several times and the lamps dozens of times. (this larger model used two lamps) In the end I replaced the recommended lamps with a pair of 100 watt yellow lamps wired in series.