Belling Vintage heaters
 

Hello everyone!! I utilised a lot of info on here from several years ago concerning Belling heaters, notably the Champion series. I have currently 2 Champion 92 A's and 3 Zenith range of heaters. My question is do these models use asbestos inside. I have attached photos and from the looks of things the Zenith model does. Could any of you kindly point out the components that utilise this presumably for insulation. Thanks!!!!

Re: Belling Vintage heaters
 

Nothing obviously astbestos that I can see. The white interlocking beads in photos 4 and 5 look like the Steatite beads I bought from "Proops" when they were still in the Tottenham Court Road, and use them for insulating wire subject to high temperatures, just like yours are.

Re: Belling Vintage heaters
 

That looks like it might be ok, I have an Ekco Thermovent heater which has got asbestos in it, it’s more of a thin 2-3mm thick white board, and is visibly fibrous, and if poked with something it feels soft, a bit like hardboard. Your last 2 photos look like it’s ceramic/ clay type element supports, if you get something metallic and tap on it that’ll tell you if it is. It’s possible it could contain asbestos, but if it is the clay type then it’ll be better than the soft type in my Ekco heater, it shouldn’t release fibres unless you break it.

Regards
Lloyd

Ps: I’m not an expert of any sort on asbestos!

Re: Belling Vintage heaters
 

Agree, not seeing any ACMs (asbestos-containing materials) there, provided those element supports in the Zenith are ceramic. Any dense, white/grey, engineered insulating product that is not ceramic but has to withstand element temperatures, is likely to be an asbestos-cement board. But as Lloyd says, if you can be confident that an item is ceramic, you're in luck.

High-density ACMs such as 'Sindanyo' and other rigid electrical insulating boards are typically lower-hazard than flexible or woven materials. They don't shed fibres readily and often have a lower fibre density at the surface. But ACMs take up many different forms and can be hard to recognise, so a quick look at a picture is not a very certain way to establish the level of hazard in a vintage device. Asbestos is not one substance, it's a type of substance, and some asbestiform minerals e.g. amosite and crocidolite are much more hazardous than the common chrysotile 'white asbestos'. If in doubt, seek expert advice.

BTW The mains lead needs sorting out where it's twisted and strained against the terminals.

Re: Belling Vintage heaters.
 

Thank you for these replies so far!

Thank you Lucien!

Re: Belling Vintage heaters
 

Good pick Lucien!!,
I was looking for obvious asbestos, ( I cannot see any ) and I missed the mains cable. But that is an accident waiting to happen, even if its only repairing the heater and resetting the breaker.

Asbestos was VERY common in Australia, whole houses, inside and out being asbestos. It was especially common in switchboards for its obvious anti flammability properties. It was also "sprayed " into ceiling and wall cavities as light fluffy white "cotton " that was raw asbestos fibres for its heat/cold insulating properties.
That is ONE product that is still very common, with whole suberbs being "condemned " and is behind big chain mail fences, awaiting removal by specialist companies.

Sorry for being OT, mods, I did think that was pertinant having grown up surrounded by the horrible stuff.

Joe

Re: Belling Vintage heaters
 

Cheers Joe!!

Re: Belling Vintage heaters
 

All looks ceramic, & if anything that might not be ceramic, likely dense enough to not be friable.

(I'd say there's no need to condemn the vacuum cleaner that you've just used to clean the heaters out!)

Dave

Re: Belling Vintage heaters
 

I'd also say you're OK in this instance.

However, I keep saying the same thing, but folk aren't listening, and that is that you should NEVER use a domestic vacuum cleaner that you use for general cleaning around the house, for the purpose of cleaning out ANY vintage item.

You should either use a 'dedicated' cleaner that you only ever use for this purpose and label it as such and keep it in the garage or shed, or use a cleaner that 'blows' (as I do), and blow the dust and muck out of the item right down the bottom of the garden or back yard, well away from yours and anyone else's house and preferably on a slightly damp day. Never use any domestic vacuum cleaner, dedicated or otherwise, for sucking 'unknowns' from anything in either house, garage or shed, as the filtering will NOT prevent the dangerous microscopic particles being spread all over the inside of said building, thus contaminating everything in it - forever!

Re: Belling Vintage heaters
 

The element supports are stamped Belling P20. Does that mean anything to anyone on the forum? format