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Old 21st Sep 2012, 8:18 pm   #1
Colourstar
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Default 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Does anyone have any nice examples of these heaters in their collection- or even still in use? I well remember the distinctive smell of burning dust and gentle tinkling of the heater element when the pull-cord was given a smart tug by myself as an inquisitive youngster visiting my grandmother's bathroom!

I've just acquired a Dimplex example (BEAB approved, so probably 1970s despite the earlier looking design). Unfortunately it has a smashed element. I guess the chances of finding another are pretty much zero, unless you know different.

I'd be interested in photos/memories of this type of pretty much extinct method of heating the bathroom/kitchen.

Steve J
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Old 21st Sep 2012, 9:03 pm   #2
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Broadly similar heaters were made until recently, and may still be available.
An older electrical retailer or spares stockist should have replacement elements.

One could replace either the complete element or just the wire spiral, in this case of course you need the whole element.

If the silica tube is too long, it may be cut to length with a very fine abrasive disk.
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Old 21st Sep 2012, 9:11 pm   #3
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Elements are usually fairly standard, measure the length, get a close-up of the terminal ends then hunt ebay or online.

If there's a model number on the back of the heater even better.

http://elementwarehouse.com/
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Old 21st Sep 2012, 9:38 pm   #4
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

There are quite a lot of these still about, often fitted in bathrooms, I have also seen them installed in hotel bedrooms on more than one occasion. My grandmother has an identical one in the downstairs loo, though I don't recall an indicator by the pull string.

Elements should still be available.

Matty
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 12:23 am   #5
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

My mother's bathroom (ground floor, projecting from rear of house, north-east facing, converted from a coalhouse, wash-house or whatever and with ice on the inside of the window during winter) had one of these heaters until the house was rewired some five years ago.

It was mounted, as was the norm, quite high up on the wall. Of course, heat rises so the ceiling eventually got warm and the ice on the window eventually began to melt (probably more to do with steam from the bath) but the bathroom generally retained its arctic conditions for the duration of bath time.

The heater was a useless thing and was installed during the 1960s as far as I recall. It was certainly older than that illustrated in post #1. A wall-mounted fan heater has taken its place.

Operating the pullcord produced a loud metallic clunk; a noise I always hoped mother wouldn't hear because no-one was supposed to turn the heater on due to the high (according to her) amount of electricity it used.

Adjacent to where the pullcord entered the heater casing there was a sort of flag indicator behind an aperture. This showed white (well it did, latterly it became a dirty cream colour) when the heater was off and red when it was on.

The toilet was also an outbuilding. Well, it was also attached to the rear of the house but accessed from outside. My father bricked the door up and installed an internal door to allow access from the bathroom which adjoined the toilet. When the toilet door was open it swung into the bathroom and the top of the door was directly underneath the heater. So, as useless as that heater otherwise was, if some heat was desired in the toilet some careful positioning of the door was necessary in order to avoid blistering the paint on the top of the door. This remains the situation to this day, as the replacement fan heater is mounted in exactly the same place as the old heater was.

I have to say I was surprised to see a thread appear about these heaters but, on thinking about it, they're now as vintage as many other things discussed in the forum. I guess with being so familiar with one of these heaters for so long until quite recent times, I hadn't really given it much thought until someone else raised the subject.
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 12:50 am   #6
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

We had a Dimplex radiant heater in our bathroom, much like the one in the photo, mounted up close to the ceiling with a pull cord switch and supplied from a 13 amp socket. That was before my Dad has central heating put in. When he renovated the bathroom the heater was put in the tool shed, where it stayed until I sold the house after he passed away.

I too remember the nice warm smell when you switched it on, and it put out quite a bit of heat as well as I remember.
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 1:46 am   #7
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

My mother still has two of these, one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom. They don't see a lot of use given that the house has central heating but they do work surprisingly well. They don't actually raise the room temperature very much but the radiant heat is very welcome on a cold day.

My mum's heaters would have been fitted in the late 70s and I'm pretty sure that elements are still available. They last a long time in service, so there will be lots of old stock in warehouses even if they're no longer being made.

You sometimes see them in skips outside houses that are being refurbished.
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 7:12 am   #8
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Have any of you lot looked in Argos? infrared wall mounted heaters are still being produced.
I have a modern (800w total) unit in my bedroom and to be honest, it is a lot cheaper to run than a fan heater & the air does not dry up, unlike a fan heater!
There is nothing wrong with bar fire heaters, they heat people & objects, not the air which is seen as a good thing considering the fact the garage takes many hours to heat up with a 2KW fan heater!
The art to making the most of the O/P's heater unit is to keep the reflector clean, infrared cannot go far without reflectors.
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 9:42 am   #9
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

My parents' house used to have one of those heaters in the bathroom. The indicator window, if you looked, actually displayed OFF in green or ON in red.

It went when they finally had modern central heating installed (my mother was always afraid of a pipe bursting and flooding the house. Which I suppose was a possibility with the old open-vented, cistern-fed primary systems. At least a modern sealed primary can only leak a limited amount.)

After using the 7kW shower, you were generally sufficiently used to the cold not to need the wall heater on while drying yourself!
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 12:35 pm   #10
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Excellent stuff. Many thanks for the replies and reminiscences. There are still a few small electrical shops around here so I'll ask around to see if there's an element gathering dust on a shelf.

The heater is to be used as a standby for when I'm not using the Rayburn stove (which heats a towel rail/radiator in the bathroom). I did consider a new wall-mounted fan heater but felt this would spoil the period look of my bathroom. I always prefer to use a vintage appliance where I can.

Steve
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 1:31 pm   #11
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

OscarFoxtrot's link looks handy, see the Dimplex section of this page: http://www.spares4homes.co.uk/infra-...glass-16-c.asp
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 3:21 pm   #12
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

I have still got my 750 in the attic workshop, great little heaters.
Never had a problem with it, still works ok.
Now been disconnected as only use the attic for storage.

Gezza123
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 7:18 pm   #13
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Quote:
Originally Posted by Glowing Bits! View Post
The art to making the most of the O/P's heater unit is to keep the reflector clean, infrared cannot go far without reflectors.
More a case of it goes just as far, but not in the direction required which is towards you!
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Old 22nd Sep 2012, 11:03 pm   #14
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickthedentist View Post
OscarFoxtrot's link looks handy, see the Dimplex section of this page: http://www.spares4homes.co.uk/infra-...glass-16-c.asp
Impressive! My element is smashed so I'll have to carefully measure between the lugs the ends are still bolted to. I went to a tiny local electrical store this afternoon (peg-board in the window, old fashioned wooden counter with glass top...) and he can order any element for me. A good chance to support a local shop I think, good though the online facilities are.

Steve
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 9:03 am   #15
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

My grandfather has one of these in his downstairs shower room. Much like a previous poster, it's a converted coal-room, and was no doubt installed prior to the house being fitted with central heating. He's lived in that house since the early 60s, and it's a 20s built house. I've not seen it switched on in a long time, but when I was small it used to fascinate me watching the element slowly glowing up.

If I think on next time I'm round there, I'll take a few snaps of it.
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 6:44 pm   #16
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Here's mine, hanging on the bathroom wall in exactly the same place it was when we moved in here in 1984. The bathroom is very small, only about 5 * 6 feet, so its' 750w output warms things up nicely. The bathroom faces east and with the sea only about 800 yards away, things get pretty chilly in there. It gets used at this time of year, before the central heating is turned on and gives off that familiar burning smell that you mention. Only electric heaters seem to give off that particular smell. There is also a nice buzzing noise as the element warms up.

The element windings are a little bunched up at one end, resulting in a bit of a hot-spot, but it has always been like that, so I don't think it will do any harm.

I take it down when I decorate and strip out the reflector. Then I give it a good polish with Brasso. It always comes up like new. When I first took it down, the rubber seal at the back where it presses against the wall was covered in emulsion, so I spent ages scraping it all off.

Long may it continue to hang there.

Mark.
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 8:45 pm   #17
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Very nice Mark. I'm looking forward to installing mine.

I've now been offered another of these heaters- a genuine 60s model- which is known, excitingly, as a 'Ferranti Firestreak'. The mind boggles!

Steve
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 10:31 pm   #18
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Here's a nice one in a guest house bedroom.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-...?premiumA=true
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Old 23rd Sep 2012, 11:34 pm   #19
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Quote:
Originally Posted by Herald1360 View Post
More a case of it goes just as far, but not in the direction required which is towards you!
That'll answer as to why the one in the bedroom ain't feeling as warm as it used to, saying that though, the reflector does look rather tarnished and dusty!
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Old 25th Sep 2012, 7:44 pm   #20
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Default Re: 50s/60s Radiant Wall Fires

Dimplex still produce a version of those heaters, Don't know if the elements are interchangeable?
http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/DXIRX50N.html
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