Can I put a shelf over a storage heater, actually help generally re storage heaters please!

[JugglingChaotically]

My 92 tear old DM is moving into sheltered housing. No room for all her ornaments and family photos - can I put shelves over the storage heaters?
Also, how easy are they to use? Any tips on how to control them? The previous occupant has huge bills.
Was there yesterday and the electric water tank bubbled all day. But economy seven electricity? Confused as only ever had gas! No gas in the block so can't swap it out.
Help? Any ideas?

I used to have storage heaters.
I had a shelf over the one in the hallway, for keys and hats etc, it was a wooden one, already there when we moved in.
The rest didn't have a shelf, they were under the windows.
I had economy7, they were very old storage heaters and rubbish at that, I used to pay £140 a month for the bill, 2 bedrooms. They came on after midnight, charge through the night and release heat throughout the day, trouble was by 5-6 pm it was quite chilly already, so we had to supplement with an electric heater.
Fot the tank, a timer is relatively cheap to install, I had it on from 5 -6 am and then from 5-7 pm for dishes, bath etc.

Thanks dilidali, did you have foil on the underside of the shelf?
Will look into timer for water heater.

No, no foil. It was nice to get warm gloves, hats and scarves in the morning off it though:)

storage heaters are giant batteries that store heat. You charge them up with cheap rate electricity and they then release the heat.

they are nearly 100% efficient like all electric heaters BUT must be used correctly and on the correct tariff.

first, get on to the electricity supplier and make sure there is a cheap rate tariff to charge them, and you get as many hours as possible. Economy 7 at least - possible economy 10 or more. There are special tariffs for places with older heaters. A middle of the day boost is really good if you can get it. Find out when those cheap rates are (they may change when the clocks do) and educate mum to use any other high-use appliances during those times if possible.

second, learn how to use the controls. When they are charging, it is input turned up and output to min. Leave output on min until needed, then turn it up to release heat. At the moment the input won't need to be turned too high, but as the weather cools they will need to be charged more. Needs a bit of forward planning - 'it will be colder tomorrow so I need to charge the heater tonight'

shelves can go over them but NOTHING must be put on them. They then overheat and cut out, and the cutout needs to be replaced.

finally, get that water tank checked out too.

Tks Dili.
Tks Special. Will call electric co tomorrow.
No timer and looks like no way to fit one on water heater.

We've saved a fortune with ours, but only after we were shown how to use it properly. About 70 per month and no gas.

Yes to economy 10 or whatever its called to get a pm boost. We had to ring up to ask for it and be put through as it wasn't advertised and first person we spoke to had never heard of it. The afternoon boost is then automatic and is like recharging the storage bricks in the day. This prevents the getting cold early evening problem.

Find out when the cheap rate is. We run washing late at night or early morning as its so much cheaper.

storage heaters must have good air circulation, or they will overheat and the internal thermal fuse will melt.

So a shelf a couple of feet above will be OK,, but nothing on top of the heaters. People who drape wet washing are bad for this. There will be finbe black dust marks rising from the heater.

If the immersion heater was "bubbling" then it probably has a failed thermostat which is dangerous as the water may be scalding or boil and may melt the cold water storage tank above if it is plastic. Changing the thermostat is an easy plumbers job. More modern thermostats have a safety cut-out to turn then off if they overheat.

If the home has an economy 7 type tariff, then there is probably (should be) a timer-controlled immersion heater near the bottom of the cylinder, and a full-price top-up element near the top, to be manually switched on if you have used all the stored water and need a bit extra during the day. Thsi should normally be switched off, but get that thermostat changed anyway. Scalding is a particular danger with small children and with aged or infirm people. The cylinder should be very well insulated so it will keep water hot all day at low cost. What colour is it? (this is not a joke)

Look at the electric meter. It should display Cheap Rate and Day Rate usage separately. You might have to push some buttons. Write both the readings on the calendar at least monthly. The electricity co will have "how to read your meter" on their website. The daytime usage should be very low as it will mostly be running lights, TV, cooker. The nighttime should be higher as it should be running hot water, and storage heaters in winter. Storage heaters are hottest in the morning and run out of power by evening, so buy mum an electric blanket, and possiblly a small, oil-filled electric radiator for the bedroom. Oil-filled are not a fire risk like most electric heaters as they have no red-hot element inside and the casing does not get hot enough to burn you. They can be fixed to the wall to avoid being knocked over. They all have thermostats these days but a timeswitch will help for economy. Only a 500W heater should be needed if it is in the bedroom, and during the night it wil probably run at cheap rate most of the time.

here is an example of an Economy timer for an immersion heater. However I will be very surprised if there is not already some kind of timer (it may be next to the electricity meter) if it is a home with Economy 7 type tariff and storage heaters.

Best to get a qualified electrician who is a member of a Competebt Persons Scheme to fit it, as he will be more familiar with rules and methods than a plumber.

to add to all this good stuff - I would also stress being prepared to argue with the electricity company. For instance, we were with Scottish Power and eventually got 14 cheap hours a day but it took a few phone calls and finding the right people, plus our landlord getting involved to convince them that yes, we did have that type of storage heater.

Scottish Power's tariff book runs to about 30 pages, the one you want is in there somewhere but like all the electricity companies they don't make it easy!