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UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
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Silent thermostat
"Huge" wrote in message ... Our bedroom gets very cold at night, due to having unheated spaces on 5 of it's 6 sides, despite double glazing, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and insulation in the floor. I don't want to run the central heating all night, partly because it's wasteful to heat the whole house for one room and partly because it was installed by an imbecile and it clanks and clonks as it heats up and cools down and keeps us awake. I'm already wearing a tracksuit under a 13.5tog quilt, so more bedding isn't really an option. So ... I bought a Dimplex 2kW convector heater to have on at night, thinking it would be relatively silent. Wrong. The thermostat in it reminds me of the Rank Organisation's gong in the credits of their movies. So, we're lying there wide awake (nice and warm, mind) listening to this thing going *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, like a bloody deranged slow-motion grandfather clock. So, does anyone know of a plug-in thermostat that will switch 2kW, but above all must be silent. TLC have this one; http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SMET05.html But looking at the instructions, it too ticks. And my experience of the longevity of Smith Instruments domestic timers and the like is not good. I don't know of any commercially available electronic thermostats that will not have an audible click, a bimetallic strip or latching relay (both mechanical) are the cheapest way of switching lots of power. I have built such systems in the past using solid state relays which are silent, but would be very expensive commercially. Have you thought about an electric blanket? You can throw off all that excess bed covering weight and still be nice and toasty. A darn sight cheaper to run than a 2kW heater! I reckon ours uses less than a unit per night. Dave |
#2
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Silent thermostat
"Huge" wrote in message
... So ... I bought a Dimplex 2kW convector heater to have on at night, thinking it would be relatively silent. Wrong. The thermostat in it reminds me of the Rank Organisation's gong in the credits of their movies. So, we're lying there wide awake (nice and warm, mind) listening to this thing going *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, Ear-plugs? but then you won't hear the smoke alarm... -- M Stewart Milton Keynes, UK www.megalith.freeserve.co.uk/oddimage.htm http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/ms1938/ |
#3
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Silent thermostat
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Huge wrote: I've never been very happy about the idea of electric overblankets. Are they safe? Yes. Well, at any rate, you don't hear of too many electrocutions or fires caused by them.g -- Cheers, Set Square ______ Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is Black Hole! |
#4
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Silent thermostat
"Huge" wrote in message ... I've never been very happy about the idea of electric overblankets. Are they safe? Yes. But like all electrical items you have to treat them with respect. Always buy new and follow the instructions carefully (which are only common sense instructions). By law all electric blankets sold have to be BEAB approved and have built in overheat protection. They also monitor earth leakage and check for breaks in the circuit continuously. They are so robust you can wash them in a washing machine, although personally we don't. We replace ours every 5 years as a matter of course. To be absolutly straight, yes, they have caused fires, and people have died using them, but in all cases blankets have been blatently faulty and 99% were over 10 years old. I believe about 20 people a year in the UK die using them. Compare this with fatalities caused by faulty heaters. Using one is safer than crossing the road, but you have to weigh up the pros and cons in your own mind. HTH Dave |
#5
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Silent thermostat
In message , Huge
writes listening to this thing going *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, like a bloody deranged slow-motion grandfather clock. BTDTBTTS. An oil-filled electric radiator may be a better solution. From memory, the thermostats are a lot quieter, if only because they are in a big empty (almost) metal "sounding" box. Also the higher thermal mass means the stat operates much less frequently. Steadier heat output as well. -- Steve |
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Silent thermostat
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#7
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Silent thermostat
On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 20:15:15 -0000, "Dave Gibson" wrote:
To be absolutly straight, yes, they have caused fires, and people have died using them, but in all cases blankets have been blatently faulty and 99% were over 10 years old. I believe about 20 people a year in the UK die using them. Which is more people than die each year that will be saved by the new electrical safety regs to be introduced shortly. And guess what? Those safety regs do not cover electric blankets or any other type of utility device plugged into the mains. PoP Replying to the email address given by my news reader will result in your own email address being instantly added to my anti-spam database! If you really want to contact me try changing the prefix in the given email address to my newsgroup posting name..... |
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Silent thermostat
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#9
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Silent thermostat
In article ,
Huge wrote: So ... I bought a Dimplex 2kW convector heater to have on at night, thinking it would be relatively silent. Wrong. The thermostat in it reminds me of the Rank Organisation's gong in the credits of their movies. So, we're lying there wide awake (nice and warm, mind) listening to this thing going *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, [snip] If the thing is 2KW capacity and is cycling the thermostat then it is running at less than 2KW average. You can gain some idea of the actual power by estimating ON/(ON+OFF). If that is the case then it might be possible to run it at a reduced mains voltage such that it produces the same avg output power without ever tripping the thermostat (turn the stat up full anyway). eg, P= V-squared/R, so running at (say) 0.707x normal mains voltage would produce an average of 1KW output from a 2KW heater. TRIAC power regulators are devices that produce an effective reduction of the AC voltage into a resistive load (silently). See http://www.farnell.com part numbers 291-500 or 291-511. 291-511 is interesting because it also allows attachment of a thermistor for temperature control. -- Tony Williams. |
#11
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Silent thermostat
"Huge" wrote in message ... BTW, for all the electric blanket fans, SWMBO has vetoed that. She wants the air temperature raised to acceptable levels. Presumably as its only your head that will benefit, have you thought about buying a couple of balaclavas? ..... you could always add goggles afterwards if she still complains about her eyelids getting cold. Dave |
#13
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Silent thermostat
"Dave Gibson" wrote
| Presumably as its only your head that will benefit, have you thought | about buying a couple of balaclavas? I would have thought it could be pretty frightening waking up in the middle of the night to find it's twisted round and the eye-holes are no longer over the eyes. Owain |
#14
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Silent thermostat
"Huge" wrote in message ... Our bedroom gets very cold at night, due to having unheated spaces on 5 of it's 6 sides, despite double glazing, cavity wall insulation, loft insulation and insulation in the floor. I don't want to run the central heating all night, partly because it's wasteful to heat the whole house for one room and partly because it was installed by an imbecile and it clanks and clonks as it heats up and cools down and keeps us awake. I'm already wearing a tracksuit under a 13.5tog quilt, so more bedding isn't really an option. So ... I bought a Dimplex 2kW convector heater to have on at night, thinking it would be relatively silent. Wrong. The thermostat in it reminds me of the Rank Organisation's gong in the credits of their movies. So, we're lying there wide awake (nice and warm, mind) listening to this thing going *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, long pause, *TOCK*, long pause, *TICK*, like a bloody deranged slow-motion grandfather clock. So, does anyone know of a plug-in thermostat that will switch 2kW, but above all must be silent. TLC have this one; http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SMET05.html But looking at the instructions, it too ticks. And my experience of the longevity of Smith Instruments domestic timers and the like is not good. Look in the CPC catalogue, part no PL02451. It's a Goldair fan heater with electronic control, when it gets colder the fan slowly speeds up and the element gets gradually hotter, then it slows down and cools as it gets near the set temp. We bought one for our camper because the clicks used to annoy us as well. This one works a treat, no clicks. Rgds Andy R |
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