Calor Gas Mini Heater will not turn on

[JamesEB]

I have a 3 month old Calor Super Heat Mini portable heater.

It has been working fine but now it will not turn on.

It has two buttons to determine the gas flow whether to one side of the element or both and a third red button that has to be pressed down while holding one of the others down.

Inexplicably the red button will not go down.

Can anyone help please?
JamesEB

 

[muggles]

Take it back to whence it came, and ask for a replacement. It'll be under warranty

 

[JamesEB]

Thank you and yes I bought it from Calor and they will replace it but while I wait for the replacement to be delivered I live out in the sticks, it is my only form of heating and I am freezing.

I would appreciate it if anyone knows how to turn this red button on.

Thanks for help
JamesEB

 

[Burnerman]

When you press one of the other buttons down, can you hear any gas escaping from the bottom of the radiant? This will prove that there is gas available.
The red button should be spring loaded, and when depressed should work the piezo igniter. If that won't work, you can try manually lighting the gas with a match, holding the first button in once lit, until the thermocouple gets hot enough to keep the gas on.
John
Edit....you aren't using this appliance in a sealed room, are you?
J.

 

[JamesEB]

Thanks. I couldn't try that as Calor determined it is a jammed red button (no reason given) and I already had it packed for the replacement which I have now got.

It has been altogether not very good.

I turn it on for only 2 hours twice a day and have been horrified to find a 7 kg bottle costing £26.99 lasts only a week.

Thanks for help

JamesEB

 

[nflowers]

The running costs are about right - Ballpark figures only - butane gas costs about £1.50/l and each litre will provide 8kWh of energy. So, the unit cost is 150/8 = 18.75p per kWh unit. The heater is rated at 4.3kW, so it'll cost 4.3*18.75 = 80.6p per hour to run. If you run it for 4 hours a day, 7 days a week that's 80.6 * 4 * 7 = £22.57 per week. The rest will be the charge for swapping/filling the cylinder and a bit of profit so £26.99 a week seems correct.

It would be cheaper to use electric heating which is a bit cheaper per kWh (depending on supplier) or, of course vastly cheaper to use natural gas at about 3-4p per kWh.

Nick

 

[JamesEB]

Thanks for that which is interesting and very helpful.

But, I am confused.

I am a 75 years old pensioner and I turned off the British Gas gas central heating because the bills were astronomical.

Thanks for help
JamesEB

 

[nflowers]

Oh, that may have been a bad move - depends on how well insulated your house is and how old the boiler is. I live in an average 1970's 3 bed terrace, double glazed, full central heating and a modern condensing boiler and EDF estimate it'll cost me £245.32 gas for next year, which includes cooking on a gas hob. This is based on 2.27p per unit (including 5% VAT). Are you just heating one room now whereas it was the whole house before, and have you considered switching to a cheaper supplier, insulating the loft etc. and/or getting a new boiler?

Nick