I fitted a Dimplex Quantum heater!

A question about : I fitted a Dimplex Quantum heater!

Okay,

I had been looking for some time for a heating system to compliment an electric underfloor heating system on economy 7 in the flat I have just moved into. I had done a bit of research on this site and elsewhere but could see any user experiences of the Dimplex Quantum heater. Originally I wanted two of these fitting (in lounge and study) but have decided to fit only one (in the study) and see how I get on before ordering a second.

Costs

- Ј590 (inc Vat) plus Ј125 to fit - Not cheap I grant you, but if it saves me using peak supply elec I reckon that might pay for itself in 4 - 5 years (if not quicker).

Fitting

I found an ex North West Electricity board electrician who used to fit old fashioned storgae heaters for a living. He was upfront and stated he had never fitted a Quantum before but was keen to give it a go. I went for the QM100 mdel for a mid sized room (with high ceilings).

The pack is big (similar sized to a large plasma TV) (not including bricks). The heater itself weighs 35kg, not including bricks.

It took the fitter about 2.5 hours to fit, but he said he was taking his time and following the instructions to letter. It required an extra on peak spur to be put in as well as the off peak supply. The control units run from the on peak power supply so it is not possible to run them from the off peak power only.

Looks

Much better than i expected. The QM 100 is approx 820mm wide and the rest of the dimensions (Height and Depth are standard for all Quantums at H 700 and D 180). The look of the unit is good. Its still a storage heater, but a good looking one. It doesn't look out of place in my church conversion flat. Its is a white coulour (not cream / beige) it actually quite striking. It has two wires coming from it (both on same side). The two feet sit on top of the carpet, but carpet could be easily cut around it. I'll try and add a picture of two if possible later.

Controls

They look great. The colour changing temp display is a nice touch of quality. It took me about 15 mins to work my way around the controls. Setting the timers, and changing the set profiles, but overall its pretty straightforward.

Operation

So far the heater has been in 3 days (2 nights). I set it to come on Sunday morning and was pleased that it did with no problems. There was a slight smell from the heater but not an unpleasant one, rather like a smell of baking bread. I imagine this will disapear after a few uses.

I particualrly wanted to test out the heaters claims of retaining 'up 60% of its heat for 24 hours' as with my E7 tariff, I want to store the heat until the evening for use. Tonight I have set the heater to come on at night (18.00 to 20.00) and I will see how warm it is.

The heater has a slight noise (from the fan ) in operation but it is not intrusive, but is notiacble (i.e. you can hear it is on).

Its hard to tell if the heater is using stored supply or the 'boost element', but this might just be because I haven't figured it out yet.

Initial Thoughts

I am pleased with the heater, I like the look and the ease of operation. If It holds its heat as long as it claims it means that I should never need to use peak supply for any heating needs. I will keep you posted on developments and would like to hear any other experiences.

Conclusion

So far, so good! Looks better than I thought (and lots better than old storage heaters. Control are nice, simple and good looking. Heater works well. Its not cold enough to properly test yet and I will have not 'control' costs to test against so I can only speak from my own initial thoughts.

Best answers:

• So I mentioned I would post some pictures of the new quantum heater if I can so here you are;
  Heater came on as promised at 18.00, heated the room up and then turned itself off, all on the charge from last night. Looking good!
  Oh, it seems I'm not allowed to post pics in case I'm a spammer, shame. it looks good!
• WOW...Ј715 for one heater .....................
• Hi,
  Unfortunately as I am a newbie I am not allowed to make posts with links. The pictures are uploaded on imageshack but I can't share the link with you. :-( Not sure how to rectify. Other than write more posts!
  Does anyone know when you are allowed to post links? Or can an more experienced user post the link to the photos for me?
• I mentioned previously that I emailed Dimplex to ask why when I set the heater on the 'holiday' mode (to maintain 7 degrees C for 7 days) was still taking a charge (room temperature at the moment varies between 18 and 23 degrees so should be no need for heater to take any charge at all).
  The response from Dimplex customer services is as follows;
  'You can set the heater to Holiday mode and set the thermostat to 7 degrees, and the maximum number of days, however if the heater is still taking a charge you can turn BOTH switches off at the wall during the summer months.'
  Which I had already worked out for myself, however it doesn't explain WHY the heater was taking a charge when it didn't need to? I have emailed back asking this question and specifically asked to get a response from the technical department.
  I also mentioned I was writing about my experiences on MSE to try and focus some minds
  Still not overcome the 'newbie unable to post pictures' problem.
• Thanks Lstar,
  I think that is possible although Dimplex now seem to suggest otherwise, second response copied below; (note my bolds).
  I have responded and will see what I get back. If it is faulty that is slightly annoying, but quick rectification of a fault would still satisfy me. Time will tell!
  '
  Thank you for your email regarding your QM100 Quantum Heater that you have installed in your study.
  I have discussed your problem with our Technical Team & they have advised me that the heater may have a fault. The heater should not take a charge when in ‘Holiday Mode’ unless the room temperature falls below 7 degrees, unless of course the sensor may be detecting a draft. I have therefore been asked if you can provide me with the following details so that we can pass this information to our Service Agents to arrange a call out.
  · What is the Series Letter & Serial Number of your heater?
  · What is the date of installation?
  · What are the clearances around the heater? (including Right Hand Side, Left Hand Side, on Top & in Front)
  · How many Quantums do you have in your property & what are the sizes?
  
• I'm interested in reading other people's experiences of Quantum before deciding whether to upgrade our 20 year old storage heaters so please keep us posted Jaggeroooh.
  We had a visit from SSE where Quantum's virtues were extolled as you would expect but I want to know what they are really like. We are on the Superdeal (like E10 tariff) so getting heat out of our heaters into the evening isn't a problem since they receive an afternoon boost. But is Quantum really controllable for those times when you want less/ more heat and don't want to be anticipating a day in advance and waiting for the heater to catch up?
• you said the Heater came on as promised at 18.00, heated the room up and then turned itself off, all on the charge from last night. Looking good!
  was it the charge from the night before ?
• Thought it was time for an update.
  I've had the first heater fitted for a few weeks now and I'm really pleased with it. Of course it hasn't actually been very cold! I'm just about to get my second heater (QM150) fitted in the living room / kitchen.
  As I previously mentioned, the only very small negative issue I have found with the Quantum so far is that it was still taking a charge while in 'holiday mode' (7 degrees), so I alerted Dimplex who promptly sent a man out to investigate. He attached his laptop to the heater (i know!!!) and downloaded some data and said he would be back in touch once they had looked at it. Its not really a major issue because I can manually turn the heater 'off' via the switches on the wall.
  In answer to the quesiton above, yes the heater can come on in the evening as programmed on the charge from the night before. Whereas older storage heaters 'leak' most of their heat during the day, these store it for when you need it. Dimplex told me that they need to ask customers to turn them off for 48 hours before they can open them up and take a look, because of the amount of heat stored. There is still a small amount of heat loss during the day, but I assume the computer takes this into account when deciding how much charge to take, ambient temp etc.
  So we're entering a colder period now, will keep you all posted on how they go.
  One other thing to consider, there is a slight noise from the fan when the heater is on, its actually very quiet but definately audible. Its something to consider depending on your sensitivity to noise. Its no louder than the fans on my plasma TV, but there nonetheless.
  Let winter commence!
• can you tell me as with total heating total control the hydro boost's the heaters at various times during the day, should I have to change to a different tariff like E10 as you get a boost for about 8-10 hours at one time not at different times? if this makes sence
• sorry I confused you and me. I found out that iam on E10 tariff so I should have to change to E7 to get the heaters to store the heat.
  I'm not quite sure what you are asking me here. The Quantum are designed to use off peak power, but whether they adjust their intake from a E7 tariff to an E10 one I don't know. I suppose with the Quantum this is less of an issue as the afternoon boost from an E10 tariff is not really required as the heater can take and retain the majority of its heat from the night rate until it is required (unlike a standard storage heater which might be cool by the time the evening comes around).
  UPDATE
  So I fitted a SECOND Quantum heater in the living room now. Went for the QM150 (the biggest they do) as its a fairly large room. Cost of the heater was Ј700 including VAT and delviery and was fitted for Ј120 so Ј820 in total. Now I think my flat is well kitted out to really maximise the E7 tariff. Still waiting for a cold snap to get full use of the heaters so will keep you posted. I'm hoping that my significant investment will pay back in terms of both comfort and savings in the future.
  Still no update back from Dimplex on the 'holiday mode' minor issue.[/QUOTE]
• Thanks for keeping us up to date Jaggeroooh, I am enjoying reading your experiences.