Other heaters less problem

Press, 5 October 1985, Page 9

Other heaters less problem

Initial results of fire safety tests on makes of electrical fan heaters other than Goldair, by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research in Christchurch, have revealed little cause for concern with most models. Tests on 35 fan heaters, including two of every make used in New Zealand at present, showed there might be some cause for concern in the placement of a fuseable link protection in safety-cut outs of some models, said the commercial manager at the Electricity Division of the Ministry of Energy, Mr David Cook, in Wellington yesterday. However, there was

nothing drastically wrong, said Mr Cook. “The faults are nowhere near as serious as those with the Goldair heaters,” he said. “If there was anything drastically wrong, we would certainly let the public know at once.” Mr Cook said the models that might give cause for concern were used in relatively small numbers in New Zealand at present. “What we are doing is ensuring that the heaters operate satisfactorily in all sorts of conditions, where the airflow is reduced and the danger of overheating is increased.” Once the tests were completed next week, the results would be reviewed

and discussions held with the manufacturers concerned, said Mr Cook. In general, New Zealandmade appliances were of good quality by world standards, he said. At this stage there was no cause for users of heaters other than Goldair to be concerned. Mr Cook said that he would like to see some changes made in future to some manufacturing designs and testing procedures. “It is important that the heaters are tested for a whole range of use and misuse.” Mr Cook has said that careless use of heaters is a leading cause of house fires.

Fan heaters in general had been “designed down to a certain point” to meet a price requirement, said Mr “A heater has a life of 10 years or more, so it is important that it is not engineered down to the bare bone.” The placement of protective devices is also an aspect of some models’ design that Mr Cook would like to see improved. The electrical fan heaters are being tested by the D.S.I.R. at the request of the Electricity Division. Tests last week on Goldair heaters showed they were prone to catch fire. Subsequently the Con-

sumers’ Institute and the Electricity Division advised the public not to use these heaters until they had been suitably modified to include two safety cut-outs. On Monday, the manufacturer of Goldair fan heaters, P.D.L. Industries, Ltd, started a programme to update its own heaters by installing a second safety cut-out. The company wants customers to get in touch with its P.D.L. Sales, Ltd, branches throughout New Zealand, and return the heaters to these or nominated collection centres. Tollfree telephone lines will be installed this month for this purpose.