Old Wesix portable heater

[stan]

Trying to get my bathroom heater to work again!
(Looks like this one)
I've tried by salvaging heating elements from other elecric heaters, that kind if work, but don't turn orange or put out the heat the original did.
(Original element just was too far gone for me to keep it going)
I really like this one.. It just looks right in my bathroom
Any ideas on finding the right part for this?

 

[rp2813]

I'm pretty sure you can buy replacement lengths of nichrome/open coil heating elements on line that you can cut to fit, but I think you might have to buy a lot of it, like more than you could ever use.  You might try using the Searchalator, as I know this has been discussed in archived threads.   The link below is for one on-line source that may give you a start.  You'll need to know the gauge, which is what likely makes the difference between a bright orange coil and one that barely changes color.

 

I had a couple of those old Wesix heaters stashed away for many years but never had a use for them, so they got sold.  A friend of mine who had a drafty old farm house in Sebastopol without any central heat used various types of ancient electric heaters placed around the house including some Wesix models like yours.  Being suited for smaller spaces like bathrooms, they were no match for the cold winters there, and you could often see your breath when exhaling.  Everybody hung out in the kitchen which was heated by a wood stove -- the only comfortable room in the house.

[this post was last edited: 11/2/2015-01:08]

http://www.tutco.com/convection_heaters/open_coil_heaters.php

 

[delaneymeegan]

Sorry Ralph, you said "....old farm house in Sebastopol .......they were no match for the cold winters there, and you could often see your breath when exhaling"
COLD winters, in Sonoma county? HAA-AA ! I laugh.

Having lived there for 3 years, and never once, needing to put on a winter jacket (an extra shirt once or twice, yes) during that 3 years, in fact, not even having a winter jacket, .....I laugh. Not at you, but at the differences in perceptions people have of weather in different regions of the country, and probably, the world.

I remember going to the grocery store in November, when it was 60 degrees and raining out, in Santa Rosa, dressed appropriately in short pants and short sleeve shirt and appreciating what a beautiful day it was. Only later did I think about the people, huddling, wearing a heavy winter jacket, and then complaining to the cahier in passing about how awful the rain was, and how depressed it made them. LOL.

A typical winter temp. in Sonoma county, is 40 degrees. That's not even freezing.

During my 3 years there, there were collectively maybe 20 hours when the temp dropped to a low, A LOW, of 25 degrees. That's nothing. To people there though, it's "a sign". LOL.
In the upper Midwest, Canada, and New England, 25 degrees in winter is considered a HIGH, and a pleasant break at that.

In Sonoma, and other counties in California, simply having it rain is considered a big weather event, and a generally negative one at that. It brings out the drama queens, for sure. LOL.

I love California and what it stands for, but I'm so glad not to be there anymore. It really was like living on another planet. There was no snow, no ice, no rain, no sleet, everything is gray or tan, the trees are sparse, and the cost of Real Estate is also from another planet. Threats from earthquakes were not really appreciated, though I handled a few of those without any major issues.

It's so sad about what's happening to community in San Francisco and L.A. where the typical house cost upwards of a million. I can't imagine.

I really do wish you, and all the other AW members who live in Calif. the best. If you can survive living amongst that, you can do something I can't, or won't, do.

Dr. Housing Bubble Blog

How I Learned to Love Southern California and Forget the Housing Bubble

www.doctorhousingbubble.com

 

[rp2813]

If you can't hang with it, bash it.

"A typical winter temp. in Sonoma county, is 40 degrees. That's not even freezing."


 

Yeah, outdoor temps of 40 aren't even freezing, but when it's 40 degrees indoors, that's an entirely different matter.  Add to that the dampness and fog that are present much of the time during the winter in Sonoma County, and it only makes things worse.


 

The flip side of the macho character-building climate scenario presented above is, those tough-as-nails people from parts of the country where it gets below zero during the winter but in summer it's 95 with 95% humidity and it only cools down to perhaps 80 at night (with humidity holding at 95%) come out here and have to grab a sweater on a summer evening when the temperature reliably drops below 70, while natives are lounging in shorts, tee shirts and flip flops enjoying the cool breezes, aka natural air conditioning.  HAA-AA!  I laugh -- because they look ridiculous.  I'll never get tired of that kind of weather.  I appreciate the hell out of it.  I don't need to shovel snow, spin out on ice and land in a ditch or have bombastic rainstorms routinely ruin summer days to make me feel like I'm living in the real world.

 

Additionally, I'm baffled by a take-away from Sonoma County that everything is gray or tan.  The majority of Bay Area hills are deep green all year 'round, and the world's largest (redwood) trees can be found in dense ancient forests that stretch continuously from Santa Cruz County north to the Oregon border -- that would include Sonoma County's Russian River resort area. 

 

There's no shortage of people who wish they could live here, and that's why it has become so expensive.  East of the coastal mountain ranges, in the politically "red" part of the state where intellect is lacking, where the landscape is more gray and tan, where it's stifling hot during the summer and socked in for weeks with pea soup fog in the winter that regularly causes 100-car pile-ups, you can purchase a home for what would be considered peanuts, and that's exactly why. 

 

One thing homes in many parts of California don't have is a screened-in porch.  We can sit outdoors on a summer evening without getting eaten alive, but I suppose that's not a real life scenario either because it builds character to scratch welts until they scar.

 

Barely a day goes by that I don't feel lucky to live where I do, as does the rest of the highly educated and enlightened population of the greater Bay Area.   The standard of living<span style="color: #000000;"><strong> doesn't get any higher.  Look it up.  </strong></span>

 

<span style="color: #000000;"><strong>But yeah, we're all bummed that we don't have snow, ice, and sleet.  HAA-AA!  I laugh.
</strong></span>

 

 

 

 

 

[stan]

Thanks Ralph

I used the searchalator and found a old thread about these old heaters, looks like one of members is quite the expert. I may email him to see if he knows what gage I need.

Delany.. It's a big state..from the Sierra (snow) to the tallest Redwoods in the world (pacific coast) to the Mojave desert And the Central Valley contains over 230 types of crops and is a primary source of food products for the U.S.
Sonoma (birth place of California) as well as Napa county is what considered a type of mediterranean climate. Its why we grow grapes for fine wines. And there are many micro climates used for specific types of grapes. This mild climate is whats necessary to achieve this.
Mark Twain said that the "coldest winter he ever spent, was a SUMMER in San Francisco"
With that said, do you know how to fix my heater?

 

[delaneymeegan]

I love it.

You guys have my full respect.

I'll never forget:
living 10 minutes from the ocean and on the Russian River, hearing the sea lions at night that have swam up the river from the ocean and make their calling sound.

That same Russian river, after a "winter" rain, rise more than 20' and LITERALLY lap at my door and go 3' under my home, and knowing I'm in a flood plain realize I may have to move out in the dead of night, before the water does rescind. It was actually cool experience. I knew ahead of time the flood was coming, but didn't know how bad it was going to be.

Those beautiful, tall red wood trees, dwarfing anything they stand next to.

The people, generally nice, but so many of them, all crowding in and competing for such limited spaces.

Living with 120 degree heat in Lake county, for a week straight. (I don't ever want to deal with that again).

I'm glad I moved there and had the experience, but not only would I not live there again, I would not live anywhere in a desert region.

Yes, the heater....... I would first see if the core has a light bulb base and can be unscrewed from the heater, that would make it easy to remove and either replace or work on.

I've seen similar round bodied ceramic cores with the coils on them as a unit.
My parents have always worked in the electric business and as a kid I was exposed to a number of different products. And I remember coming upon that type unit and thinking 'this is weird kind of light bulb'. lol.
Now, do they still make it? I will check.

Also, I've seen several of these round pan type heaters, some dating back to the 1940s that used those screw base heater units.

Another thing you could consider is getting a new, cheap, $15 compact heater, opening it up and removing the heater core. They are usually carefully and delicately wrapped on a mica core. You could remove that coil from the mica and install it on the ceramic core you have, OR remove the core you have and install the mica bound heater AND FAN in the shell you have, with the fan on the bottom blowing upwards

You could buy a single electric burner/stove (about $20 new, maybe $5 at a thrift store) and use the heating element as your heat source inside the heater, making some modifications to the element so that the connections are at the bottom where they will stay cool and the element would stand up-right.

Another thing would be to get the model number for a portable compact clothes dryer that runs on 120 volts (Kenmore and Whirlpool for example) and order the heating element and restring it on your ceramic base.

What ever you do, make sure the connections are at the bottom where they will stay cool. When connections are on the side or top they will wear out faster.

Good luck in rebuilding this unique and rare item.

 

[ea56]

I am a Native Californian. I lived the first 12 yrs of my current 64 yrs. in the East Bay Area. In 1963 my family moved to Sonoma Co. to a home on the coast, 6 miles north of Jenner at 1600 ft elevation. I have spent 52 plus years here in Sonoma Co. Believe me, the typical average winter temp in Sonoma Co. is warmer than 40 degrees, at least during the day. At night we go as low as in the teens some nights, but ususally hover around the high 30's to mid to high 40's. Day time can be as warm as 70 and as low as say 39, but usually the average day time temp. is mid 50's to low 60's. We have just about every kind of climate you can imagine in Sonoma Co., we even get snow every couple of years, but its nothing like the snow other parts of the country get, just an inch or two that doesn't last too long, but its still snow. Geographically Sonoma Co. is a very large county. We have the Pacific Coast, the Russian River area, lakes, mountains you name it. Sonoma Co. is a beautiful place to live, and I can't imagine living anywhere else. I have lived all over Sonoma Co. during the past several decades. My experience is that during the winter it is pretty cold during the night time most nights. And like Ralph said in reply #3 there is a big difference between 40 degress outside as opposed to 40 degress inside. Since we have a pretty temperate climate most of our homes aren't built for really cold weather. So when it does get cold it can be a challange for some to keep their homes warm. I consider myself to be blessed to live here. My home is located about 20 miles as the crow flies from the coast. So during the Summer the ocean breeze comes in on most nights making it cool enough to sleep. Our home is surrounded by mature Sycamores, Redwoods and Liquid Ambers trees, giving us shade that also keeps the house relatively cool during most Summer days. We can get by with just a few fans and no AC.
Now back to Stan's original post. I'm sure that if anyone can get the vintage Wesix heater working again he can. I really enjoyed the pictures of your home and I appreciate how you have preseved the original character of your home. Too many people destroy these vintage homes by going all "open concept", what a shame. Bravo to you Stan!
Eddie[this post was last edited: 11/2/2015-14:07]

 

[stan]

Thank you Eddie

I'm going to try to fix it! It came with the house, so I always figured it need to stay.
And BTW it's raining now! And I'm not complaining LOL

P.S I'm a native Napan and if I could live here, I'd be at our sister city.. Sonoma

 

[stan]

And thunderstorms too

Yay! We need it!
Look close and you can see the big drops!

 

[rp2813]

Yay! Rain! Indian Summer is Officially Over!

1.1" here overnight!

 

That's a good start for what I hope is a much wetter than average rainy season!  Just got flashing repairs done on the roof last week. 

 

Andale pues, nino!  Traigase la lluvia!

 

[delaneymeegan]

Thank whoever for the rain.

I feel bad for the people suffering with this drought. I'd like to say I can't imagine, but I was there.
We can't forget those who've lost their homes to the wild fires. Todd 'Washerlover', his entire neighborhood was wiped out.

Anyway, I pray for a steady but light rain from now until April, to rebuild the aquifers, and the reservoirs, and to feed the crops grown in California that provide a sizable percentage of food to all of the U.S.

I'm interested to hear about what you decide on the heater.
As for ceramic elements, try doing a search for 'Eagle cone heater'.

 

[stan]

Thanks Delany

You must have read my mind! I was thinking the same thing.
I saw one on eBay (just wasn't Eagle brand) Not sure if the coil on the bulb is the same length I would need? But maybe.
What I like about this little heater is.. for a bathroom it puts out a nice even heat without a fan (no wind chill)
Here's a pic of my heater with and without the cover.
If I got the bulb, and cut the element off the bulb then.. Well you know LOL

 

[delaneymeegan]

What if you simply removed the porcelain element completely, put in a standard $1.59 porcelain socket in it's place, and screwed an Eagle 1000 watt heater bulb into that?

I prefer heat that is silent, too. That's why I only use baseboard heaters.

That's a sweet compact heater there, perfect for a bathroom. ....and matches the décor wonderfully. I think a lot of people strive for that kind of comfortable home atmosphere. You've succeeded.

 

[stan]

That's a idea

that could work..
I'd have to see if I could secure that base to the base of the heater.
It not hard to re string the element onto what I have, it just has to be the right element.
The one that in there was from another heater, and there's not enough resistance to get hot enough, but the ones from those bulbs may work.

 

[stan]

O.K

Delany I found a Co that makes new heat cones, looks like the closet they have is a 120 v 1000 watt. My heater says 1250 for watts. I'm going to call them tomorrow and see if the have a 120v 1250 watt cone that I can cannibalize for my heater. If not I'll wait a see if I find something in a junk store that matches my needs that I can cannibalize LOL
What do you think?

 

[rp2813]

I thought I read somewhere that the more tightly coiled, the less bright the red glow will be.  It kind of makes sense, and I recall that the tightly coiled outer element of the broiler/pre-heater on my mom's Westinghouse stove behaved that way.  If that's the case, you may be able to use the element you already have and stretch it to match the original coil, which may make it glow red like it's supposed to.

 

[stan]

Not sure

I'm not that good with electrical, but I think the watts are important to match. Since my old one used 1250 w, think that's what I've got to aim for??

 

[ea56]

Stan,
There is a Wesix electric heater on ebay right now that looks very similar to yours, just the handle loks different. I'm not good with links, but if you just enter Wesix Electric Heater in the search field on Ebay it will bring it up. The seller states that it works. Hope this helps.
Eddie

 

[kb0nes]

Stan,

The wattage is easy to calculate based on the line voltage and the resistance of the Nichrome wire element. Assuming 120v AC the resistance of the element needs to be ~11.5 ohms. (Wattage = Voltage^2 / Resistance).

The element wire will have a certain resistance per foot based on its diameter (wire gauge) and the coil spacing. The coiled wire isn't as easy to find but Google will turn up sources. If you unwind the element you have you will know how long it is. Find wire that will yield 11.5 ohms for that length and re-string the heater. It should be good for another 70 years!