Balmforth BD30:

J&S were not the only manufacturer making warm air heaters. Balmforth Ltd achieved significant market penetration back in the 70s, 80s and possibly the 90s too, with their “BD30” model. The BD30 was an almost exact equivalent to the ubiquitous J&S J25/32 and was also ideal for heating a typical three bedroom terraced or semi-detached house. It even looks almost identical.

It is an open-flue, down-flow warm air heater with a pressed steel heat exchanger, ‘hamster-wheel’ format air circulation fan and interestingly, a cast iron gas burner bar.

I suspect the BD30 was available with an integrated water heater too as there is a space inside for such, but I’ve never seen one with the water heater.

The BD30 is a really simple appliance so consequently very reliable, and plenty are still in service despite the company finally failing back in 2008. The only parts that commonly fail are the air circulation fan, the thermocouple and the gas valve. Surprisingly all these parts were still available for maintenance until recently. Johnson and Starley used to make a cloned air circulation fan, the thermo-couple is a generic part made by dozens of companies and Honeywell still make the gas control valve. The good news is if your air circulation fan fails, all is not lost. Your fan can be repaired by replacing the motor with a new one. You’ll need to remove your failed fan (or have someone remove it for you) and post it to me and I’ll send it back to you, fixed, in a few days. Or if you are within driving distance of me in Marlborough I can visit and repair it on site.

Finally don’t believe anyone who tells you radiators will have to be fitted. They don’t! If you want a new boiler to run your existing warm air heating system, warm air heaters suitable to replace a BD30 can still be obtained from Johnson and Starley Ltd.

For more information send me a text or call me on:

07866 766364

Mike