broughton fireflo FF3 fan heater ductable
Broughton Fireflo FF3 industrial fan heater

Broughton Fireflo FF3 industrial fan heater

3kw Overview and the Broughton FireFlo FF3

The market for 3kw industrial fan heaters is a competitive place and there are plenty of capable products keen to win your favour. The Broughton Fireflo FF3 may on the face of it appear to be much the same as any other 3kw heater, only it's not.  Allow me to explain why.

There are plenty of 3kw fan heaters that claim to be 'industrial' but in truth the vast majority are imported by the container load from the Far East and 'branded' by recognised retail and marketing companies. Behind the brand name and the paint livery they share the same very light weight sheet steel construction and internal components, and they certainly don't have the capability of being 'ducted'.

The Broughton Fireflo FF3 however is little bit different. It is a bit heavier, it has a clunky, steel fold down handle, it has a strange round perforated pattern to the outlet, it seems...'industrial'. That's because it is.

We had a good look at the 230v version (there is also a 110V version), which in this case had a spigot fitted to the front. To explain, the strange round perforated pattern for the outlet is there for a reason.

Fireflo FF3 carry handle

Fireflo FF3 carry handle

The Broughton Fireflo FF3 however is little bit different. It is a bit heavier, it has a clunky, steel fold down handle, it has a strange round perforated pattern to the outlet, it seems...'industrial'. That's because it is.

We had a good look at the 230v version (there is also a 110V version), which in this case had a spigot fitted to the front. To explain, the strange round perforated pattern for the outlet is there for a reason.

Broughton FF3 controls

Broughton FF3 controls

On the back is a simple on/off rocker switch which fires up the heaters' fan, and enables the element and on-board thermostat. The thermostat has a range from 0 - 40°C, which is very useful because it means that it could be used in applications such as warm rooms for keeping raw materials at an above room temperature level, or even for frost protection. Most small industrial heater thermostats range only from 5-30°C, and therefore limited to only 'comfort heating'.

The Broughton FireFlo FF3 thermostat has an audible click at you turn it through the ambient temperature and a 2°C switching differential. What this means is that the heater once it has got the room to temperature then holds it in a 2°C wide band - perfectly good enough to maintain comfort but not to tight to be an annoying level of on/off cycling.

Once running, in common with other heaters of its type, it takes a bit of time to reach full heat output which when we tried it in our office was about 10 minutes. The elements are designed to operate 'black'. That is they become hot but not red-hot. If they did get that hot then that would indicate that the airflow was restricted and it would in time automatically cut out to prevent fire or heater damage. With a single thick element housed in what is actually quite a large casing, the manufactures reckon in common with others for heaters this size that a fan overrun is not needed.  The larger FireFlo heaters in this range do have overruns.

The 200mmØ 5 bladed axial fan seems well-balanced and quiet, and has what appears to be quite a chunky alloy cased 35w motor. The side and top skins of the heater become warm although not too hot to touch. The front face does get hot, but then it would do and they do put a warning sticker on to say as    much.  The Broughton FireFlo FF3 suits on rubber feet and has a couple of steel lugs on the back skin for wrapping the cable when it's not plugged in.

FF3 heat warning

FF3 heat warning

All in all the FF3 certainly looks the part (all 'industrial' fan heaters do from a distance) but more importantly it feels the part and works the part, excellently. All this perhaps explains its weight. Take a guess... "3kg", higher "4kg", higher yet, "5kg". Nowhere near.  Although all the other heaters in this market are in the 3-6kg range, the Broughton FireFlo FF3 industrial fan heater is an industrial belt busting ...10kg. 'Proper job', as they say.

FireFlo FF3 element mounting

With the top and front panel removed the FireFlo FF3 element mounting is very easy to get at and would be easy to replace.

Close examination of the construction reveals a combination of rivets and screws holding it together.  The screws are used on the front and top plate section. With the screws removed  the top and front easily lift off, and reveal the internals. This simple construction is great news as it means that when a thermostat breaks, or an element burns out or a main switch needs replacing, then changing it is a very easy job for the spanner literate types. Even better news is that the spare parts are readily available for the FF3 and indeed the whole Fireflo industrial heater range.

"They don't build 'em like that anymore". Wrong! They do. They are called Fireflo and they are made in Britain.

FireFlo FF3 front and top skin

FireFlo FF3 front and top skin. Held in place by screws, it can be easily removed for future fitting of spares