Need an Electrician's knowledge!

Scruff

We got shafted with a massive esb bill of €780, ye can read all about it here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=178163

After investigating this further i've come to the conclusion that it was indeed the emersion that ran up the bill but now i think our timer settings had nothing to do with. I think it was a dodgy wiring job done on the emersion that we were unaware of is to blame.

So here's where i need some help. The emersion tank controls consist of your standard on\off and sink\bath switch but there is also a timer diall swithch with off\on\timer. To my mind this is how it should be set up


however it seems that it is infact set up like this:


When we moved in the standard switch was switched to On and Bath. We were told nothing about how it was wired, we all presumes it was wired as in the 1st picture. This means that regardless of our timer settings, the whole thing was been over ridden by the standard switch being set to On. It also means that the emertion has been on 24-7 since we moved in in April, LAST YEAR!!!!

So is this a dodgy wiring job or not? if it is we are going to ring up the land lord and demand he pay it.

/edit would appreciate anyones opinion, not just a qualified electrician's!

Lex Luthor

Scruff wrote:

We got shafted with a massive esb bill of €780, ye can read all about it here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=178163

After investigating this further i've come to the conclusion that it was indeed the emersion that ran up the bill but now i think our timer settings had nothing to do with. I think it was a dodgy wiring job done on the emersion that we were unaware of is to blame.

So here's where i need some help. The emersion tank controls consist of your standard on\off and sink\bath switch but there is also a timer diall swithch with off\on\timer. To my mind this is how it should be set up


however it seems that it is infact set up like this:


When we moved in the standard switch was switched to On and Bath. We were told nothing about how it was wired, we all presumes it was wired as in the 1st picture. This means that regardless of our timer settings, the whole thing was been over ridden by the standard switch being set to On. It also means that the emertion has been on 24-7 since we moved in in April, LAST YEAR!!!!

So is this a dodgy wiring job or not? if it is we are going to ring up the land lord and demand he pay it.

/edit would appreciate anyones opinion, not just a qualified electrician's!

Scruff, I wouldn't say that it was a dodgey wiring job, more of an incompetent wiring job by somebody who probably didn't have much of an idea how these things worked. You are correct in your drawing in the way you think it should be wired. It should always be that if you switch off either the immersion switch or the timer then the power to the immersion is OFF. His way you have no control on your bath/sink selection and it can get confusing. I have my timer in my house wired as in your first drawing and the missus even understands it.
I think you might have a job on your hands getting the landlord to fork out for the bill. Did nobody in the house not notice this in 16 MONTHS?
Is he an approachable person?
Ask him you'd like it re-wired and if you think you can do it yourself, then charge him what it would cost a spark to do it.

As for your thread on esb estimated readings...our meter is outside but just behind the side gate so we get an estimated bill every time. I checked my meter and I'm about 300 units behind their estimate, but who gives a fook. I'll be staying for the long term so I'll be keeping an eye on it but they will keep giving you estimates until you do something about it. Thats why they get the guarantee form to sign or the deposit from you.

RicardoSmith

Is the switch and the timer beside each other? TBH I can see a valid reason for wiring it either way. Anywhere I've seen a timer and a switch they could be operated independently. But anywhere I've seen a timer would operate the gas or oil and not the electricity. So I guess thats no help.

Our house has gas central heating, which I can use to heat the cylinder. Or I can choose to use the electricity to heat the cylinder. The gas has a time/on/off switch the electricity only on/off. I was thinking of putting a timer on the electric switch as it has been left on a few times, as its stuck inside the cylinder cupboard. So its easily missed. In my parents house my dad wired up a red light in the kitchen to the switch so you can see when its on or not.

In both houses you can have the electric heater on, and also be heating it with the central heating. Which is pointless. But you can do it. Your situation is a little different obviously.

Not that its important but isn't it immersion not emersion.

This reminds me of a friend who bought a new house and after a couple of months got a huge phone bill. Turns out it was the old alarm system ringing the monitoring station, constantly. He ended up paying the bill.

Lex Luthor

RicardoSmith wrote:

In my parents house my dad wired up a red light in the kitchen to the switch so you can see when its on or not.

Hey Ricardo, do your parents live in Drimnagh?
I stayed in a friends cousins house in Drimnagh 15yrs ago and they had a red light in the kitchen for the immersion switch.....

RicardoSmith

Lex Luthor wrote:

Hey Ricardo, do your parents live in Drimnagh?
I stayed in a friends cousins house in Drimnagh 15yrs ago and they had a red light in the kitchen for the immersion switch.....

No, but I know a few houses with red lights in the porches.... :eek: