immersion issues

paddles

prob is such: when central heating is on I have plenty of hot water, no prob there. However, when I set the immersion it is not heating the water enough and I no longer get enough water fo a shower like I always did before.

had an electrician out who could n't find aprob with the immersion but he adjusted the thermostat stating that it had been set too high (has never been touched in yrs as far as I know) and that after a period of time, this became problematic and was "knocking -something- off".

However, same problem prevails...Plummer time? I thought it would be the timer/switch and got an electrician.

Buford T Justice

The immersion could well be on its last legs. Maybe its time for a replacment

paddles

Even if the central heating heats the water fine?
Ok, so what is a new immersion going to set me back? *sigh*

Antomus Prime

paddles wrote: »

Even if the central heating heats the water fine?
Ok, so what is a new immersion going to set me back? *sigh*

Personally I'd charge €120 to supply and fit an immersion

mattjack

anywhere between 28 to 45 euros for a new element, and then whatever an electrician or plumber charges to replace the element,though they are not as difficult to replace as you might think

paddles

Boiling the kettle for the time being then! Thanks!

indie armada

could the sparks have turned the stat down too much, so its kicking in too soon, therefore not allowing the water to get up to a decent temp.
also if its a dual group, could the wireing for the sink element be mixed up with that of the bath, which would mean the smaller of the two is being used to heat a large body of water

haymur

I would turn up the stat not down on the top of the immersion. Isolate the supply at fuse board (Trip or Fuse). take off cover on top of immersion usually a single screw. You will see a little slot in a small dial on the stat. Turn it up to 80 or 90 percent of its range. Most models this is to the right. Put cover back on. Switch on sink setting and check water after 40 to 60 Mins. If not hot set to bath and wait 2 hours. check water. If this does not work you could have a intermittent bath/sink on off switch or a faulty immersion group heater

JohnnieK

If the immersion is that old there could be a lot of scale build up on the element and this would act like an insulator. Best to replace it.

paddles

haymur wrote: »

I would turn up the stat not down on the top of the immersion. Isolate the supply at fuse board (Trip or Fuse). take off cover on top of immersion usually a single screw. You will see a little slot in a small dial on the stat. Turn it up to 80 or 90 percent of its range. Most models this is to the right. Put cover back on. Switch on sink setting and check water after 40 to 60 Mins. If not hot set to bath and wait 2 hours. check water. If this does not work you could have a intermittent bath/sink on off switch or a faulty immersion group heater

Immersion on "sink" always used to take 20mins or so to heat enough for one shower and for years I have set my timer as such when not using the CH. I knew there was a prob when this stopped being effective and when, on trial and error, even an hour didn't give me enough water for a shower. As the central heating was giving me plenty of hot water, I thought initially from looking at previous boards posts, that it might be the timer. I got the immersion element replaced about 5 years ago. Would that not be pretty recent?? I could try heating the water on "bath" but that seems a waste cos all I want is enough for a shower. Have been using the CH again the last couple of days so it's hard to gauge again.

Electrician could find no fault with electrics but turned down the stat. That made no difference to the problem.

meercat

try replacing the thermostat
its a simple operation
remember to turn power off
http://www.diydata.com/problem/immersion/immersion_heaters.php

paddles

meercat wrote: »

try replacing the thermostat
its a simple operation
remember to turn power off
http://www.diydata.com/problem/immersion/immersion_heaters.php

Meercat, are u suggesting it's not the element then? I was wondering whether, after 5 years, would it be likely to need replacing again so soon. Thanks.

Re. testing the "bath" switch, I could try that tomorrow when the CH not on, I guess, and see what happens...

haymur

haymur wrote: »

I would turn up the stat not down on the top of the immersion. Isolate the supply at fuse board (Trip or Fuse). take off cover on top of immersion usually a single screw. You will see a little slot in a small dial on the stat. Turn it up to 80 or 90 percent of its range. Most models this is to the right. Put cover back on. Switch on sink setting and check water after 40 to 60 Mins. If not hot set to bath and wait 2 hours. check water. If this does not work you could have a intermittent bath/sink on off switch or a faulty immersion group heater

The above test was to pin down that both immersion elements were working .Was a new stat fitted when immersion was replaced and is the switch on the wall very old. I have found the faults you have in the heater sometimes to be due to stats or switches with bad internal contacts.These are cheaper and easier to replace. Sometimes you can hear a crackle or see a flash in the switch when putting on/off or changing settings. Some brands of switch had very light contacts and give trouble. After the man turned down the stat was there any difference in the water temp or quanity

meercat

paddles wrote: »

Meercat, are u suggesting it's not the element then? I was wondering whether, after 5 years, would it be likely to need replacing again so soon. Thanks.

Re. testing the "bath" switch, I could try that tomorrow when the CH not on, I guess, and see what happens...

possibly a faulty stat
if an electrician has checked immersion already and everything appears fine then the thermostat may be turning off too early and not allowing water to fully heat up
if i were checking for such a fault i would always replace the stat as a precaution.it would be much cheaper than another call out
other than that i would
turn off your central heating
turn off cold water feed into cylinder
turn on immersion heater

this will test if immersion heater heats your water fully

paddles

haymur wrote: »

The above test was to pin down that both immersion elements were working .Was a new stat fitted when immersion was replaced and is the switch on the wall very old. I have found the faults you have in the heater sometimes to be due to stats or switches with bad internal contacts.These are cheaper and easier to replace. Sometimes you can hear a crackle or see a flash in the switch when putting on/off or changing settings. Some brands of switch had very light contacts and give trouble. After the man turned down the stat was there any difference in the water temp or quanity

I noticed the water not being as hot after he turned down the stat, as in, I took a shower with just the hot tap on and not needing to add cold water (I don't have an electric shower). However, the water was hot thanks to the CH at the time. When I tested the immersion since, there was no difference(ie the water did not heat up beyond luke warm), but that was only testing the "sink" switch as I seldom use the "bath" switch, I don't need it. The water is hot now due to CH so would have to wait til tomo to test the "bath" switch and whether the water heats up. I wouldbe worried if the prob was the switch after having an electrician out telling me the switich and wiring were fine.

I don't know if the stat was also replaced with the new element. Can anyone tell me do they know the lifetime of an element, just for my info? I appreciate now, didn't know before, that there are 2 elements.

meercat

I don't know if the stat was also replaced with the new element. Can anyone tell me do they know the lifetime of an element, just for my info? I appreciate now, didn't know before, that there are 2 elements.[/QUOTE]

lifetime of element depends on usage and also on( hard water)
have replaced elements within 2 years
new immersions come complete with new stats
get a stat from your local wholesalers
take the old one out and bring it with you
should be less €10

paddles

meercat wrote: »

possibly a faulty stat
if an electrician has checked immersion already and everything appears fine then the thermostat may be turning off too early and not allowing water to fully heat up
if i were checking for such a fault i would always replace the stat as a precaution.it would be much cheaper than another call out
other than that i would
turn off your central heating
turn off cold water feed into cylinder
turn on immersion heater

this will test if immersion heater heats your water fully

Meercat,
Imust have missed your post while typing mine!

Ok, so if I do as you suggest and there is still a problem. Who replaces the stat? Is that the electrician again? Or cana plummer do that? Feel a bit miffed with the electrician if it does turn out to be an electrical thing.

meercat

if your handy have a go yourself(follow the link)
mostly a sparks job
if your immersion is heating the water(even a little)then chances are it is the thermostat
ask your sparks back again
if he is reputable he wont charge labour again

haymur

My opinion would be 10 years plus depending on use and brand. I have seen ones over 20plus years. I would turn up the stat to nearly max and if its working on bath you could keep your cost and amount of water heated down by limiting the lenght of time the timer is set to. Sometimes a sink section of the immersion can wear out because it the part that gets most use and still have the bath section working

paddles

i'll test the bath switch tomo when the water has cooled down again but would it not be very inefficient to use the bath switch for a little water for a shower or does it not actually make any difference? If the latter is the case, I'd be inclined to just leave it for now and use the bath switch. All I want is to be able to set the timer to heat enough water for a shower when not using the CH. I thought using the sink switch made more sense for a small amount of water. BUt if turning bath on for similar length of time provides similar volume of water, I can live with that for now...

paddles

up-date.

Left immersion in "bath" for an hour. Still no hot water. Only luke warm. Does this mean I need 2 elements(are there always 2?) replaced as neither sink/bath works to heat the water.

Thanks

JohnnieK

Just replace the immersion.

paddles

So, is this for a plummer or electrician then?

JohnnieK

Most of us plumbers would do it. Ask first when you call someone.

andy256086

paddles wrote: »

up-date.

Left immersion in "bath" for an hour. Still no hot water. Only luke warm. Does this mean I need 2 elements(are there always 2?) replaced as neither sink/bath works to heat the water.

Thanks

Yes always 2 but come as one part.Try leaving immersion on "sink" for an hour if it works "KILL THE ELECTRICITY":eek: and swap the grey and black cable around.If the problem is still happening you need a new element.Very simple job (half hour).Also check the immersion switch for black it could be burnt out because of faulty wiring.

paddles

Well, an electrician and plummer later and the problem remains!
Electrician said electrics were fine.
Plummer replaced the immersion element which includes new thermostat and turned it back up (electrician had said it had been too high, plummer disagreed).
Now, after a few tests, I need to leave it on for an hour plus for water to stay hot enough for a shower.Tests of 20-30minsapprox was not long enough to get enough hot water. Why was 15-20mins plenty for years and now it needs an hour plus for same outcome? Seems a bit of a waste to have to leave it on that long. It's not a bath I need. Just a quick shower.
any ideas?
Got the plummer again. Asked was it the thermostat but he had replaced it along with new element and said it couldn't be that. He was concerned I might have a leak of hot water pipes but then checked for same and thankfully not the problem. He has suggested I get an electrician again! He says it's not the plumming!

lestatz

did you ever get this sorted m8?