Hortsmann E7 timed heating not working but boost does

bigpink

Any ideas what may be wrong

K.Flyer

bigpink wrote: »

Any ideas what may be wrong

Most likely the lower heating immersion element on your cylinder has either tripped out and needs re-setting or it has burnt out and needs replacing.

bigpink

Expensive job?
Could I just use the boost to heat water as the timer was every night and may not use the water

seanino

I have the exact same timer and same problem. I was told by an electrician that it was the horstmann unit itself so went out and bought one and put it in myself. I still have the same issue and an extra immersion timer. Im thinking it could be the element gone also. This happened before about 2 years ago but the tank leaked water. If you need to replace your timer, I have a brand new spare if you want to buy it then I can do a deal

seanino

Last time it cost about 200 to fix as the elements are expensive. I have just been using the boost but the timer is way cheaper as it comes on at night.

K.Flyer

bigpink wrote: »

Expensive job?

Draining down on some of these cylinders can be tricky. About 200 max to change both elements.

Could I just use the boost to heat water as the timer was every night and may not use the water

If your timer is heating water from 4 up to 7 hours during the night and its not being used then its a huge waste of money and energy.
If by pressing the 1hr boost as and when you need hot water I imagine you would see a huge difference in your electric bills.

seanino

I also switched the connections inside my horstmann so the timer connection heats the boost element and vice versa. I did this just to see if the unit was working. Im thinking could I leave it like this as I would prefer the timer to the booster. Or would the timer on for four hours wreck the top booster element as maybe its not designed to be on this long?
Thanks

K.Flyer

seanino wrote: »

I also switched the connections inside my horstmann so the timer connection heats the boost element and vice versa. I did this just to see if the unit was working. Im thinking could I leave it like this as I would prefer the timer to the booster. Or would the timer on for four hours wreck the top booster element as maybe its not designed to be on this long?
Thanks

Both elements are the same quality, so strictly speaking there is no difference to life expectancy.
The higher element will heat a lesser volume of water, so should reach the required temperature sooner than the lower element resulting in a shorter running times.
If the volume of water by this means is enough for your needs then there should be some saving.
For better saving of cost I would ditch the E7 completely and fit a more user friendly unit, e.g. Grasslin Eco, with 15 min timed sections and a boost facility.

seanino

Ok cheers for clarifying. So theoretically I could swap the elements if they are the same? Are they the same or is the bottom one bigger or is there just more water to heat.
Is this more a job for a plumber then an electrician?

I've heard changing an element is relatively straightforward.
-Isolate the mains
-Drain the water (unsure about this part)
-Remove thermostat, seal and element with the special tool
-Put in new element

How would I go about draining the water or am I better off just getting a professional to do it. I'm not even 100% sure its the element but know its definitely not the horstmann.
Thanks,
Sean

K.Flyer

Both elements are exactly the same.
Going to the trouble of draining down everything to "swap" them around would imo be a complete waste of time, replacing them would be the better option.
If you are un-familiar with the process, I would be recommending that you get a plumber in to do it for you. Make sure it's someone that can do the electrical connectins as well.