hotpress timer - can I fix it myself?

sunflake

Hello DYIers and electrically-versed people!

I need your help The timer in my hotpress is missing the usual black rings that can be pressed down to select the times we want to water to be heated.

It is not a normal plug that can be pluged/unpluged but rather built in. My question is therefore: can I replace that missing ring myself or is that something an electrician would have to do? Can't post pictures as I'm a new user, but I can send it on to anyone keen to see it as it might make more sense.

Thank you for your help,

Marianna

Sleeper12

Hard to say without seeing it but things like timers usually are repairable.
Is there a make and model on it?

Stoner

You'd be better off using an electrician.
You might do a like for like change if you had the exact same timer but you don't so you'd need a REC

Try a better time while you are are it. A digital 7 day unit. Or even one with WiFi control.

There's off the shelf options now

listermint

Nest update might be an option while your at it

dok_golf

I replaced mine with like for like timer. Very easy.

Stoner

dok_golf wrote:

I replaced mine with like for like timer. Very easy.

Don't think they have one to replace.

This might be an immersion

Karangue

Why an rec surely a qualified non rec electrician could do the job?

sunflake

Hi all,

Thank you for your replies. There is no make/brand written on it so I can't provide more info on that side... I will go to B&Q to see if they have the same one based on the picture and see if I can set the rings from the new one on the old one.

As a tenant I won't be installing a next upgrade and the landlord is being unhelpful in terms of fixing this one, hence my desire to try to fix it myself... Which is why I wanted to know if it was possible to fix it myself or not, if I need an electrician I'll insist with the landlord again.

Thanks again for your inputs!

M.

coylemj

Stoner wrote: »

Try a better time while you are are it. A digital 7 day unit. Or even one with WiFi control.

There's off the shelf options now

Can you give me a brand name for an immersion timer that can be controlled from an app over wi-fi?

Stoner

coylemj wrote:

Can you give me a brand name for an immersion timer that can be controlled from an app over wi-fi?

https://www.greentherm.ie/product/wi-fi-controlled


Phibsboro Electrical sell them

It's rated for a single element immersion. You won't select sink or bath from it, you'll have to have it at on or the other.

I like it as it has a fused spur built in

coylemj

Stoner wrote: »

https://www.greentherm.ie/product/wi-fi-controlled


Phibsboro Electrical sell them

It's rated for a single element immersion. You won't select sink or bath from it, you'll have to have it at on or the other.

Can't find the app - Play Store never heard of 'greentherm'. There's also no obvious path to that product from their home page - the link you provided works but I can't find the product if I start from the homepage and drill down - so I wonder if it has been withdrawn?

Stoner wrote: »

I like it as it has a fused spur built in

Can't see the benefit there, my immersion is on a separate circuit anyway so why do I need a 13A fused spur? And my existing Sangamo immersion timer is rated at 16A......

Stoner

coylemj wrote:

Can't find the app - Play Store never heard of 'greentherm'. There's also no obvious path to that product from their home page - the link you provided works but I can't find the product if I start from the homepage and drill down - so I wonder if it has been withdrawn?

Greenterm is the shop

Timeguard is the manufacturer, made by theban a respected recognised name

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sanquan.yunnuan

A 13amp fuse is a nice feature to protect your 100 euro device that's rated at 13 amps but behind a 20 Amp MCB.

coylemj

Stoner wrote: »

A 13amp fuse is a nice feature to protect your 100 euro device that's rated at 13 amps but behind a 20 Amp MCB.

But if my immersion is on a circuit with a 20A MCB, why would I insert a device with a 13A fuse into the circuit? What's going to happen when I heat the bath element?

Stoner

Well my element is 3KW that's 13 amps.

As I said the timer is only rated at 3KW so it's protected and should be able to run your immersion without blowing the fuse.

If it draws too much current the fuse blows to protect the device.

This has nothing to do with the operation of the timer btw.
Its a safety feature.
There are many wifi timers out there some are only rated at 10 amps and many are not fused

So like any electronic device that you'd plug into a socket you'd need a 13 amp fused plug top. So these timers either need to be fed form a flex with a fused plug top or form a fused spur.

This saves you putting a separate spur beside the timer to fuse it down

For example on many heating systems there is a fused spur before the timer with a 3 amp or 5 amp fuse in it, this protects the timeclock and other bits on the system

Karangue

Stoner could you explain the need for an rec please?

Stoner

Karangue wrote:

Stoner could you explain the need for an rec please?

You can carry out like for like changes, say change a socket, but you can't wire a new one or move one.

So if you had a faulty timer, you could replace it.

I don't know what the op has here but if it's an immersion switch and they want a new timer where there was none before , infront of the immersion switch then it's new with for a REC in my understanding of the law anyway

brightspark

Stoner wrote: »

You can carry out like for like changes, say change a socket, but you can't wire a new one or move one.

I thought that it was permitted to add a socket to a radial circuit?

Karangue

brightspark wrote: »

I thought that it was permitted to add a socket to a radial circuit?

+1

Stoner

brightspark wrote:

I thought that it was permitted to add a socket to a radial circuit?

Correct I didn't explain it properly sorry, the user here can't wire in a new timer here though imo

coylemj

Stoner wrote: »

Greenterm is the shop

Timeguard is the manufacturer, made by theban a respected recognised name

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sanquan.yunnuan

A 13amp fuse is a nice feature to protect your 100 euro device that's rated at 13 amps but behind a 20 Amp MCB.

I've ordered it from Amazon UK, a third party supplier who doesn't deliver to ROI so I'm getting it shipped via Parcel Motel, will have it in my hand for just under €70.

Keywords are 'timeguard fstwifi'

DublinDilbert

coylemj wrote: »

I've ordered it from Amazon UK, a third party supplier who doesn't deliver to ROI so I'm getting it shipped via Parcel Motel, will have it in my hand for just under €70.

Keywords are 'timeguard fstwifi'

How does the app hadle multiple devices? Nice to put one on the heating too

Stoner

DublinDilbert wrote:

How does the app hadle multiple devices? Nice to put one on the heating too

The sonoff handles that very well, you could get a 16 amp for the immersion and the cheaper 10 amp for the heating.

It even allows you to share the control of a sonoff device with someone

They have a 4 channel one too

coylemj

Stoner wrote: »

The sonoff handles that very well, you could get a 16 amp for the immersion and the cheaper 10 amp for the heating.

The Sonoff gadgets are a lot cheaper than Timeguard..... I know you like the fact that the Timeguard has a fuse but is there any other reason why it's worth paying a lot more when the Sonoff devices appear to do more or less the same function?

For an immersion, why would you pay up to €95 for the Timeguard when the Sonoff POW (rated at 16A) is only £14 on Amazon UK?

Stoner

coylemj wrote:

For an immersion, why would you pay up to €95 for the Timeguard when the Sonoff POW (rated at 16A) is only £14 on Amazon UK?

Well I dont see a CE mark on Sonoff so I wouldn't use it personally .

I have them on a lamps that I fused at 3 amps

Also the terminations are not great and suit a small flex you'd need to put in a spur before it for safety and so you could terminate the cable correctly

The terminations on the timeguard are decent and you could easily break a 2.5 sq.mm solid cable through it.

coylemj

Stoner wrote: »

Well I dont see a CE mark on Sonoff so I wouldn't use it personally .

+1 watched a few Youtube videos where in most cases the first thing that people did when they unpacked it was to take it apart, they generally treated it more like a Raspberry Pi than a serious piece of kit. Wasn't impressed either by the way it's not mounted in the case, the innards just fall out when you prise off the base.

Karangue

Stoner are you sure that they are not ce compliant. Have you a link/proof?

Stoner

Karangue wrote:

Stoner are you sure that they are not ce compliant. Have you a link/proof?

I don't mean this to come off as negative.

But look it up yourself, if I'm wrong post it up here, it's a community after all.

I've four none have a CE mark I got them from China for 6 euro, I'd love it if they had one. They may have one now

Stoner

This might be a thread for the IoT forum at this stage

A friend of mine added the Sonoff into his house to power his boiler, he's happy with it as it's a small load.

Karangue

Are you racist towards the Chinese or implying they produce inferior products as quality in China has improved immensely. There is a good possibility that the product you have is made in China too, boxed somewhere else and down as being made from there.
People need to go to China themselves to see the efficiency, quality control and finished product before they start ranting on Chinese products. CE symbol or not.

Stoner

Buying from China relates to the CE mark, a European quality mark that relates to Quality tests specifically applied to products that can be legally sold in some countries in the EU.

China is not in the EU. I worked in R&D in mainland Europe many moons ago and helped get power products through various similar marks, the Canadian equivalent was particularly difficult to satisfy. It costs money and time to achieve these marks.

Our supplers won't supply us with electrical items without a CE mark as they are obligated to do so.
Going outside that procurement process and going directly to China via eBay bypasses that process sometimes.

I have some SONOFF units in my house and check out the SONOFF thread in the IoT forum.

Quality marks and symbols are there for all manufacturers to work towards and satisfy. The opinion of a boards user on the general improvement in the quality of products in any country is not imo grounds to ignore the need for all manufacturers to test their goods to ensure compliance. Or the legal requirement to do so.

An immersion is a heavy continuous load, it's also a very hot environment.
I've seen the Sonoff running a 5 amp load under test but not a 13 amp load.
I've mine on a .05 Amp load fused a 2 Amps. A CE mark would indicate to me that it could carry it's rated load.

If the 16 Amp SONOFF unit had a CE mark allowing it to be sold in Europe because it was tested then I'd have no issues recommending it. As it stands I have the 10 amp unit some have RF modules that I use with my lightwaverf RF control systems and I'm happy enough with them.

My immersion unit is a lightwaverf 13 amp immersion switch on my lightwaverf platform. I'm happy with it but not delighted. It has decent connections and a CE mark but needed a 13amp spur placed between it and the 20 Amp MCB, as would the 16amp Sonoff.

This unit I've recommended here, I've tested and had it been available when I bought the lightwaverf unit, I would have put it in instead.

2011

Karangue wrote: »

People need to go to China themselves to see the efficiency, quality control and finished product before they start ranting on Chinese products. CE symbol or not.

I think you need to understand what a CE mark means.

CE marking is mandatory for certain product groups within the European Economic Area (EEA; the 28 member states of the EU plus EFTA countries Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) plus Switzerland and Turkey.

From this link:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_marking