Immersion (Immermat Flash) Timer wiring advice needed

dnme

Hi all,

My immersion timer went during the week. This evening I took it off the wall to see if I could troubleshoot.

Fuse and circuit seem good. However, using a multi meter, I am unable to read voltage across brown and blue in but I am able to read 242 volts across brown and earth. This seems strange to me.

Am I missing something about wiring into this timer unit? Is there something like a switched live going on on the blue in and if so, what is switching it? Why am I amble to see voltage across brown and earth?

Many thanks for help.

punisher5112

Picture.

Is there a connection else where in a connector block...

dnme

adrian92

dnme wrote: »

Hi all,

My immersion timer went during the week. This evening I took it off the wall to see if I could troubleshoot.

Fuse and circuit seem good. However, using a multi meter, I am unable to read voltage across brown and blue in but I am able to read 242 volts across brown and earth. This seems strange to me.

Am I missing something about wiring into this timer unit? Is there something like a switched live going on on the blue in and if so, what is switching it? Why am I amble to see voltage across brown and earth?

Many thanks for help.

I think that the immersion thermostat switches the neutral ; others can correct me if I am mistaken. This would explain why you detect voltage between live to earth but not between live and neutral if the thermostat has switched off (the neutral)

Bruthal

It's like the neutral is open circuited before the timer if you are getting nothing from brown to blue but 242v brown to earth. I would expect some voltage to be read on a digital meter though, even with a floating neutral, (although it will be 0v if the immersion is on).

If you had measured blue to earth, that may have confirmed an open neutral if it also showed 242v, (with immersion on).

The immersion stat does indeed switch neutral, but is downstream of the timer, so the neutral at the timer is possibly missing, due to connection problem at or before the timer, assuming the voltage readings were taken at the timer terminals.

adrian92

Does your immersion heater work when you set your timer to the "on" setting?

Bruthal

adrian92 wrote: »

Does your immersion heater work when you set your timer to the "on" setting?

If that works, there must be also be a mix up in brown and blue to get the OP voltage readings if taken at the timer itself. The photos tell little anyway.

adrian92

Bruthal wrote: »

If that works, there must be also be a mix up in brown and blue to get the OP voltage readings if taken at the timer itself. The photos tell little anyway.

Yes, more info would help. From the photographs looks like a good installation. I think more information needed to try to assist

Bruthal

If there was a bad connection at the timer itself, it might work now when reconnected as well.

If there was 0v L to N at the timer supply but 242v L to E, that indicates neutral is open circuit. Next connection upstream would usually be the DB assuming no connectors.

Shefwedfan

If your house is older, based on wiring it is, you can get a free climote installed. Loads of companies doing it. Then control hearing from mobile phone

dnme

Thanks for all replies.

The immersion timer and switch worked fine until this week when they both seemed to go. I had a guy working on CU and he pulled the fuse at the meter outside, I reckon this may have blown my switches.

The switch shows no light in any configuration. I have even wired it directly bypassing the timer. The timer also shows no light. Theres no hot water etc.

So when I put a meter on the mains IN line, I get voltage across line and earth but not across line and neutral. And that sparked my question really. Whats going on there ?

punisher5112

Neutral is pulled from a connection, quite possible in the board but can't say.

Get him back and say stopped once he was at that.

dnme

Is it normal / safe to read voltage across line and earth ?

punisher5112

dnme wrote: »

Is it normal / safe to read voltage across line and earth ?

If you have a suitable tester there is no issues.

Bruthal

dnme wrote: »

Is it normal / safe to read voltage across line and earth ?

That is normal.

dnme

I have traced the circuit back to the CU and I see that it originates as per the photo. Its the circuit on the left. All other circuits use the neutral common rail whereas this one and its neighbour use RCBOs. Would this explain why I get no voltage across L and N on a multimeter ?

dnme

I bought a new timer and immersion switch this morning so just went to fit them there now. The immersion timer seems to work as in Im seeing its led light. The immersion switch is a different matter. I am seeing NO led and ,when I connect it, all wires except earth go live. So if you look at the second image below, the blue, the black and the two browns go live. I just cant figure out whats going on. Could I have a faulty stat at the hot water tank?

I'm absolutely certain that I have the switch wired correctly btw. Also I am aware there is no sink wire. There is no sink element in tank so the electrician normally jumpers bath and sink together. Left out here for simplicity.

adrian92

punisher5112 wrote: »

Neutral is pulled from a connection, quite possible in the board but can't say.

Get him back and say stopped once he was at that.

I concur, as others have suggested - broken neutral between the timer and the Distribution Board. If someone was working on the DB possibility the neutral was inadvertently disconnected, as was suggested

punisher5112

It happens quite a lot where a board hasn't been touched for years, open it up and you could find screws are loose....

dnme

Tada. Solved.

I had a quick look at the stat on the side of my hot water tank. It has a trip switch that I needed to reset. As soon as I did this, everything worked. A shout out to this youtube vid for pointing me in the right direction