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Immersion Timer (smart preferably) - what about "SINK" and "BATH"?

  • 13-05-2025 02:19PM
    #1
    Lando Griffins OTHER HALF
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 51 ✭✭


    Always forget to turn the immersion off. Would like a timer. Right now just have the standard ON/OFF SINK/BATH switches. Looking at some of the smart immersion timers on Amazon and wondering how do they sort the SINK/BATH part - or does the timer work independently of the original switches and it's just up to me to have it at SINK or BATH?

    I never really use BATH anyway so maybe just wire for SINK piece alone? Or is SINK just heating a smaller piece of the tank than BATH, or are they separate elements? etc. etc. thanks



Comments

  • #2
    Lenar3556
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭Lenar3556


    Yes, most often you place the smart switch upstream of the current sink/bath switch and it operates like you describe.

    Note however that an immersion is thermostatically controlled. Once it heats the water, be it sink or bath, it switches off and only switches on again to replace hot water that is drawn off at taps, or has cooled in the cylinder. The latter should be very minimal if the cylinder is insulated.

    So the cost of leaving the thing on all the time is actually quite low.



  • #3
    coylemj
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,804 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    Sink and Bath are typically separate heating elements, bath being longer. On my immersion, the sink element is rated at 2kW and bath at 2.8 kW.

    If you source a timer designed for a dual element immersion in this part of the world (UK/Ireland), it will restrict the bath element 'on' times to Economy 7 hours, you will only have full control over the Sink element.

    As Lenar356 says above, you should install the timer upsteam of the Sink/Bath switch. Meaning the mains feed goes to the timer first and the switched feed from the timer goes to the Sink/Bath switch. Make sure that the S/B switch has a red light so you can correctly identify the source of the fault if the immersion stops heating.

    How much it will cost you to leave the immersion permanently on is completely dependent on how well it's insulated. But, as there is no such thing as perfect insulation, it will cost you.



  • #4
    Lenar3556
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,035 ✭✭✭Lenar3556


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123447773#Comment_123447773

    The loss is small though. Most cylinders come with declared loss values over 24 hours @ 60degrees. An average joule cylinder is about 60w/hour when fully heated. So to keep the sink element on constantly is about half that. So maybe €60-€70 per year. And bear in mind that for half the year at least it’s not actually lost, but contributes to space heating.

    The return on investment and maintenance of smart controls may be very poor when considered against the benefit of always having hot water.



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