Range tribune stopped working, help please!

[rv84]

hi, my water heater has stopped working.

its a range tribune, this model:

its in a new build flat, though about 8 years old now i think. all electric, no gas in these flats, and we have electric wall heaters so its just used for water.

im not sure what happened, but i went to have a shower today and its cold.

ive switched it off at the fusebox and at the switch and turned it back on, but it doesnt seem to be doing anything, though im not sure what exactly it should do. its not making any noise, and the pipes are cold to touch.

it seems empty as it echoes if i hit it.

i want to try and manual reset it, but im not sure i know how.

this is the only controler i have, ive pushed the middle black button in with a matchstick but nothing happened. the power was off at this point, should i try it with the power on?

any help would be much appreciated!

 

[electronicsuk]

There is no need to attempt resetting the immersion stat with the power on, it wont make any difference. If you have cold water coming from the hot taps, you can be pretty sure the cylinder isn't empty. Your best bet would be to buy a multimeter or, even better, a 2-pole voltage detector, and check whether or not you have a supply to the immersion. If there is 230v present, you can then go on to check if there's power getting through the stat. You may need a new immersion, or new stat, or there may be a wiring fault.

 

[rv84]

thanks for the reply, ok i'll buy a multimetre and check for power. is there anything else i can try in the meanwhile? and if i needed to replace any of them things any idea how much it would cost?

 

[electronicsuk]

thanks for the reply, ok i'll buy a multimetre and check for power. is there anything else i can try in the meanwhile? and if i needed to replace any of them things any idea how much it would cost?

Probably about £70 for an immersion and thermostat, plus whatever your plumber charges for fitting. I'm not sure whether or not you're allowed to perform a like-for-like swap of parts such as the immersion on an unvented cylinder without a G3 cert, but I'm sure somebody here can answer that for you.

In the meantime, you could get some hot water by wiring in the top immersion instead of the bottom. It won't heat the full cylinder, but it'll give you enough water for a quick shower. That does, of course, assume the problem is with the heater and not the electricity supply to it.

 

[rv84]

well I wasnt able to buy a multimeter thing yet, so that will have to wait till tomorrow or monday, BUT:

i came back and the area around the bottom dial thing was warm, which made me think it might be working, so i checked the tap but it was still cold,

i went back to the bottom dial and touched it and got a small electrical shock from it, not enough to hurt in any way, but certainly felt it.

does this mean that it IS working? and i just have to wait for the water to heat?

or have i a problem with the dial and an electrical short or something is to blame?

thanks

 

[electronicsuk]

While you've probably got some power there, I think it might be better if you didn't go poking around inside the immersion heater while the power is on

Put the covers back on!