Hi all, our hot water copper cylinder (less than 20 years old) ruptured and flooded the downstairs. We are covered by insurance but they want to know what caused the failure as this will determine whether they pay for the cylinder itself. The plumber said that the immersion had a faulty earth which caused the sacrificial anode to fail and thus, over years, caused the cylinder to prematurely corrode. Does this sound feasible/logical? He (and 2 other plumbers) said they have never seen corrosion like it on a cylinder that old (young). Many thanks, Tim
Copper cylinder erosion
- Thread starter tonka249
- Start date
Sacrificial anodes do not require any earth connection, any fault with the heater wiring is unrelated to the failure.
Thanks flameport - do you have any theories as to why it would have failed? There was no SA in the cylinder when it was inspected, but it definitely had one (sticker on outside) - does this mean it had completely corroded away? What could have caused this?
if your cylinder had an anode and personally I have never seen one on a copper cylinder but I live in Scotland which has very soft water but I have seen them on steel cylinders , was your cylinder serviced every year and the anode removed and measured ? your insurance company may ask for proof of this, thanks for the post as every day is a school day , has anyone else seen them on copper cylinders ?
with the comments on earth leakage I have heard that if you have earth leakage that it can affect the anode but again I am no expert but I have heard this before
with the comments on earth leakage I have heard that if you have earth leakage that it can affect the anode but again I am no expert but I have heard this before
- Joined
- 27 May 2011
- Messages
- 2,162
- Reaction score
- 1,131
- Country
Sacrificial anode on a vented copper cylinder? New to me, too.
I've known cylinders fail at 15 or 20 years, others going good at 40.
Depends on working head, grade of cylinder and water quality.
AFAIK from 2002 all grades of cylinders were made with stronger bottoms as thats where they tended to fail.
I've known cylinders fail at 15 or 20 years, others going good at 40.
Depends on working head, grade of cylinder and water quality.
AFAIK from 2002 all grades of cylinders were made with stronger bottoms as thats where they tended to fail.
when i used to work in London the immersion heaters we used to fit had a sacrificial anode, but i wasn't part of the cylinder it was part of the immersion.
it could just be poor manufacturing, might have been the last one built on a friday before a bank holiday weekend, if you know what i mean
it could just be poor manufacturing, might have been the last one built on a friday before a bank holiday weekend, if you know what i mean
yes mate could understand a sacrificial anode being fitted to an element just never seen one on a copper cylinder but as already said not really my field I just come across them and happy to be corrected, I used to service Ariston unvented cylinders and if the anode hadnt been checked getting the old nut out was an absolute nightmare I had an 18 " ring spanner and would move the cylinder as the retaining nut would swell
Not new and regularly seen, anode depletes at its base and sits on the base of the cylinder causing electrolytic corrosion. Cylinders from the 80s being the main culprit.
Exactly as jeff says seen it loads of time and his timeline is right aswell earlier cylinders never had them and seldom leaked , once the anodes went in they were leaking all over the place on the bottom seems some after only 5 or so years
Earth faults can cause corrosion in copper cylinders.
Some copper cylinders do have anodes although I don't remember seeing one.
In my experience insurance companies don't take much interest in details of failures.
The cylinder manufacturer should advise on expected life and cause of the failure.
Has the immersion element been used for significant periods of time? Its more normal for cylinders to be boiler heated.
But regardless, when the replacement is fitted make sure the electrical system is fully checked. I use a sensitive clamp meter to measure leakage earth currents.
Tony
Some copper cylinders do have anodes although I don't remember seeing one.
In my experience insurance companies don't take much interest in details of failures.
The cylinder manufacturer should advise on expected life and cause of the failure.
Has the immersion element been used for significant periods of time? Its more normal for cylinders to be boiler heated.
But regardless, when the replacement is fitted make sure the electrical system is fully checked. I use a sensitive clamp meter to measure leakage earth currents.
Tony
- Joined
- 10 Oct 2011
- Messages
- 16,396
- Reaction score
- 4,043
- Country
...BS..
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Similar threads
