Hot water tap SCALDING hot.

lateintheday · 20 Mar 2017

Hello everyone,

My girlfriend has recently purchased a new home and her hot water taps are so burning hot you can't put your hands under them at all. Can someone please help us reduce this temperature?

It's a gas boiler with a water tank, and it doesn't look too old to me.

With 100 degrees being boiling point, going by feeling this water and the heat of the metal taps afterwards I would guess and say this hot water must be about 80 degrees but I don't know if I'm exaggerating lol. It's difficult because I've lived with combi boilers for so long so I'm used to slow heating water.

I've attached a load of photos of her airing cupboard so you can see the set up and hopefully advise me on what dial needs turning etc.

I have googled it but got no straight answers.
I did read the tank has to be a certain temperature to kill bacteria in the water, but these taps are so hot it just doesn't seem right to me. And it must be wasting money on energy bills too.

Thanks!

Nige F · 20 Mar 2017

In Pic. 3 your immersion heater (that's it in pic.6)- is switched on - and that's likely why the water is near boiling.

JohnD · 20 Mar 2017

in the top of the cylinder you see an electric immersion heater. Follow the flex. It should be switched off. If it is switched on and the tapwater is excessively hot, the thermostat is faulty, which is expensive to run and dangerous. Have an experienced plumber replace it with new. New ones incorporate an overheat cutout to prevent the danger.

If the immersion heater is already turned off, and the tapwater is excessively hot, observe the cylinder thermostat strapped to the side of the cylinder. It appears to be set to 55C which is correct

edit
as Nige says, deal with the immersion heater first.
It appears to be faulty and dangerous. Do not turn it on again until it has been replaced.

The gas boiler can heat the cylinder without needing the immersion heater, which is just a backup for if/when the boiler is out of action. Gas is cheaper than electric.

JohnD · 20 Mar 2017

p.s.

I mean it about the danger. It is very rare, but real. Correct techniques, and modern materials, will prevent it.

these reports are about separate incidents

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1434588/Woman-killed-by-boiling-water-pouring-on-to-bed.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/7179092.stm

http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.or...er-advice-from-the-electrical-safety-council/

https://www.wras.co.uk/downloads/pu...neral/scalding_information_note_jan_2012.pdf/

lateintheday · 20 Mar 2017

Thanks for the replies, I'm really glad I posted it now!

Proper worried now though - I've told her to buy a cheap thermostat after work to test a pan of hot water just to triple check we aren't overreacting before she pays for a plumber.

(she lives in a different town to me so I can't help her do this at the moment).

I see what you mean about that wall switch, so that is there for if there's an issue with gas not coming into the building?

So is it designed this way to be manually switched on when there's no gas?
Or is it meant to be switched on at all times and automatically starts working if it sees no gas?

Cheers again.

ianmcd · 20 Mar 2017

as already advised turn off the immersion heater, it is only there as a back up if your boiler fails, and get someone to check the rod thermostat for you

Diver Fred · 20 Mar 2017

Re :- reply #5 - I hope you mean buy a Thermometer. An electronic meat thermometer will be good (and it's useful in the kitchen afterwards). Water temp should be between 50 to 60 Degrees C.

lateintheday · 20 Mar 2017

Sorry yes I meant thermometer lol. It's because I'm typing whilst on the phone at my desk.

I've told her not to bother buying one anyway, I'm just going to talk her through turning that switch off asap and then book a plumber.

So basically this immersion heater bit literally has nothing to do with the gas boiler?
It's a completely separate way of heating the water using electricity.

And as it stands at the moment she is heating the same tank of water with both gas AND electricity at the same time lol...

ianmcd · 20 Mar 2017

lateintheday said:
Sorry yes I meant thermometer lol. It's because I'm typing whilst on the phone at my desk.

I've told her not to bother buying one anyway, I'm just going to talk her through turning that switch off asap and then book a plumber.

So basically this immersion heater bit literally has nothing to do with the gas boiler?
It's a completely separate way of heating the water using electricity.

And as it stands at the moment she is heating the same tank of water with both gas AND electricity at the same time lol...

yes that is correct , just turn it off, it is only there as a back up if your boiler is not working

JohnD · 20 Mar 2017

lateintheday said:
It's a completely separate way of heating the water using electricity.

yes. And at todays prices, energy from electricity costs four or five times as much as energy from gas.

lateintheday · 25 Mar 2017

Hi all just a follow up to this.

She's confirmed the taps are much better now and even her radiators can be controlled properly with her thermostat now rather than being burning hot all the time.

Also the airing cupboard makes less noise.

Thanks for all your help!

One last question from me please - What's the urgency of her getting this immersion part fixed?
Even though it's turn off should it be her number one priority?
Or can it be left for a while as she has no intention of turning it back on?

JohnD · 25 Mar 2017

lateintheday said:
What's the urgency of her getting this immersion part fixed?
Even though it's turn off should it be her number one priority?
Or can it be left for a while as she has no intention of turning it back on?

1) it is currently dangerous
2) it might be turned on at any time, either accidentally, or if the boiler is out of action, or by somebody new coming to the house who does not know the danger.
3) it is a simple fix to change the thermostat, and not difficult for a plumber to change the whole element.
4) there's nothing that lasts as long as a temporary delay
5) the money saved by not wasting electricity will soon cover the cost of repair

How would you feel about having a switch in your house that can be used to pour a hundred litres of boiling water over you as you lie in your bed?

ianmcd · 25 Mar 2017

The rod thermostats are not expensive , you get different lengths and unvented ones have a thermal cut out incorporated, if you can get one with a thermal cut out I would use that then if it fails again it will switch itself off, think they are about £15 ish but I dont see many these days so cant be sure, I am by no means any kind of authority on Immersion heaters I just come across faulty ones occasionally

Steelmasons · 25 Mar 2017

lateintheday said:
Hi all just a follow up to this.

She's confirmed the taps are much better now and even her radiators can be controlled properly with her thermostat now rather than being burning hot all the time.

The immersion heater being switched on would have had no effect upon the temperature of the radiators.

FiremanT · 25 Mar 2017

JohnD said:
in the top of the cylinder you see an electric immersion heater. Follow the flex. It should be switched off. If it is switched on and the tapwater is excessively hot, the thermostat is faulty, .

Nice one JD. Scare the hell of folk. 1st course is to check the setting of the immersion thermostat. Obviously.

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Hot water tap SCALDING hot.

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