Boiler keeps tripping the RCD

[John D v2.0]

Just checked the the pipes. These two are hot but still no hot water. See pictures for more info

If those two are hot the cylinder is heating up. Check another hot tap perhaps.

 

[CBW]

If the t&p relief valve is hot, I’d say there’s an issue, unless it’s transference?

 

[John D v2.0]

If the t@p relief valve is hit, I’d say there’s an issue, unless it’s transference?

Some amount of warmth will be conduction. Without a suitable thermometer we don't know how hot. All the pipe work should have been insulated, so it shows the installer didn't do everything.

 

[JohnD]

if you turn the immersion heater on successfully, it will use the same amount of energy as an electric kettle, and your meter will flash or spin more quickly. Go and have a look at it when the immersion is on, and again when it is off.

As far as I can see you only only have the bottom element connected. it will heat water at the rate of about 1 litre per minute. So if you have a 200 litre cylinder (not unusual) it will take more than three hours to get fully hot. You may as well leave it on all the time until the boiler is mended. The insulation on those cylinders is very good and the element will turn off once the thermostat detects that the water is fully hot.

You can add pipe lagging to all the hot pipes on your next day off. It looks like 22mm diameter.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Pipe-Insulation-Byelaw-22-x-1000mm/p/210013

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Economy-Pipe-Insulation-22-x-1000mm/p/210453

https://www.wickes.co.uk/Products/Building-Materials/Insulation/Pipe-Insulation+Lagging/c/1000275

https://www.diy.com/departments/hea...e-insulation/DIY1654106.cat?sort=currentPrice

the thick grade is better but you may not have room for it and economy grade is adequate indoors.

Buy some matching tape to hold joints and bends closed.

 

[bernardgreen]

it will heat water at the rate of about 1 litre per minute.

or 100 litres per minute, in fact it will heat all the water in the cylinder,

The only difference between heating 100 litres and heating 1 litre is how much hotter the water gets when heating only 1 litre.

 

[JohnD]

It will heat the water FROM COLD TO A TEMPERATURE SUITABLE FOR A HOT TAP at the rate of about one litre per minute.

If Bernard wants to heat it to a temperature that is NOT suitable for a hot tap, it will take a different time.

I did not consider it necessary to define the purpose for which you would be heating your tap water.

 

[Kalifornia777]

so the saga continues....

had BG over as part of the free cover.

Good news the immersion is now working, the engineer said he didn't do anything to get it working but Im pretty sure it wasn't working before.

Bad news , the boiler has been leaking for sometime and needs a new part a silver rectangle box at the mid left of the boiler, not sure what it's called. It will take a few days before it arrives.

The ugly, something else is tripping the electricity thats on the fused spur that supplies the boiler, the engineer has ruled out everything bar the horseman, and the values that connect to the horseman. unfortunately as the engineer had been on the job longer his manager had decided to make an excuse of messy wiring being the issue, so rather than diagnose the underlying issue they recommended a rewire of the junction box. His manager didn't know I could hear everything on the phone.

I was planning on tracing each of the cables for the values and the horseman back to the junction box and disconnecting one at a time to isolate the issue? is this is a good idea?

BTW does anyone know how to remove the horseman, I've added a picture on

 

[CBW]

I've added a picture on

To quote a pantomime “oh no you haven’t”.

 

[ianmcd]

BTW does anyone know how to remove the horseman

Push him off, it would be very unusual for the Horstmann programmer to be tripping the RCD but is possible which Horstmann do you have ? post a pic

 

[Kalifornia777]

Picture of the Honeywell valves and horseman.

the three black cables that are hanging down from the junction box connect to the Honeywell values.

 

[ianmcd]

a silver rectangle box at the mid left of the boiler

That will be a zone valve actuator and if water has been getting in there that is your problem

 

[Kalifornia777]

Push him off, it would be very unusual for the Horstmann programmer to be tripping the RCD but is possible which Horstmann do you have ? post a pic

Im pushing and pulling but it doesn’t want to come off. Is there a technique?

 

[Kalifornia777]

This is the mess that was left by the previous installer.

 

[JohnD]

That's a home-made job. Almost adequate but untidy. A proper "wiring centre" as sold in the heating trade is just a fancy version of the same, but neatly laid out, and often includes labels and/or cable clamps/stress reliefs. Often 12-way or 16-way. Boilers are usually fused at 5A or 6A so you don't need big terminals.

I sometimes use them when I have a complicated wiring to lay out.

You can often get them on fleabay at low prices.

I'll look for an example pic.

edit here are some

example ad https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Drayton1...633703?hash=item56cffcb967:g:WsAAAOSwbv9d3sjJ

 

[SFK]

Kalifornia,
As a side possibility to your issue "something else is tripping the electricity that is on the fused spur that supplies the boiler" >>>>

Some years back my boiler kept tripping my RCD.
I spent months of looking for solutions, and having engineers change items.

It was then pointed out that the mains cable going to the boiler was now touching a hot water pipe (in my case the pipe feeding the radiators).
It was explained to me that when the radiators came on, they were heating one side of the cable more than the other side.
This was lowering the resistance of one of the cables inside (say the Live Phase) more than the other (say the Neutral Phase).
This was seen by the RCD as a imbalance in the residual current and tripped my RCD.
Quick solution was to put cloth between cable and hot pipe to test this issue and it instantly solved the problem for me.

I only highlight this possible solution as in your pictures I see some cables resting on pipes.

SFK