Economy 7 won't work - HELP!

[Ihatemondays]

I have economy 7, and have found that the water is not heaating at all, I even on boost. I do not know how these work, can anyone help?

I have a rewireable fusebox with 4 20a fuses (there are 4 heaters in the flat) which then feeds a seperate Proteus 20a MCB and main switch. There is also a box marked 'weather watcher' and a large grey box which seems to be a junction box. In the cupboard I have a timer unit with boost, which has one 2.5 twin and earth cable coming in.

How can I test to see what is faulty? Which box controls what part? Where is the system connected electrically? I asssume that is where the fault lies.

 

[crystal ball]

Do you have a single or twin element immersion heater, or two heaters (top and bottom usually). Assumng you have one heater

1 The element may have failed

2 The thermostat may have failed

3The timer may have failed

4The fuse/mcb may have tripped

5 Loose connection in any of the above

The weather watch unit is for the storage heaters and usually uses an outside sensor to determine when to switch the heaters on

 

[Ihatemondays]

As I only have one cable, I assume its one heater? The boost won't light up, as it used to, but it has been a little while since it was used. The water was heating OK, but I have been on hols for two weeks.

I know the power comes through to the buss bar OK (tested it with tester screwdriver) on both the 20a fusebox and the proteus box, and the MCB has not tripped on that box. Unsure of power to the timer unit?

Does that help any?

 

[crystal ball]

If the boost light is not coming on it points to a problem with the timer or supply to timer, maybe have a look inside - with the power off!!, might be a loose connection

 

[Ihatemondays]

Thanks, Crystal Ball, but it is the whole system not working - if I knew how it was all interconnected, it might shed some light on where the fault lies?

 

[crystal ball]

You mean the storage heaters are not working too

 

[Steve]

Can you take a picture of the equipment you describe above? Mainly for my own curiosity, but it might help solve this problem too.

 

[RMS]

Are you sure that the off peak board feeds the economy 7 meter. I tend to find that these meters with the incorporated boast are supplied from the permanent supply.

It sounds that you have a no supply to the consumer unit if non of the heaters are working.

As Crafty says, a picture would help?

 

[Ihatemondays]

Hi, yes, thats correct, none of the heaters work either. To be honest, this is my aunts flat, and I am trying to sort the problem, but I am trying to ascertain the answers, but can't be there when the electric supply to the E7 is on (the little dial on the 'timed unit in the service box appears to be set between 0030 and 0730)

I was able to confirm the supply at the seperate fuse board was off when I tested one evening at 1930, but was on the following morning at 0700 so that tallys the idea that the heaters are timer controlled? I do not understand how the 'boost' system works, as there is only one 2.5mm cable going in to the unit, and one flexi cable going to the tank!

Can anyone tell me how the systems parts and units are interconnected, and is there any fault finding routine I can follow. There has been no hot water for 4 days, and she is getting desperate!

Thanks for all replies and ideas so far

 

[RMS]

Hi,

yes your storage heaters should be on the economy 7. Do you know if the supply to the economy 7 unit for the hot water is fed via the off peak supply?

There should be a permanent supply to the hot water economy 7 unit for the boast to work correctly. The boast is pressed and that will heat the top element in the tank providing there is two elements. The timer will supply the bottom element. If you only have one element then i would have thought it will be wired through the timer on the unit. That is why it should be fed via the normal supply.

Do you have a multimeter?

 

[crystal ball]

So we have established thet the E7 board is live during off peak times, this points to a problem with the storage heaters, are they switched on and the input stats turned up

The immersion timer should be wired off the normal 24 hour board and the boost and E7 timed outputs linked together if as you say there is only one immersion heater

There is also the weatherwatch, AFAIK this is a contactor controlled by an outside sensor, if the temp is too high it will not switch the heaters, cant remember if the contactor is on the incoming or outgoing side of the E7 board, if it is outgoing that would explain the live E7 board and no heat, in fact I am fairly sure the problem is with the setting on the weatherwatch

 

[Ihatemondays]

Hi,

yes your storage heaters should be on the economy 7. Do you know if the supply to the economy 7 unit for the hot water is fed via the off peak supply?

There should be a permanent supply to the hot water economy 7 unit for the boast to work correctly. The boast is pressed and that will heat the top element in the tank providing there is two elements. The timer will supply the bottom element. If you only have one element then i would have thought it will be wired through the timer on the unit. That is why it should be fed via the normal supply.

Do you have a multimeter?

The timed unit in the service box feeds a 4way rewireable fusebox, feeding a Proteus 20a MCB. There is also this weatherwatch unit and a large grey (junction?) box.
I do not know for certain where the boost gets its supply from, but there is only one cable inside the box (!) and then one flexi going to the tank, so I can't get my head around how it works anyway! Should that cable be permamently live, then? (it isn't at the moment)
I do have a mulitimeter, and would appreciate any advice!!

 

[Ihatemondays]

Sorted it!

It was a broken wire in the feed to the Horstmann unit.

Thanks alot for all your help, guys, cheers!