Erratic hot-water supply - desperate for help

[burnleygirl]

Hi there,

I'd be so grateful if anyone can help...

I've inherited an antiquated wiring and plumbing system in my new flat. I had Economy 7 removed three weeks ago and since then, my hot water supply has been erratic/non-existent.

My energy company has just told me that I need to have the water-heating system rewired now I'm off Economy 7, but my plumber says Economy 7 has nothing to do with the problem.

The plumber thinks I need a new heating element (the water in the bath doesn't heat up consistently; I have to flick a switch to start it heating up, and sometimes it takes three hours to get hot but sometimes it never gets hot at all. The water in the kitchen sink does usually get hot quickly).

He also thinks I need a new shower (he says it takes water from the cold feed and heats it instantly, so it's a different problem to the taps). The shower has only worked twice in the past fortnight; both times after the switch had been on for a long time (once it worked during Economy 7 hours, but I tried it again the next night and it didn't work).

I have no idea who to believe or what to do - I'm not even sure if I need an electrician or a plumber. Best of all, I'm having the wiring and plumbing ripped out and redone asap, so I don't want to spend a fortune in the short-term, especially if there's no guarantee it will work!

If anyone could give any advice, I'd be massively grateful... thanks.

Ria

 

[picasso]

Can you post up some photos as it seems strange that you have hot water instantly at the kitchen sink but its intermittant at the bath.

 

[burnleygirl]

Oh sorry, I'm at work without pics so will have to post some tonight...

The bath, shower and bathroom sink should work when I turn on the main hot-water switch, but there's a second switch next to the kitchen sink and I have to turn on both switches to get hot water in that sink.

So perhaps it's the main switch that's malfunctioning, or rather the part of the system that correlates to that? Might the system be split in two to heat the kitchen and bathroom water separately? But I still get the bath working sometimes and the shower usually not...