Hot water problem

[aburke85]

Hi everyone, I've just moved into a flat for the first time so I'm not really sure what to expect in terms of hot water, so can anyone tell me if this is normal or do I need to contact my landlord?

I have a Santon unvented premier plus cylinder, and there are two switches on the wall. If I switch both on, one stays on continously (i.e the red light stays on), the other ones red light comes on and off at various points in the day. I presume the continous red light switch is a 'boost'...?

If I just have the switch with the intermittant light on, I have lukewarm water out of the taps for a few minutes, then it runs cold. If I want a shower I have to switch the 'boost' on for about an hour, and then have a very quick shower otherwise the water starts running cold.

I would have thought I should have more hot water than this. Any help would be really appreciated

 

[kirkgas]

the "intermittent" supply is off peak, have you left it on a full 24hrs to fully heat the tank, usual to have a long period of heating during the night so water should be plentiful 1st thing in the morning, the boost button allows you to top it up anytime but costs more if used during peak periods,

 

[aburke85]

the "intermittent" supply is off peak, have you left it on a full 24hrs to fully heat the tank, usual to have a long period of heating during the night so water should be plentiful 1st thing in the morning, the boost button allows you to top it up anytime but costs more if used during peak periods,

Sorry, just to clarify... which should I leave on 24hrs to heat the tank? At the moment I have the off peak switch on all the time, and it seems to switch itself on a couple of times during the day, but its not giving me enough water to be useful

 

[kevplumb]

the off peak one is the bottom element it might not be working

the top element is the boost which is on normal rate it obviously is

 

[TicklyT]

You can get a clue if the off peak heater is working by monitoring how fast the light on your meter flashes / how fast the wheel spins. There should be an appreciable difference with the heater switched on or off.
(Only works when off peak power is available, of course!)

If the heater is working, but not heating the water enough, the thermostat in the heater may be set too low, or has failed.

 

[Goldberg]

You're not likely to get many sensible replies on the plumbing forum, since you're talking about an immersion heater.

From your description the either element is faulty (i.e. the hot water you get is just residual from the last time you used the boost element), or the rod thermostat is faulty.

You should check the health of the element by measuring its resistance, and the operation of the thermostat by checking that it's capable of switching the supply on and off. If the thermostat is modern enough to have an independent overheat cut-out, then check that it hasn't tripped.

If the element is good and the thermostat is in any way under suspicion, then don't hesitate to replace the thermostat because it's quick, easy and cheap.

All work on the element and thermostat should be undertaken AFTER switching off the supply to that circuit.

If you don't have a multimeter with a resistance measuring function, or you're not confident about the above, then enlist the help of someone competent.

If you're confident that both element and thermostat are working, then the next suspects are:

isolating switch
MCB
meter

 

[mickyg]

If the troll had actually read the post it would have realised that the op is a tenant and just wants to know if they have justification for reporting a fault to the landlord. The answer is yes. thats the only answer required! of course the troll likes to sound clever and important, but thats what trolls do!

 

[Goldberg]

See what I mean? The plumbers on this site just can't cut it.

 

[kevplumb]

the off peak one is the bottom element it might not be working

the top element is the boost which is on normal rate it obviously is

You're not likely to get many sensible replies on the plumbing forum, since you're talking about an immersion heater.

From your description the either element is faulty (i.e. the hot water you get is just residual from the last time you used the boost element), or the rod thermostat is faulty.

check the post times troll View media item 14326