Immersion heater help.

[bevjones]

Hi everyone, I just moved into my new house and noticed that the immersion heater does not work, I have had a look thru these forums at the other posts about immersion heaters and they are different to mine, I found this picture and altered it a little to try explain:-

immersion

• bevjones
• 3 Feb 2009
• 1

Only thing is I have only 3 core wire going to the box on top of the tank, also as explained in the picture the white wire was not connected and when i connected it to the other side of the thermostat and flicked the switch which is just a single switch with a light on, I got a massive spark and the bit labelled popped off???

Any ideas guys?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[jj4091]

The bit blew off because by connecting up to the thermostat you have caused a direct short circuit to earth. No disrespect intended , but you do not appear to be competant to rectify this problem & I would suggest you call out an electrician to establish why the thermostat was disconnected & rectify the fault.

 

[bevjones]

All I done mate was follow the instructions from the plumbing forum, Could you not give me any help at all?

P.S that is not an actual photo of my element + thermostat I found it on the plumbing forum, just thought it might help someone to help me if they could see what i was on about.

 

[333rocky333]

sounds like the element was faulty before.
That fault may have been why someone disconnected it before.

It is possible you reconnected a faulty element and the fault current when you switched on blew the cable of the element terminal.
Sounds like you need the water drained down and a new element fitted.

 

[bevjones]

Thanks for the reply mate, do I need to drain the tank if its situated in the top of the tank or can I just take it out?

 

[nozspark]

Just get an electrician or plumber to change it for you... if it looks like that on in the pictre then it isn't to regs as it doesn't have a secondary safety stat.

I bet you won't have a box spanner big enough anyway!!

 

[AndyPRK]

you don't need to empty the whole tank.

you need to turn the water off to ensure the tank doesn't refill. (you know when you have done this as water will stop coming out the hot taps)

and then drain a little water out the tank

 

[RF Lighting]

It's easier to get out when the tank is full.

Oh, and they can be an absoloute s0d to get out

 

[Softus]

All I done mate was follow the instructions from the plumbing forum

Please post a link to the topic where you were given advice.

Could you not give me any help at all?

Get a multimeter, turn off the power to anything feeding the element, test the element resistance, and post the value here.

P.S that is not an actual photo of my element + thermostat

It would be better to post a photo of your own element.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

1) A meaty G-clamp can make a surprisingly effective spanner.

2) If it doesn't turn fairly easily don't apply more pressure as you might damage the cylinder - give the spanner a sharp whack with a hammer. Sometimes giving it a few whacks in alternating directions will free it.

3) Heat can be useful to loosen it, but you'll need a meaty torch and you'll need to drain more water out.

Other tips'n'techniques will probably be available on the plumbing forum - get as many ideas as you can before starting the job.

 

[bevjones]

Ill give that a go guys cheers, I should have a big enough spanner as I am a mechy fitter and stilsons fit everything, especially my new 24" ones lol

 

[Softus]

24" Stilsons would certainly allow you to buckle the cylinder very nicely, quickly and easily.

However, if you want to keep the cylinder, and the immersion boss is stuck, then you should drill a hole near the centre of the brass immersion mounting plate and padsaw through to the edge so that the plate collapses when you turn it. Then it will come out easily.

 

[bevjones]

Thanks for the advise mate will take that into consideration when removing it.