Immersion heater - how do I turn it off??

[notesguru99]

Hello All
I've just moved into a new house and it has an immersion heater. My first month electricity bill is £60, the next was £70. I'm getting scared that the immersion heater is going to cripple me financially!!! My gas bill for December was £125??

If I could just explain my setup perhaps someone can tell me what I'm doing wrong and why my energy bills are so high!

In the kitchen I have a Siemens RWB2E controller. Both the h/w and c/h are set to come on twice a day on the timer. If I turn the h/w off the heating doesn't come on? Is this how it is supposed to work?
Next to this is a switch with a red light when turned on. This was on all the time when I moved in and it was only the other week I turned it off, was this the immersion heater on all the time? Turning it off seems to have affected nothing so far...
In one of the cupboards is the Baxi Solo gas boiler which fires up when the heating comes on.

In the hall I have an acl thermostat for the heating I presume, seems to work OK, set to 15 degress but house feels very warm (mild winter I know....)

Upstairs in one of the rooms is the immersion heater. I checked out the thermostat and it is set to 60 degress which I've read is normal. Directly connected to this is a fused switch which is set to on all the time?
Nearby connected to all the pipes is a Grundfos Selectra device? set to 65P1(w)? I dont know what this is and also an ACL Lifestyle mid position valve. On the bottom of this valve are 3 letters, W, M & H, it is set to W.
There is also a black switch with no marking set to the right if you look at it directly.

Sorry for the crude wording but I moved from a house with a gas combi boiler, it seemed much cheaper.

If anyone could offer me any advice I would be grateful.

Regards

Stuart

 

[JohnD]

During winter, when you are running the boiler, you should switch the immersion heater off. Electricity costs about twice as much per unit of heat that gas does. You say it has a switch next to it so I don't know why you ask how.

The cylinder should have a thick insulating jacket round it. This might be hard plastic foam or it might be fibreglass quilt with a red plastic cover on each segment. Some people use both. The hot pipes around the cylinder should also be insulated with firm plastic foam sleeving. If you can see any bare copper it needs insulating. A well-insulated cylinder will keep water hot for 24 hours (unless you use it).

If the house seems warmer than you need, turn the thermostat down. When you are using the heating, keep all internal doors shut.

Set the timer to come on half an hour before you get up and go off half an hour before you go out to work. Set it to come on half an hour before you come home in the evening and go off half an hour before you go to bed. If you have people at home during the day, especially babies or old people, you need to keep the heat on all day. If you have a woman in the house she will probably be constantly turning the heating on and fiddling with the thermostat. Buy her a warm vest.

Do you understand about insulation and draughtproofing and TRVs?

 

[nickso]

i think you are mistaking your immersion heater with your cylinder stat.

you should never need the immersion on. cylinder stats are set to 60 usually.

ignore the pump (grundfos) and valve (acl)....dont mess with them.

depending on how old your system is it may be the heating wont come on unless the hot water is on....seems unlikely with the type of valve you have.

 

[Nige F]

Hello All
,
Upstairs in one of the rooms is the immersion heater. I checked out the thermostat and it is set to 60 degress which I've read is normal. Directly connected to this is a fused switch which is set to on all the time?

If anyone could offer me any advice I would be grateful.

Regards

Stuart

pull the fuse out

 

[notesguru99]

thanks for your replies.
I know I sound dumb but thats because I am when it comes to this type of thing.
The switch in the kitchen must be the immersion heater so that is now powered off.
However in my eternal wisdom yesterday I turned the hot water off via the siemens controller just to prove to myself that this would indeed turn the heating off. Alas, when I turned the hot water back on I now have no heating. The Baxi Solo has a small flame. I've tried changing it to 'always on' and 'timed' but still no joy. Pressing the boost button does nothing? I'm absolutely freezing!

Thanks in advance

 

[ChrisR]

Is your room thermostat still at 15?

 

[notesguru99]

No I turned it up to 20 when I got in last night for this morning, but no joy?

it is now on timer to come on at 4PM so I will have to wait and see!!!

Thanks

 

[Blasphemous]

No I turned it up to 20 when I got in last night for this morning, but no joy?

it is now on timer to come on at 4PM so I will have to wait and see!!!

Thanks

Why wait for the timer? just flick it over to constant.

 

[notesguru99]

have tried constant and timer, nothing happens.
maybe something is seriously wrong, I will have to call an engineer methinks

 

[JohnD]

I hope you have turned "that switch in the kitchen" back on.

 

[notesguru99]

sorted!! the seimens controller on the wall must have had a loose connection so when I initially turned the hot water off it must have worked loose. I took it off the wall and noticed it was ill fitted. As soon as the connection was made between the device and fitting on the wall my gas boiler fired up straight away! ahhh heating at last!

Thanks to all