Immersion heater on a plug?

[ScottishGasMan]

Water cylinder with immersion heater. Rated at 230V at 2.7kW (240V at 3kW)
Would it be reasonable to run this off a plug socket as a temp measure?

It's less than 13A, but close, see a lot of dodgy wiring/over heating with immersion heaters. This is a temporary cylinder for 6-8 weeks when gas boiler is reinstated.

Would you fine electricians be OK with doing this or is it a bit dodgy?

 

[Adam_151]

Its one of those, should be OK, but in many instances it proves to be a problem

I'd be tempted to use a plug top of a known brand, make sure the terminals are done up properly and not in a limp wristed plumber kind of way , give the fuse clips a small tweak inwards to grip the fuse tighter, and check that the socket you are plugging into is not worn (grips plug tighly not feeling loose) and ensure that no extension leads or adapters get used (however much the tennent wants a lamp in just that spot....)

 

[Bigily87]

It is not conventional but I don’t think there is a reg against it. Should be heat resistant cable.
However appendix 15 says that immersion heaters should not be supplied by ring circuits.
Better to be on a seperate circuit

 

[Murdochcat]

If it’s a single socket and on a dedicated circuit, I would be tempted to fit a basic timer rather than using a plug and socket

 

[Sureitsoff?]

could use an fcu instead of plug and socket

 

[ericmark]

It was a standard method to feed an immersion heater from a 15 amp plug and socket so it could be all pre-wired for the plumber to fit back in the 50's.

The point is 15 amp plugs do not contain a fuse, so there is not the same need to be in free air to cool the plug, in an airing cupboard the plug is often covered by drying cloths, so not in free air, so it could over heat. So much depends on location of the socket.

As to the dedicated circuit, connecting cookers, ovens and hobs with a rated power exceeding 2 kW on their own dedicated radial circuit, is given as one method of ensuring load current in any part of the circuit should be unlikely to exceed for long periods the current-carrying capacity of the cable, this is down to where in the ring final the load is applied, near the centre no problem, any over load and the MCB/fuse/RCBO will protect, but near the origin one can overload one leg of the ring final, using a loop impedance meter easy, but you otherwise need to look at where the CU is and where the socket your going to use is.

 

[ScottishGasMan]

Ideally I'd get a 2kW immersion heater and swap them out, but the type of cylinder I have spare unfortunately appears to be a unique fitting so doesn't make it so easy.

I'll speak to them and see if their electrician is visiting in the next week or so, might be possible to ask him to either run a temp spur from the ring main or use the old cooker slot on the CU. The kitchen has been knocked down for an extension so these are unused at the minute, and boiler can't be reinstated untill the extension is up. Load on any circuit right now will be quite low as they cant use washing/dryer or cooking equipment.

Was just trying to see if there was an easy temp way of giving hot water for the shower/sink safely.

 

[Bigily87]

Yes no one relies on immersion heaters for water they are only used for temporary purposes.

 

[Bigily87]

or use the old cooker slot

that would be a much suitable choice

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Yes no one relies on immersion heaters for water they are only used for temporary purposes.

We do, as do many others, but it doesn't really matter. I rented a house for a few months once. I bought a cheap kettle from Tesco, plugged it in on day one.

When I came to leave, it wouldn't unplug. It had welded itself into the socket. I ended up replacing the socket to keep my deposit.

I only ever made cups of tea with it, I don't think I ever even filled it full, so it was never on for over a minute or two.

Plugs and sockets aren't very good really. Perhaps a new decent one of each would be fine, but that's probably not the intention here. I don't think it would be wise to run one for an hour or two at a time in a confined space.

Just wire it into something, replace a socket with a spur outlet if you just want a temporary wrong but safe botch. Easy with a single socket, trickier with a double, but there's probably a way.

 

[boringoldcodger]

trickier with a double, but there's probably a way.

This (link):

Hager Sollysta Cooker Control Unit 50A White WMCC50

WE WONT BE BEATEN ON PRICEWe regularly check our prices against our competitors, to ensure we can offer you the best deal possible.

www.electricpoint.com

would use a double backbox but might need a deep one. I'm sure other manufacturers do similar things.

 

[JohnW2]

Yes no one relies on immersion heaters for water they are only used for temporary purposes.

I do, nearly all the time, since off-peak E7 electricity is still usually cheaper than the only alternative I have (LPG).

Kind Regards, John

 

[bkenn]

Water cylinder with immersion heater. Rated at 230V at 2.7kW (240V at 3kW)
Would it be reasonable to run this off a plug socket as a temp measure?

It's less than 13A, but close, see a lot of dodgy wiring/over heating with immersion heaters. This is a temporary cylinder for 6-8 weeks when gas boiler is reinstated.

Would you fine electricians be OK with doing this or is it a bit dodgy?

I would use a circular 16A plug and socket.

 

[JohnW2]

I would use a circular 16A plug and socket.

Unless you could find a 'shuttered' 16A socket, that would probably not be compliant with the regulations.

Someone here recently suggested that the 'flap' of a 16A socket qualifies as a shutter, but I'm personally far from convinced about that!

Kind Regards, John

 

[bkenn]

We do, as do many others, but it doesn't really matter. I rented a house for a few months once. I bought a cheap kettle from Tesco, plugged it in on day one.

When I came to leave, it wouldn't unplug. It had welded itself into the socket. I ended up replacing the socket to keep my deposit.

I only ever made cups of tea with it, I don't think I ever even filled it full, so it was never on for over a minute or two.

Plugs and sockets aren't very good really. Perhaps a new decent one of each would be fine, but that's probably not the intention here. I don't think it would be wise to run one for an hour or two at a time in a confined space.

Just wire it into something, replace a socket with a spur outlet if you just want a temporary wrong but safe botch. Easy with a single socket, trickier with a double, but there's probably a way.

That was probably a loose connection in the socket, causing excess resistance and heat. It could also just have been a cheap socket. I have seen many which had thin material in the contact-springs, so minimal contact pressure. I have also seen many where the contact is too far beack from the surface, so the plug pins were only just making contact rather than pushing between the springs. Compatibles that aren't, are all too common.