Installing Immersion Heater

[singinmgr]

Boiler down so I thought as backup I should have an immersion heater...new build house it seems there is a switched outlet near the cylinder but no link to anything. Plumber must have been running late so left without installing
I have bought the appropriate heater element and cable....but having trouble removing the hole filler (not technical term! ) from the cylinder. Bought a number of wrenches but still no luck ...applied WD40 but no movement.
Any advice what to do? Don't tell me a new cylinder please.

 

[spacethegas]

with the correct sized tool & enough leverage you should be able to loosen it.
crack the joint slightly before draining.
I'm assuming you you have a tank fed copper dhw tank.

 

[singinmgr]

Will give a another go... I have tried ...spent 3+ hours trying to shift it. It is a normal anti-clockwise opening?

Whats "tank fed copper dhw tank"?.
The cylinder is copper foam covered and is part of indirect system so yes fed by a tank for the hot water exchange.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[spacethegas]

the system fitted is what i had envisioned.

yes anticlockwise to undo.

3 hrs sounds a long time.

providing you have a snug fit on the nut & perhaps 18" leverage it should budge first effort. but you never know, the incredible hulk could have installed it.

if at all worried get someone in. you could cause big problems if unsure how to proceed if something should occur.

 

[Softus]

I wouldn't try for more than 3 minutes, let alone 3 hours.

The easiest way is to drill a hole (clearly you need to drain some water out first) and then hacksaw out a segment like a slice of cake. The rest should then collapse slightly, which will be enough to be able to get the thing turning.

 

[singinmgr]

That was 3 hrs with lots of tea breaks and visit to the shops and thinking time.
The fitting is brass is it likely to be easy to drill and cut out? I guess you have do this before? Thanks and think about it.
what about applying heat to the fitting...my thinking is that the copper will heat up first and possibly burn off any jointing paste etc. What do you think

 

[steved101]

if you have an immersion heater spanner use this to try and shift it. try and tap the handle of the spanner - just a few times with a hammer to try and shock it out of position.

 

[seco services]

you can try abit of heat but the time you've been on it i would just drill least you know its going to come out then

 

[steved101]

drill through the blnaking cap do you mean seco? i've never heard of that before!! obviously it must work, what size bit would you use for that...

 

[singinmgr]

if you have an immersion heater spanner use this to try and shift it. try and tap the handle of the spanner - just a few times with a hammer to try and shock it out of position.

Sorry for confusion it is blanking cap not an old immersion heater. trying to shift the cap which is brass

 

[seco services]

don't matter if its an old element or cap both the same.
cap better as nothing to get in the way its flat.
use any size start with a small pilot hole if you like then a 12mm.
then cut out a quarter and the rest will fall out.
just be careful when you get near the thread and don't damage the flat sealing surface.

 

[steved101]

i guess you'll have to also be careful that none of it falls into the hw cylinder ! ...

 

[seco services]

you can't odds that as when you drill and cut it they will.

 

[steved101]

if bits do fall in won't they possibly get into the cold feed/h/w draw off pipes and cause a blockage though over time maybe .....?

 

[seco services]

brass will sink not float.
hw draw off is at the top of the cylinder