Is this normal??!!

[D_Hailsham]

What does the white lead on the left connect to?

 

[RoseofSharon1]

OP, are you familiar with the general principle of how the programmers, thermostats, valve work together to control the system. It will help with troubleshooting to understand that.

Thank you Galoka for your reply I am unfamiliar with the way all these systems interact, I'm hoping to learn from here how they do! I agree that an understanding (even a basic one) is always important and saves time and helps with troubleshooting.

D_Hailsham, the white cable leads into/from the red component seen at the top of the tank in picture 1.

 

[D_Hailsham]

D_Hailsham, the white cable leads into/from the red component seen at the top of the tank in picture 1.

Thought it might.

The red component on top of the cylinder is the electric immersion heater, which is there in case the boiler fails. In normal use the switch should be OFF.

So we are back to a faulty valve in the pipe to the cylinder.

Turn the hot water off at the programmer

There is a lever at one end of the valve which can move along a slot marked Auto and Man. It should be at the Auto end.

Move the lever to the Man end. It should take some effort to move it and return automatically to the Auto end when released. If this is OK, the micro-switch in the valve is stuck closed.

If the lever is very easy to move and does not return, the valve is stuck open and so the microswitch is closed.

 

[RoseofSharon1]

The only lever I could locate was behind the unit facing the wall I reached my hand out to feel it and it just fell into my hand lol. I've taken some pics of it and will upload shortly. Up inspection, none of the edges are sharp or irregular so maybe it just became dislocated somehow.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Thank you so much for all the replies. If the valve is sticking open as D_Hailsham suggests, how can this be resolved? Will I have to switch the whole system off as Picasso suggests and if so how do I do this? Also how is the cylinder still working if the switch shown in the last photo has been off for months and not turned on at any point?

Do these things just work of their own accord?!

Don't forget many Hot water cylinders have back up immersion heaters, so that if your main gas heating stopped working you could still get hot water by turning your electrical immersion heater on, you got that round bit on top of your cylinder, that is your immersion heater with a red cap, and you can see a white wire coming out from it and presumably it should be connected to a dedicated fused spur which has a flex coming out from its front cover, but that switch in your photo does not look like a proper immersion heater fused spur, unless someone improvised that as a substitute for a proper immersion heater fused spur.

Try and follow that white cable that comes from that red cap on top of your cylinder, and see if it goes into this fused spur you are showing in the picture.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

sorry duplicated post edited out.

 

[RoseofSharon1]

Sorry for being away for a time, it's been a busy weekend of DIY, thank you all, we will get there eventually!

Here is the photo of the piece that came off the blue component seen in the initial set of photos, it is approximately 2cm

 

[D_Hailsham]

There is what looks like a crack at the left end of the lever, which suggests someone has tried to force it over.

Turn power off

Remove the blue cover
Detach the actuator from the pipework (no water will escape)
Check that you can move the exposed spindle easily. It will not make a full turn. If it is stiff, try some silicon lubricant. But if that fails you will need a complete new valve - drain down time.

If the spindle is OK, you may be able to replace the dislodged lever. (Use the other valve as a guide)


If you do have to replace the valve get a Honeywell V4043.

 

[RoseofSharon1]

There is what looks like a crack at the left end of the lever, which suggests someone has tried to force it over.

Turn power off

Remove the blue cover
Detach the actuator from the pipework (no water will escape)
Check that you can move the exposed spindle easily. It will not make a full turn. If it is stiff, try some silicon lubricant. But if that fails you will need a complete new valve - drain down time.

If the spindle is OK, you may be able to replace the dislodged lever. (Use the other valve as a guide)


If you do have to replace the valve get a Honeywell V4043.

Thank you D_Hailsham, I apologise for the late reply I was side tracked by a toilet repair. I will tackle this hopefully tomorrow

 

[RoseofSharon1]

oooh, I should also mention that about three/four days ago the cold water pressure dropped in the taps. Hot water is fine, power shower ok too, could this be related? The only plumbing work I have done was to turn off the cold water feed to the downstairs loo but other than that nothing?