Just moved but there is no timer & broken switch?

[leejenson]

Hi,

I have just moved into a flat and there is no timer for the hot water. I feel that it is a waste of money if I leave it on when I am not there. Am I wrong?

My flat has an immersion heater, storage heaters and underfloor heating in the bathroom.

The boiler has two electric cables, one coming out top and one the bottom of the boiler and they go to two switches which have a red neon light on them. The top switch works and produces hot water quite quickly but the bottom switcn does not work as the neon light does not come on and does not seem to produce hot water.

A friend said the top half of the boiler is usually used for some kind of boost. The previous tennants said they left the working switch on all the time. So did they leave something on all lthe time that is just suppose to be used as a temporary boost?

There is some kind of digital timer from a company called WARMUP but from what I can work out it is for the under floor heating only?

Could someone please recommend the most efficient way to use my setup please.

Thanks

Lee (no heating skills since birth!)

 

[bengasman]

Bit more info wouldn't go amiss, most plumbers have their crystal balls in storage during the summer.

 

[leejenson]

what do you need and I will supply?

Lee

 

[bengasman]

Details about your system e.g. what pump, what boiler, is it a white one....

 

[D_Hailsham]

Details about your system e.g. what pump, what boiler, is it a white one....

The OP has already told you!!

My flat has an immersion heater, storage heaters and underfloor heating in the bathroom.

From that it is easy to deduce that it is an all-electric flat. So: No Boiler and No Pump.

 

[45yearsagasman]

Top immersion is just that, to heat a restricted amount of hot water in the top of the cylinder and the bottom one, if switched on will heat the whole cylinder. They should have a built in thermostat with overheat protection. Timers are optional. Contact the owners and discuss the option of having a timer fitted. The use of either immersion heaters depends on your water requirements.

 

[bengasman]

My flat has an immersion heater, storage heaters and underfloor heating in the bathroom.

From that it is easy to deduce that it is an all-electric flat. So: No Boiler and No Pump.

You can deduce, guess and google all you want, I just stay with the facts.

...The boiler has two electric cables....

 

[oldbuffer]

What you have described sounds like a hot water cylinder with two immersion heaters, rather than a boiler.

As already said, the top immersion heater heats up about the top third of the cylinder, enough to do the washing up, but, depending on the size of the cylinder, probably not for a bath.

The lower cylinder may be run from cheap rate (e.g. Economy 7) electricity, in which case it will only be on from about 11:00 pm to 5:00 am. It will have a thermostat in it, so will switch itself off when the water reaches a pre-determined temperature. So this one is already timed, and adding another timer might result in some savings, but likely to be minor to non-existent. Have a look around midnight and see if the red neon indicator for the lower one is lit up.

If it is not on economy rate, a timer could well save you money. You can get them from places like B&Q or Screwfix, and from memory they are about £30.00 Look for a timer capable of handling 13 amps / 3Kw - a central heating timer doesn't have the capacity.

The upper immersion (which will also have a thermostat) is probably best left unused unless you need a boost of hot water.

The best economy you can get is probably to insulate the tank really well, unless this has already been done. However, don't cover the heads of the immersion heaters where they stick out of the cylinder.

 

[leejenson]

thanks everyone for your quick replies.

I will switch on the bottom part or the cylinder and have a look this evening after 11pm. If it comes on then this will solve everything. I will then not use the upper cyliner as I am just a 1 bed flat on my own and don't use much.

Thanks
Lee

 

[D_Hailsham]

You can deduce, guess and google all you want, I just stay with the facts.

...The boiler has two electric cables....

And it's fairly obvious, at least to most readers that the OP used the term "boiler" to mean the hot water cylinder. He isn't the first, and won't be the last, to use that word in that way.

 

[bengasman]

And it's fairly obvious....

Obvious = assumption=mother of all fuk ups

 

[D_Hailsham]

And it's fairly obvious....

Obvious = assumption=mother of all **** ups

Oh dear! You are clutching at straws.

And who made the first **** up by not realizing that the OP's "boiler" was actually his HW cylinder?

 

[leejenson]

Hi All,

I switched on the bottom cylinder with no neon and left it over night. There was just some like warm water left from before after leave the tap running for a minute.

My landlady hasn't got a clue about her own place.

Do you think its faulty? Also is there a way to see if the bottom cylinder has a built in timer anyway?

Thanks
Lee

 

[oldbuffer]

I think you've just about reached the point where you need someone to look at the system.

If you have electric storage heaters, these normally run on cheap rate electricity, storing heat from an electric element inside during the night, and letting it out during the day. If you have this system, then you will have either two electricity meters or a dual electricity meter. Either way you will have separate metering for normal rate and cheap rate.

If you have this set up then it is highly likely, though not certain, that the lower immersion heater is on the cheap rate circuit. However, as it does not appear to be heating up the water, there are a number of possibilities:

a. There is no electricity getting to the immersion. Could be as simple as a blown fuse in the switched spur unit (in which the wire from the immersion ends), possibly a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker for that circuit in the electrical consumer unit, or a wiring fault.

b. The thermostat inside the immersion is faulty. Changing it is normally easy and does not require a drain down.

c. The immersion heater is faulty. Changing it requires the whole tank draining and a new one fitting.

As your flat is rented, perhaps the landlady would be prepared to pay all or part of the cost of getting an electrician and / or a plumber to look at the problem and correct it.

 

[oldbuffer]

On the topic of timers, neither immersion heater will have a built in timer. The cheap rate electricity timer will be either a separate clock / timer (usually near the meter, and sealed), or will be an integral part of a dual rate meter.