Leaking HW cylinder blown electrics...

[Dandal88]

Hello,

I noticed an RCD had tripped on our dist board earlier on. Long story short, it stayed on when I reset it with the boiler switch off - I check the hot water cylinder which is where all cabling runs back to, and it was just soaked in the electrical box - water dripping off everything. Its a pretty old cylinder and the top is rusted a fair bit. I had a look and water seems to be collecting on the the very top (as in under where the ball valve lives - see photos). But also, I took a photo of the water in the tank - look at the state of the water in the cylinder (all white and lumpy).....1) what could that be, 2) what caused it, 3) could chemicals rectify that?

In the photos I've sent, does that small silver tank on top come off, or is it welded on? It's so so hard to see where the water is coming from. Absolute nightmare

 

[terryplumb]

Time for a new cylinder , unfortunately. Or maybe consider a combi boiler.

 

[flameport]

- I check the hot water cylinder

That is a BoilerMate thermal store effort, specially designed to ensure your boiler runs at excessively high flow temperatures all the time for maximum inefficiency, and then to waste as much of that energy as possible by storing a substantial quantity of water at temperatures that are far too high all the time, before converting some of what heat is left for use in heating and hot water.

Yours has lasted longer than most. They were made by one of the many Gledhill companies along with various other shonky products, and then conveniently went out of business as soon as the warranty claims and complaints started to pile in.
Then a similarly named company was set up to ungenerously offer repairs at an expensive price while simultaneously disclaiming any responsibility because of course they were entirely unrelated to the previous lot.

The BoilerMate neither boils or is anyone's mate. Similarly their PulsaCoil electric thermal store cylinder neither pulsed or had coils in it. They are just made up names which were designed to sound impressive to those who had no understanding of their products, such as gullible building specifiers.

No repair possible, and even if it was you would still be better off getting rid of it.
It belonged in a skip when it was new. Age has not improved that situation.

 

[terryplumb]

A fitting epitaph JW .

 

[Dandal88]

'Boilermate neither boils or is anyones mate'

Yeah I think I'm going to upgrade. Which, by the sounds of it, won't be difficult.

Thanks for your responses gents