Need a little help with my immersion heater!

[diyplank]

Just moved into a new flat, it has storage heaters and an immersion tank. Can someone please explain why they have two switches?

I'm not sure if they are labelled properly. Can I just leave the 24hr "cheep elec" one on all the time for constant hot water?

Also storage heater - it also has two switches.

I'm led to believe one switch is for economy seven - ie leave it on and it does the biz overnight (midnight till 0700). However I switched it on and it started drawing current at 2100. There doesn't appear to be a timer I can set!

I have two fuseboxes (Didn't take a pic though). I am told one is for economy seven.

Thanks, I know it's poorly phrased but I'm a total muppet and know what I want to ask, but can't find the words!!

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• diyplank
• 20 Dec 2010
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• diyplank
• 20 Dec 2010
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• diyplank
• 20 Dec 2010
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• diyplank
• 20 Dec 2010
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[Hugh Jaleak]

Immersions, should be 2? One at bottom of tank, a second halfway up? Bottom immersion should run on E7, heats the whole tank on cheap rate electricity. The 2nd one is a 'Boost', if you run short on hotwater during the day it heats the top half of the tank on normal rate electricity. Best leaving bottom (cheap rate) on, it'll come on to heat the water overnight on E7.

Again, storage heaters, one switch should be for E7, it heats up during the E7 period and 'stores' the heat in 'bricks' inside the heater for slow release the following day. The 2nd switch is again, a 'boost', for times when you want some extra heat or during the evenings if the stored heat has all gone. However, this is also using electricity at normal rate. (=expensive!!)

During the Ecomomy 7 period (the 7 hours between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m.) switch is done automatically at the meter so you cannot control it. One fuseboard (or consumer unit) will be for normal household electrics, lights, sockets etc, and the boost circuits for the immersion and storage heaters. The other is for the E7 side, the storage heaters and bottom immersion. These circuits only become live during the E7 period when the supply is switched on to them.

 

[diyplank]

That's what I was after, many thanks.

Mark

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Hope I havent confused you too much!

 

[diyplank]

It's just the switches were confusingly labelled. I took pics but they don't appear in my post, only the question does.

The storage heater's E7 switch started drawing power at 2100 last night - maybe the E7 hours are different on a Sunday?? I had thought I had to set a timer for the power to come on.

The joys of being a first time home owner!!

 

[Agile]

There are three aspects, what the equipment is set up for, what the power supplier is charging for and lastly what time settings the power supplier equipment is set for.

Here for instance, the cheap rate period is set by digital signals send over the power cables. These cause it to automatically change over when the load demand is lower in the country.

Some systems are operated by a mechanical timeclock. These dont change at BST or the end of BST and can become considerable incorrect. I used to live with one that gave me cheap power at 2330hrs.

Some friends at work used to milk the cheap rate by setting timers on their washing machines, dish washers and the most extreme, inhibiting the freezer for the last hour before cheap rate!

Tony

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Pics are there now! One of fusebox(es) and meter might be handy. As far as I know the E7 hours are the same all week. (You can hear a loud 'click' from my meter as it switches over at 1 a.m./8 a.m.)

 

[OwainDIYer]

I notice one of your switches is labelled Heatwise, these are older tariffs that give you an afternoon and evening boost but only for heating and hot water.

They usually need special wiring to separate the heating and power installations and can have as many as 5 meter readings. This can be a nightmare if you want to change suppliers or tariff.

 

[diyplank]

Pics are there now! One of fusebox(es) and meter might be handy. As far as I know the E7 hours are the same all week. (You can hear a loud 'click' from my meter as it switches over at 1 a.m./8 a.m.)

Here: I'll get a pic of the meters when I go outside. I'm sure the dog will want to go out soon!!

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• diyplank
• 24 Dec 2010
• 1