Hello
I'd be very grateful if anyone has any suggestions as to what might be causing our boiler to run out of hot water constantly. I've looked online for information about it but haven't found out much, and we don't have a manual at home so I don't know how it is constructed inside or exactly how it works. I live in a pretty new flat - only 5 years old - and there used to be 3 of us living here but there have only been 2 of us for the last 6 months.
We have a Megaflo DD210, a direct unvented cylinder. It runs on Economy 7, and for the last couple of months we have been running out of hot water on a regular basis. There's always hot water in the morning, but it just doesn't last much beyond about a five-ten minute shower (thankfully we have a second electric shower). We have a timed boost programmed for 2 1/2 hours late on an afternoon, which definitely works, and there's an additional timed boost programmed for 0230 - 0730, but as I understand it that would be overridden by the pre-programmed operational time which was set at installation. (I can't seem to access or interrogate the system as to what these master settings are, I can only see and alter the booster timings). These boost timings have been in place since we moved in to the property about a year ago, when we always had enough hot water. I have checked for switches in the airing cupboard which might have been turned off inadvertently, but the only one which seems to relate to the cylinder is the one which operates the booster.
I noticed on my most recent electricity bill that the amount of night rate units used was a big fat zero! When I checked the previous bill, there were only 3 units used, but I had not spotted it at the time. The bill before that it was over 400 night units, so I am guessing that the problem arose just after the start of the previous bill. I rang our electricity company, who agree that there must be a fault with the meter, and they are sending someone to check it this week.
I've been taking three meter readings a day over the last week, including one last thing at night and one first thing in the morning, and the number of units consumed overnight, which clock up on the daytime meter, is 7. That's with no heating running (everything is electric here) overnight, only the fridge and hot water cylinder. When the flat is empty for the day, only 1 or 2 units are typically consumed for that whole period, so I can confidently assume that it is the cylinder racking up the night-time use on the day meter.
My question is this: If our night rate supply has not been working for some months, as our bill would indicate, how exactly would this have been affecting the cylinder operation? Clearly we are getting hot water somehow, but if it is purely because of the extra timed boost at 0230-0730, why are we now running out of water so often when, a year ago, the system ran properly via similar hours of operation (albeit presumably via the proper installation settings and a working night electric supply) yet we had enough hot water to last 3 people all day.
It seems far too coincidental that the hot water has been problematic for about the same amount of time as the night time electricity supply has been playing up, but it is just a lack of night electricity from the meter that is at fault, or could it also be a fault with the boiler itself (ie it hasn't been drawing on the night-time supply?). I can't see how it is the boiler, as I would have thought that any use of electricity in the flat after 2230 should be clocking up on the night-rate meter (apparently our night rate applies from 2230-0030 and 0230-0730), and clearly it hasn't been - and my meter readings prove that the night use is clocked up on the day meter anyway.
I am wondering whether it might be that there are two separate tanks in the cylinder - one large capacity one fed exclusively by night-rate electricity for the main night-time operation and a smaller one for daytime boost, fed exclusively by daytime rate supply. If the night-time one is effectively out of action altogether because of the electricity meter fault, then it is only the smaller daytime tank which is ever being heated, even when the extra programmed 0230-0730 night boost is on, and that therefore explains why we are running out of hot water so regularly. Am I a million miles off there? This is the info I've been trying to find online but have not been able to.
I have asked our landlord about how the system works but he is clueless, and I can't see him agreeing to get someone out to check the boiler unless I can prove exactly where the problem lies. I am going to wait to see what EDF's electrician says on Wednesday, and take the opportunity to pick his brains about the boiler whilst he's here. If he fixes the night rate supply and the boiler starts giving us a plentiful supply of water again then I know it was the fault of the meter, but I am just very puzzled as to why we are effectively heating the water for similar hours to what it should be, yet running out of water so often.
Many thanks in advance for any suggestions
Adele
I'd be very grateful if anyone has any suggestions as to what might be causing our boiler to run out of hot water constantly. I've looked online for information about it but haven't found out much, and we don't have a manual at home so I don't know how it is constructed inside or exactly how it works. I live in a pretty new flat - only 5 years old - and there used to be 3 of us living here but there have only been 2 of us for the last 6 months.
We have a Megaflo DD210, a direct unvented cylinder. It runs on Economy 7, and for the last couple of months we have been running out of hot water on a regular basis. There's always hot water in the morning, but it just doesn't last much beyond about a five-ten minute shower (thankfully we have a second electric shower). We have a timed boost programmed for 2 1/2 hours late on an afternoon, which definitely works, and there's an additional timed boost programmed for 0230 - 0730, but as I understand it that would be overridden by the pre-programmed operational time which was set at installation. (I can't seem to access or interrogate the system as to what these master settings are, I can only see and alter the booster timings). These boost timings have been in place since we moved in to the property about a year ago, when we always had enough hot water. I have checked for switches in the airing cupboard which might have been turned off inadvertently, but the only one which seems to relate to the cylinder is the one which operates the booster.
I noticed on my most recent electricity bill that the amount of night rate units used was a big fat zero! When I checked the previous bill, there were only 3 units used, but I had not spotted it at the time. The bill before that it was over 400 night units, so I am guessing that the problem arose just after the start of the previous bill. I rang our electricity company, who agree that there must be a fault with the meter, and they are sending someone to check it this week.
I've been taking three meter readings a day over the last week, including one last thing at night and one first thing in the morning, and the number of units consumed overnight, which clock up on the daytime meter, is 7. That's with no heating running (everything is electric here) overnight, only the fridge and hot water cylinder. When the flat is empty for the day, only 1 or 2 units are typically consumed for that whole period, so I can confidently assume that it is the cylinder racking up the night-time use on the day meter.
My question is this: If our night rate supply has not been working for some months, as our bill would indicate, how exactly would this have been affecting the cylinder operation? Clearly we are getting hot water somehow, but if it is purely because of the extra timed boost at 0230-0730, why are we now running out of water so often when, a year ago, the system ran properly via similar hours of operation (albeit presumably via the proper installation settings and a working night electric supply) yet we had enough hot water to last 3 people all day.
It seems far too coincidental that the hot water has been problematic for about the same amount of time as the night time electricity supply has been playing up, but it is just a lack of night electricity from the meter that is at fault, or could it also be a fault with the boiler itself (ie it hasn't been drawing on the night-time supply?). I can't see how it is the boiler, as I would have thought that any use of electricity in the flat after 2230 should be clocking up on the night-rate meter (apparently our night rate applies from 2230-0030 and 0230-0730), and clearly it hasn't been - and my meter readings prove that the night use is clocked up on the day meter anyway.
I am wondering whether it might be that there are two separate tanks in the cylinder - one large capacity one fed exclusively by night-rate electricity for the main night-time operation and a smaller one for daytime boost, fed exclusively by daytime rate supply. If the night-time one is effectively out of action altogether because of the electricity meter fault, then it is only the smaller daytime tank which is ever being heated, even when the extra programmed 0230-0730 night boost is on, and that therefore explains why we are running out of hot water so regularly. Am I a million miles off there? This is the info I've been trying to find online but have not been able to.
I have asked our landlord about how the system works but he is clueless, and I can't see him agreeing to get someone out to check the boiler unless I can prove exactly where the problem lies. I am going to wait to see what EDF's electrician says on Wednesday, and take the opportunity to pick his brains about the boiler whilst he's here. If he fixes the night rate supply and the boiler starts giving us a plentiful supply of water again then I know it was the fault of the meter, but I am just very puzzled as to why we are effectively heating the water for similar hours to what it should be, yet running out of water so often.
Many thanks in advance for any suggestions
Adele