Timer has blown

tim_n

Last year in the winter I reported I had problems with plumbing as my pump seemed to have gone (it had) and the syncron motor had gone (it hadn't). My father a former electrician came over to have a look and we tried out the syncron motor by swapping it with a new one - unfortunately that didn't work either. He tested them both, both worked fine (can't remember what he did).

Anyway, to cut a long story short we realised quite quickly that it was the timer. We turned off the electricity, took the box off and noticed there was a big black smear inside the box - looks like the electrical smell wasn't just the pump! The timer had fried on the central heating side. I still get hot water twice a day as the timer still works - but to get heating I have to move the lever manually accross.

Any ideas how much it'll cost to replace the timer and is it a plumber or electrician I want? It's an old analog timer and I'd like something digital that would allow me to have the hot water off for more time a day - currently we only have the boiler on for about an hour total a day (physically can't set it less without turning it off!) and the hot water it produces is far in excess of what we need!