PLEASE HELP Regarding immersion heater and electricity

Incyder

I think the unfindable boiler somewhere else, heats the water and then sends it to the SysteMate storage tank in jans flat.
The problem here seems to be the boiler did not pump hot water to jans SysteMate tank
as it may have broken down or had a blockage.
Thus Jans SysteMate internal failsafe switch thermostat kicked in, and started heating the water itself.

This switch, I guess, is not like a normal manual immersion switch on the wall/side of tank that you flick to turn it on and off as you wish.

It's inbuilt and auto.

If the remote gas boiler starts to work normally again the inbuilt switch should stop controlling the system again ??

_bankrupted

JAN.1026 wrote: »

OH!!! Sorry!! just realise how stupid I am!!! so the thing in my flat is not actually a boiler!! so mine is just a ?tank with immersion boiler? (have i understood it correctly?)

right! so since the very first day i move in , I have been paying nothing for the boiler?

Yes that is correct.

JAN.1026

G_M wrote: »

Jan - there is language mis-communication. When you say "there is a switch for the boiler and a timer panel as well" do you mean the SysteMateSP ? Because this is NOT a boiler so you are confusing us all!

If you look at the pictures in the user guide I linked to, you will see that the SystMateSP is a 'thermal store' (water tank to store hot water).

There should be a 'boiler' to heat the water somewhere else, but you have already told us it is not in your flat and you don't know where.

The 'Switch' on the SysteMate is a back-up heater (similar to an immersion heater in the water tank, but not identical).

In normal use, the water is heated by the boiler (though we do not know where it is, or what type it is) and stored in the SysteMate.

If the boiler breaks, then and only then do you use the switch for back up.

Sorry.... I know that sounds stupid but i always thought the tank=a boiler....!=[ I should have show you guys photos earlier but i couldn't post any link before as my status was a new user..¬

http://s1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd466/jan102686/

click into the link and there are photos of the tank¬

as you can see, there is one switch and there is a timer panel on the top of it¬ the other one is just a switch with nothing written on and the wire goes into the wall, that is the switch for immersion boiler (according to what we have been told by the electrician)

btw i have reset the timer, but then i still do not have enough hot water, the hot water would only last for ten minutes...is it something to do with the boiler that we don't know where is it..?

blackshirtuk

ok......
i stand corrected, there does indeed look like pipes headed to and from an external boiler!

Jan, the pictures are indeed of a Hot Water Tank. There are pipes leading off to a boiler somewhere, which suggests you are no longer getting the hot water from this external boiler. Perhap one of the control valves is not working which is why, as has been suggested, your immersion heater cut in. I would recommend getting a plumber not an electrician to look at it for you, or call the landlord and ask him to get a plumber out to you.

To everyone else i have thoroughly enjoyed this post and feel like we are now getting somewhere!!

JAN.1026

blackshirtuk wrote: »

ok......
i stand corrected, there does indeed look like pipes headed to and from an external boiler!

Jan, the pictures are indeed of a Hot Water Tank. There are pipes leading off to a boiler somewhere, which suggests you are no longer getting the hot water from this external boiler. Perhap one of the control valves is not working which is why, as has been suggested, your immersion heater cut in. I would recommend getting a plumber not an electrician to look at it for you, or call the landlord and ask him to get a plumber out to you.

To everyone else i have thoroughly enjoyed this post and feel like we are now getting somewhere!!

YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! although the problem haven't been solved yet but at least i know what is happening now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANKS EVERYONE!! THANKS FOR KEEP GUESSING AND GIVING GOOD SUGGESTION even though i have given all those silly wrong answers....:wall: .... we are getting there finally!!! :T

What a good lesson to my life in the UK!!

by the way.... so is that why my bill suddenly gone really high? because the boiler is not working --> the immersion one started to work in order to keep supplying hot water?

blackshirtuk

yes that would seem to be the case.

As incyder said the flow of hot water from the boiler to heat the coil, and indirectly the water in the tank, stopped flowing. The immersion automatically cut in giving you a high bill.

I would suspect one of the electrical valves but you should ask the LL for a plumber.

blackshirtuk

any idea whats in the room above the tank?

JAN.1026

blackshirtuk wrote: »

any idea whats in the room above the tank?

Just now i had a look and there is nothing on the top~

by the way the grey pipe goes above the roof~ is it possible that it is going to the boiler?

another important quetsion...so do i still need to pay for the bill?? and do i need to pay for the repairing then?

blackshirtuk

Sorry yes it does look like you will have to pay the electricity bill, but the repair should be paid by the LL

You might have a case to reclaim some money from the LL, as it wasn't explained to you how the system worked causing you a bill, but i really don't think you will get very far!

blackshirtuk

the grey pipe is probably the vent for the soil stack (toilet waste) to take the smell away. nothing to do with the boiler or the hot water tank!