Electric cylinder boiler heating question

alichambers

Hi,

I have bought a flat with an electric boiler - the flat is all electric. The boiler is a Vented Cyclinder ; the exact title is a "Kernal Plumbing Unit" - as below:

www [dot] range-cylinders.co.uk/product-kernel-plumbing-units.html

My question is:

1. As this is not gas powered - do I need to service it? It is 10 years old, but looks OK and has been working fine

2. If I do need it serviced once a year - who do I call - an electrician or specialist plumber?

3. I can see Gas Boiler breakdown insuarance (eg from British Gas), but I cannot find anything for electric boilers. Does it exist?

Thanks for any help - I am new to all this,
Alex

HappyMJ

It does not need servicing. It's just an immersion heater. If it breaks you just replace the immersion heater with a new one.

alichambers

Thanks MJ.

One final question - does the actual cylinder need cleaning / descaling - like every 10-20 years or so?

Or are they really just "set and forget"?

macman

No, when they scale up to the degree that they can't function properly, they are replaced. It's basically a big kettle, nothing more.

Mr_Ted

macman wrote: »

No, when they scale up to the degree that they can't function properly, they are replaced. It's basically a big kettle, nothing more.

Sorry but thats a load of tosh and again typical of todays throw away mentality plus you are clearly not familiar with what is installed!

Any cylinder of any age or type can be descaled, success depending on how scaled the unit is?

A modern unit and such as OP states as having, and this should apply to any modern system no matter what type, should, have some sort of scale prevention installed on the incoming water supply, if not I would have one fitted ASAP?

What the OP is not clear about is, is the system a boiler as quoted, or just an hot water cylinder, ie does it supply radiators at it could do?
If its just an HWS cylinder then you can just change the immersion heater,as has already been stated, if or when it breaksdown!

If its installed as a boiler supplying heating and hot water, then there are the ancilliary items such as pump, zone valves etc. to consider, but once again as no gas boiler is involved then a service regime would not be necessary, unless of course it is used in combination with a gas boiler as it could be utilised?

If the cylinder does have scale problems then a descale can be easily carried out.
Descaling is these days carried out using sealed descaling pump sets attached to the existing system and are left to run to circuate acids(which are nulified by alkali after descaling has been comleted) and monitored for a period until readings that are taken show the scale has been removed, but this is not an annual requirement!

I'm sure if you wanted a descale carried out you could find someone capable of doing so!!!!!

HappyMJ

Mr_Ted wrote: »

Sorry but thats a load of tosh and again typical of todays throw away mentality plus you are clearly not familiar with what is installed!

Any cylinder of any age or type can be descaled, success depending on how scaled the unit is?

A modern unit and such as OP states as having, and this should apply to any modern system no matter what type, should, have some sort of scale prevention installed on the incoming water supply, if not I would have one fitted ASAP?

What the OP is not clear about is, is the system a boiler as quoted, or just an hot water cylinder, ie does it supply radiators at it could do?
If its just an HWS cylinder then you can just change the immersion heater,as has already been stated, if or when it breaksdown!

If its installed as a boiler supplying heating and hot water, then there are the ancilliary items such as pump, zone valves etc. to consider, but once again as no gas boiler is involved then a service regime would not be necessary, unless of course it is used in combination with a gas boiler as it could be utilised?

If the cylinder does have scale problems then a descale can be easily carried out.
Descaling is these days carried out using sealed descaling pump sets attached to the existing system and are left to run to circuate acids(which are nulified by alkali after descaling has been comleted) and monitored for a period until readings that are taken show the scale has been removed, but this is not an annual requirement!

I'm sure if you wanted a descale carried out you could find someone capable of doing so!!!!!

It might be considered throwaway but it's economically sensible to throw it away and replace it.

What would it cost to descale a hot water cylinder compared to simply replacing it with a new one? I don't believe that any amount of chemical would ever remove the limescale build up in a reasonable amount of time.

alichambers

Thanks for your comments.

I have a cylinder that just supplies hot water - my flat is 100% electric. Panel electric heaters on the wall provide central heating.

I have no idea how scaled up the cylinder is.

I dont have any current problems - I was just wondering if I need to put in place any precautions, as I bought the flat (it's a new build; 10 years old), and I dont have any manuals for the cylinder, etc...

HappyMJ

alichambers wrote: »

Thanks for your comments.

I have a cylinder that just supplies hot water - my flat is 100% electric. Panel electric heaters on the wall provide central heating.

I have no idea how scaled up the cylinder is.

I dont have any current problems - I was just wondering if I need to put in place any precautions, as I bought the flat (it's a new build; 10 years old), and I dont have any manuals for the cylinder, etc...

There is nothing you need to do. A visual check by yourself every now and again to look for leaks is all that is required. If you no longer get hot water then it's probably the immersion heater that has a problem.

Mr_Ted

HappyMJ wrote: »

What would it cost to descale a hot water cylinder compared to simply replacing it with a new one? I don't believe that any amount of chemical would ever remove the limescale build up in a reasonable amount of time.

I can assure you it does remove it in a reasonable amount of time!
I have done this many time on commercial calorifiers as it is a regular part of insurance inspection regimes on commercial installations and would not pass inspection if it didnt get rid of scale, and on domestic cylinders many times!

This is an alternative that is a DIY option also although I would only recommend it to someone very capable!
http://www.fernox.com/problem+solving/how+to+sheets/descaling+hot+water+system

and this is how by use of powerflush pump
http://www.powerflush.com/GuidanceNotes/PDF/DescalingGledhillcylinders.pdf

Most modern cylinders will last much longer if it is necessary to remove heavy scale deposits, that is surely more economical than the cost and labour to replace a cylinder and consideration that it is not always possible to find an exact replacement?

To often it is commercial consideration that is the prime factor for recommending replacment!!!

alichambers

Thanks again.

I probably wont go down the DIY route for descaling - I am not very technical.

I live in Croydon, and it is a hard water area. My kettle has got a bit scaled up, but nothing too bad.

I dont have a water softener attached to my mains pump, and havent had any problems with the cylinder or hot water temp so far.

Bearing in mind the cost of these things, is it worth having a water softener attached to the mains - as a precaution. My flat is a new build and roughly 10 years old.