British gas off peak electric not working

Tiggy777

Hi all

I have a real problem that the off peak water heating on my immersion heater does not appear to work.

Been checked by electrican and all appears to be working ok it's just in the morning there is not hot water when off peak in on.

Any ideas why this would be...currently with British Gas /Prepayment card.

Many thanks for your help and time

Regards

Tiggy

Wywth

Tiggy777 wrote: »

Hi all

I have a real problem that the off peak water heating on my immersion heater does not appear to work.

Been checked by electrican and all appears to be working ok it's just in the morning there is not hot water when off peak in on.

Any ideas why this would be...currently with British Gas /Prepayment card.

Many thanks for your help and time

Regards

Tiggy

You employed an electrician to resolve this. What was his explanation having inspected the installation?

macman

If the off peak element does not work but the boost element does (assuming it's dual element immersion), then the obvious explanation is element failure. A simple continuity test would confirm this, so your sparky should be able to tell you the issue.
Do you have other devices on the E7 circuit (such as NSH's)? How is the rate switched (mechanical timer or teleswitch)?

Tiggy777

Wywth wrote: »

You employed an electrician to resolve this. What was his explanation having inspected the installation?

He tested the on peak which worked could hear it heating up.

On the Off Peak side : He checked the switch in the cupboard : the wiring to the emmersion heater : the wiring into the immersion heater and checked the 'stat' ....said all fine 'should' work ok.

Left the switch on over night and no hot water in morning ?

Would appreciate any ideas............

Regards

Tiggy

Tiggy777

Think is it a dual system as it has two 2 connections one towards the top and one towards the bottom.

Think he replaced the thermostat a sort of rod thing about 8 inches long....did not drain it or anything.............it that different to the heating element !

Not excatly sure how it works....

Thanks for your time

Regards

Tiggy

Owlman45

Do you have any other appliances on system like a storage heater or socket that you could test to see if supply is being switched on at night? The time will vary according to where you are in the country check with distribution company website. If your supply is not switching on it will be a clock or meter change that's needed. Not sure if E7 is available if your on a prepayment card system perhaps you need to check with British Gas.

Wywth

Tiggy777 wrote: »

He tested the on peak which worked could hear it heating up.

On the Off Peak side : He checked the switch in the cupboard : the wiring to the emmersion heater : the wiring into the immersion heater and checked the 'stat' ....said all fine 'should' work ok.

Left the switch on over night and no hot water in morning ?

Would appreciate any ideas............

Regards

Tiggy

He should have been able to check the heater to confirm it was not faulty.

He also needed to check the off peak circuit that should be supplying the heater - there would seem to be a fault in one or both.

I think you need to find a more competant electrician.

If I were a betting man, (and without additional test results) I'd put my money on a faulty element. Replacement will be costly as you are left paying a plumber £70+ an hour to drink your tea watching the water drain from the tank - which will take at least an hour.
The part itself will only cost about £20, but expect the final bill to be £200

macman

Tiggy777 wrote: »

Think is it a dual system as it has two 2 connections one towards the top and one towards the bottom.

Think he replaced the thermostat a sort of rod thing about 8 inches long....did not drain it or anything.............it that different to the heating element !

Not excatly sure how it works....

Thanks for your time

Regards

Tiggy

That would appear to be the boost element-the short one. The off- peak element is longer because it heats the whole tank.
Why if he said the 'peak' element was working OK, did he change this? It makes no sense.

Tiggy777

macman wrote: »

That would appear to be the boost element-the short one. The off- peak element is longer because it heats the whole tank.
Why if he said the 'peak' element was working OK, did he change this? It makes no sense.

As mentioned above I am not sure how things work.....he replaced a stat on the connector at the botom of the immersion.

I am correct that this goes into the heater element within the tank which heats up the water ?

Thanks again appreciate the help

Tiggy

Wywth

Tiggy777 wrote: »

As mentioned above I am not sure how things work.....he replaced a stat on the connector at the botom of the immersion.

I am correct that this goes into the heater element within the tank which heats up the water ?

Thanks again appreciate the help

Tiggy

Yes that certainly sounds like the thermostat. They are about £10 for the part itself.

Any heater element issue would require the whole heater to be replaced, whereas the thermostat is located in a tube within the heater and can be replaced without removing the actual heater from the cylinder..

I had assumed by your earlier post that you have 2 heating elements located on the side of the cylinder and the lower one is not working, hence why I said replacement involves draining the cylinder.

If you have a top entry immersion like this:



then the good news is that you don't need to drain the cylinder ... much; just enough to stop the water escaping when the heater is removed.

The bad news is these top entry, dual element heaters are more expensive - about £60 - £80
a) because they are longer than a side entry heater and b) because they are dual element and c) they are harder to source.
You can't repair individual elements, the whole dual element heater would need to be replaced.

Tiggy777

Wywth wrote: »

Yes that certainly sounds like the thermostat. They are about £10 for the part itself.

Any heater element issue would require the whole heater to be replaced, whereas the thermostat is located in a tube within the heater and can be replaced without removing the actual heater from the cylinder..

I had assumed by your earlier post that you have 2 heating elements located on the side of the cylinder and the lower one is not working, hence why I said replacement involves draining the cylinder.

If you have a top entry immersion like this:



then the good news is that you don't need to drain the cylinder ... much; just enough to stop the water escaping when the heater is removed.

The bad news is these top entry, dual element heaters are more expensive - about £60 - £80
a) because they are longer than a side entry heater and b) because they are dual element and c) they are harder to source.
You can't repair individual elements, the whole dual element heater would need to be replaced.

Many thanks for the reply........

I spoke to the electrican last night and he said the heating elements and stats are working....

Fuses are ok he seemed to suggest it could be a supply issue...hence my question about prepaid cards.....wondered if supplier has switched something off their end ! ! !

Thanks for all the advice.

Tiggy