Boiling hot Water from cold taps?!

jhsam

We have recently moved in to our new place and the previous owner didn't leave any information re the heating / water etc - which I understand is the norm, but now we are trying to figure it all out. Previously we were in rented and everything worked fine, never had to turn anything extra on / off etc but this system is confusing me.

There is a boiler in the kitchen, there is a unit attached to it to set a timer for the Central Heating and Hot Water, which can be On, Off, Timer Based or 1+ Boost. Then there is a cylinder style tank upstairs in a cupboard, and a fuse swich in there (permanantly on) a temp thing on the pipe (currently set to 62) and in the kitchen another fuse switch which is used to then turn this cylinder on and off (think this is an Immersion?), finally I noticed yesterday that there is a big tank also in the loft - Had a look online, and I "think" all that makes this a combination system ?
Edited to Add - I meant I "think" this makes it a Conventional system

We have one main bathroom upstairs (just bath no shower), One En suite with shower (not electric) and a downstairs WC.

The other day there was no hot water (my fault I didn't "boost" the timer thing as I didn't know i needed to cause I'm a wally) so I switched the immersion on so I could run the bath for the kids - the hot tap was SCALDING hot (far to hot, and dangerous) and the cold tap was very hot (not quite scalding but I couldn't hold my hand under it) I checked the other cold taps in the sinks and the shower and they were the same, it was as if no cold water was getting through at all.

I know this isn't "normal" but I need to know really if there is a problem with the system, or if it's due to something I did (I had immersion on for 2 hours ), ie. did I have the immersion on to long and this cause an error.

I'm not really sure how I should be using this kind of system for it to be most cost effective - Am I best to leave the immersion off and only use it if we run out of hot water from the boiler (or the boiler goes kaput) and then run the hot water on a timer from the boiler rather than just boosting it etc??

Any idea why the hot was so hot and then came through the cold taps, and any advice on the best and most cost effective way to use this system will be greatly accepted - thanks guys :money:

MX5huggy

STOP USING IT NOW. this is very dangerous

More to follow.

MX5huggy

If there is still hot coming from the cold, turn of all the power to the immersion and then run the cold taps till they are running cold.

Your immersion or boiler is not stopping heating the water when it reaches temperature. It boils and then hot water is pushed into the cold water tank ( it is designed to) then water is taken from the cold water tank and heated if this goes on and on the water in the cold water tank gets hotter and hotter. This tank is not designed for hot water, it's likely to be plastic, it melts or splits and you end up with 100's of litres of boiling water pouring through the ceiling. Which if above a sleeping child does not bare thinking about.

We can try and help you understand your system but I would recommend you get a plumber to check its all working as it should ( it isn't) and explain the controls.

You should only use the immersion when the boiler is broken. This is cheaper that using electricity. The boiler will heat the water faster than the immersion.

jhsam

MX5huggy wrote: »

If there is still hot coming from the cold, turn of all the power to the immersion and then run the cold taps till they are running cold.

Your immersion or boiler is not stopping heating the water when it reaches temperature. It boils and then hot water is pushed into the cold water tank ( it is designed to) then water is taken from the cold water tank and heated if this goes on and on the water in the cold water tank gets hotter and hotter. This tank is not designed for hot water, it's likely to be plastic, it melts or splits and you end up with 100's of litres of boiling water pouring through the ceiling. Which if above a sleeping child does not bare thinking about.

We can try and help you understand your system but I would recommend you get a plumber to check its all working as it should ( it isn't) and explain the controls.

You should only use the immersion when the boiler is broken. This is cheaper that using electricity. The boiler will heat the water faster than the immersion.

Thank you for the information MX5huggy - We have not used it again (the immersion) since this incident as we found the water obviously too hot AND the cold....well not cold so we have just been using the +1 boost on the boiler (I put it on when in from work and it seem's to be enough for 2 quick showers and 1 bath (i make the kids share) and a bowl of washing up so we will just keep on doing this till we can get someone out for the Immersion heater then and I will turn it off in the main cupboard so it can't be used. I have booked british gas for a free home visit on 17th Aug so they can check out the boiler and see if we need a new one etc and give us a quote, but I suspect after reading on here about them, that their prices will be high (the pay it off monthly appealed to me!) so I don't expect we will use their service.

So it's a plumber that I need then and not a boiler engineer? << Kind of answered my own question, since the boiler seems to be working as it should, i.e heating is working baring 2 rads and the water heats when it's boosted, so yes I will need a Plumber won't I. This is going to cost isn't it!

Biggles

MX5huggy wrote: »

If there is still hot coming from the cold, turn of all the power to the immersion and then run the cold taps till they are running cold.

But how are the cold taps getting that hot? They would always be fed direct from the mains in this kind of setup, wouldn't they?

jhsam

sorry meant to say as well, no the hot stopped coming through that evening, I just unplugged the bath and left both taps running for 20 mins or so and it must have emptied the tank cause it was ok after that.

MX5huggy

Biggles wrote: »

But how are the cold taps getting that hot? They would always be fed direct from the mains in this kind of setup, wouldn't they?

I am presuming that it's a regular boiler setup, not a modern system boiler and unvented cylinder. With these systems cold water comes from the tank in the loft except probably the kitchen tap.

jhsam

MX5huggy wrote: »

I am presuming that it's a regular boiler setup, not a modern system boiler and unvented cylinder. With these systems cold water comes from the tank in the loft except probably the kitchen tap.

It was fitted when the house was built (as far as I am aware) which was 15 yrs or so ago so it isn't modern, and yes I think the kitchen tap is on a seperate feed as we used that to plumb in the American Fridge freezer.

Thanks

zaax

As said above get a plumper in to fix the immersion heater.
To heat a house its: gas; multi fuel boiler (unless you can get free fuel); electric (unless you have solar panels); oil / calor gas

onomatopoeia99

MX5huggy wrote: »

I am presuming that it's a regular boiler setup, not a modern system boiler and unvented cylinder. With these systems cold water comes from the tank in the loft except probably the kitchen tap.

I thought all taps were supposed to dispense potable water, so direct from the main rather than from a tank. Or is this a modern thing (or of course I could be entirely mistaken).

Biggles

MX5huggy wrote: »

I am presuming that it's a regular boiler setup, not a modern system boiler and unvented cylinder. With these systems cold water comes from the tank in the loft except probably the kitchen tap.

The regular setup is mains water direct to all cold taps - but especially the kitchen tap. Any tap fed from the loft tank would probably have to be permanently marked 'Not drinking water'?