Huge long shot but can anyone identify this water tank or give a rough age?

Watertankquery

G_M wrote: »

So during the weeks tere was no hot water, you were not provided with a roof over your head?
Your rent covers more than just hot water, and if you had a place to live, then you owe rent!

There are processes for enforcing repairs. Have you followed them?

What steps did you take? What action did she take? What did the Environmental Health Officer say? Has the property been served with an 'Improvement Notice'?

Certainly the LL as a duty to repair the hot water/heating system, and in the meantime should provide alternatives eg electric heaters - have you requested these?

But witholding rent puts you in rent arrears...........

I did not withhold rent and have only started court proceedings firstly after I vacated the property and after we were unable to come an agreement.

During the time that there were was no hot water or heating I stayed with my boyfriend at his parent's house and would return to the flat to let tradesman in which was far from ideal. So it's reasonable that I attempt to reclaim the rent for the time in which I couldn't live at the property don't you think?

Shakin_Steve

A boiler heats up the water and then a pump sends this hot water either through the radiators, through a coil which is inside the cylinder you have shown (I think, the link doesn't work for me), and this indirectly heats the water within the cylinder, or both, for hot water and heating. This is done from the control unit in the kitchen via a three way valve, usually in the cylinder cupboard along with the pump.
Sometimes a short immersion heating element is placed in the top of the cylinder. This is for emergency use only (in case the boiler fails) and only heats the water at the top of the cylinder so you can wash the dishes, fill a wash basin etc.
The full length immersion element is used when your hot water is solely provided by using electricity, as the longer element would actually hit the coils in the tank.
If your boiler failed, your LL may have been trying to give you hot water by installing (or reinstating, if it was disconnected) the short element in the tank. But this would never have been enough to run a bath etc., as only the top of the cylinder would have been heated.
I hope that's what you were looking for.

AnotherJoe

Watertankquery wrote: »

I did not withhold rent and have only started court proceedings firstly after I vacated the property and after we were unable to come an agreement.

During the time that there were was no hot water or heating I stayed with my boyfriend at his parent's house and would return to the flat to let tradesman in which was far from ideal. So it's reasonable that I attempt to reclaim the rent for the time in which I couldn't live at the property don't you think?

What time of year were you there ?
You could have had heating through electric heaters, hot water from a kettle.
So all you'd have missed is showers / bath.

Seem to me all the arguing about how old it was etc is an irrelevance. Does it matter why ?surely all that matters is the time without water and heating and what the recompense for that will be. I think full rent is too much.

Watertankquery

AnotherJoe wrote: »

What time of year were you there ?
You could have had heating through electric heaters, hot water from a kettle.
So all you'd have missed is showers / bath.

Seem to me all the arguing about how old it was etc is an irrelevance. Does it matter why ?surely all that matters is the time without water and heating and what the recompense for that will be. I think full rent is too much.

I get the impression you're a landlord. Perhaps I've grown to expect more from landlords because my parents, grandparents and myself in a few years would as a matter of course refund all the rent paid when there was no hot water heating plus offer some sort of compensation. But then they've always looked at it as providing a service to their tenants and treated them with respect and kindness which I plan to emulate.

In regards to your question this took place from early January to late February in a very cold part of the country.

I was not provided with electric heaters and I was not prepared to not have a bath or shower for weeks on end but then that says more about your levels of hygiene as I'd like at least one shower a day.

A full rent is fair when you consider that I couldn't live in the property I still was paying utility standing charges and broadband and I had to at my expense return to the property to let trades people in.

You're right arguing how old the water cyclindar might not help but after providing my evidence I'd like to systematically prove she's incorrect in her correspondence.

Watertankquery

Shakin_Steve wrote: »

A boiler heats up the water and then a pump sends this hot water either through the radiators, through a coil which is inside the cylinder you have shown (I think, the link doesn't work for me), and this indirectly heats the water within the cylinder, or both, for hot water and heating. This is done from the control unit in the kitchen via a three way valve, usually in the cylinder cupboard along with the pump.
Sometimes a short immersion heating element is placed in the top of the cylinder. This is for emergency use only (in case the boiler fails) and only heats the water at the top of the cylinder so you can wash the dishes, fill a wash basin etc.
The full length immersion element is used when your hot water is solely provided by using electricity, as the longer element would actually hit the coils in the tank.
If your boiler failed, your LL may have been trying to give you hot water by installing (or reinstating, if it was disconnected) the short element in the tank. But this would never have been enough to run a bath etc., as only the top of the cylinder would have been heated.
I hope that's what you were looking for.

Thank you that's very helpful! I believe I can piece together what happened now

G_M

Let us know how you get on in court.

AnotherJoe

Watertankquery wrote: »

I get the impression you're a landlord. Because i don't immediately agree with you? No I am not.

Perhaps I've grown to expect more from landlords because my parents, grandparents and myself in a few years would as a matter of course refund all the rent paid when there was no hot water heating plus offer some sort of compensation. But then they've always looked at it as providing a service to their tenants and treated them with respect and kindness which I plan to emulate. Then make your case for that in court and forget all the waffling about the "tank"

In regards to your question this took place from early January to late February in a very cold part of the country. Ok. Info not provided in your post to date and that's far more relevant than the technical stuff about the tank.

I was not provided with electric heaters Ok. Info not provided in your post to date amd that's far more relevant than the technical stuff about the tank. and I was not prepared to not have a bath or shower for weeks on end but then that says more about your levels of hygiene as I'd like at least one shower a day. You had already mentioned you had access to another place to shower.

A full rent is fair when you consider that I couldn't live in the property I still was paying utility standing charges and broadband and I had to at my expense return to the property to let trades people in. Then make that your case instead of muddying the water ( ) with ridiculous arguments about how old the cylinder was.

You're right arguing how old the water cyclindar might not help but after providing my evidence I'd like to systematically prove she's incorrect in her correspondence.

If it doesn't help, ignore it. Focus on lack of heating and hot water and no attempt to provide alternate sources of heat making the flat unlivable in. Indeed that's probably a much stronger case in Jan/ Feb than lack of hot water, when you did have accesss to it elsewhere. By focussing on the age of the water cylinder you are causing a distraction. Does the LL dispute the dates you were without heating ?

booksurr

G_M wrote: »

I simply guessed that because earlier than the 70s cylinders did not come with fitted insulation (eg they were just metal cylinders like mine!).

perhaps you have no experience of 1960's executive/managerial grade housing? I can categorically state that the cylinder installed in my parent's 1964 new build house had spray foam insulation on it and was finally replaced with a combi boiler system in August 2012. At which point the British Gas workmen were rather annoyed when I tried to weight it in for scrap myself as it represented the single largest item of copper and therefore the biggest element of their bit on the side when they weigh in such items themselves.

getmore4less

Watertankquery wrote: »

Yes: although beyond that level of technical knowledge I am clueless.

if you were planning to sue you should have got an independent engineer in to inspect and report on the system.

if this flat had E7 electric there are a number of options for water heating.

IF electric only you could have a cylinder with 2 side entry elements bottom and top.

A common error is using the E7 element when there is no E7 electric rather than having that element on all the time the E7 is on.

If there was also gas boiler there could also be a water heating coil attached to the central heating system with emersion backup.


Age of the components is not really an issue it is why the system was not working.

it could be failures of individual component or may be the installation was always wrong.

typically with stored hot water cylinders the hot take off is at the top it is not clear from your photo if that cylinder has one.

Are you sure that was still in use?


got any decent photos of the full system?

jbainbridge

I think you need to concentrate on what your case is ... a defence of - it was installed 10 - 15 years ago isn't going to go far is it! As others have said - there were a number of things you could have done at the time. Claiming for compensation well after the event will be more difficult.