Immersion heater advice needed please

jackieblack

Came home a couple of nights ago to a tripped RCD. Tracked down the culprit - immersion heater. (Not good timing as my boiler had been out of order for two weeks and I had been relying on the immersion for hot water).

Boiler was repaired this morning (hooray!) and the engineer said he would ask his office to ring me with a price to replace the immersion. I mentioned that this was the second immersion to fail in just over two years - I live in an area with very hard water so this is understandable to some extent, but frustrating.

So I received a phone call late this afternoon. I have choices...
Because of the hard water they are recommending either an incaloy(sp?) element or a titanium one. There is a £44 difference in cost, which I don’t mind paying if the lifespan of a titanium one is likely to be longer by a reasonable length of time. They said it ‘should’ last longer, but were unable(/unwilling) to offer an opinion on how much longer, even a rough estimate. (I do understand this can be a ‘how long is a piece of string’ type thing, but was just hoping for a general idea.)

I have no clue about these things. I asked a friend (more knowledgeable than I on things like this) but he hasn’t heard of titanium elements so was unable to advise me - I’m hoping someone here will know more/ have experience of these and be able to give me their opinion/advice please.

They are going to ring me on Monday for a decision.
Thanks

southcoastrgi

Look at Screwfix there is a £6 or £7 difference not £44, the size depends if it's top or side entry, titanium will last longer

knightstyle

I don't understand why the immersion heater is being used when you have a boiler?
OK, use it when the boiler is faulty but otherwise switch it off.

jackieblack

knightstyle wrote: »

I don't understand why the immersion heater is being used when you have a boiler?
OK, use it when the boiler is faulty but otherwise switch it off.

I do switch it off when I’m not using it.
I use it mainly during the spring when my pv panels are generating at peak efficiency (and heating isn’t needed) and as a back up for when my boiler isn’t working

jackieblack

southcoastrgi wrote: »

Look at Screwfix there is a £6 or £7 difference not £44, the size depends if it's top or side entry, titanium will last longer

The £44 difference is in the cost for part + installation.

I just need to know if the titanium is actually ‘better’ ie likely to last longer

Apodemus

I can’t see why installation cost should differ between the two, so the added price is simply mark-up on the part.

jackieblack

Apodemus wrote: »

I can’t see why installation cost should differ between the two, so the added price is simply mark-up on the part.

I realise that, but I have no control over that - it is what it is.

But is titanium worth paying £44 extra for?
That’s what I would like to know 🙂

Apodemus

jackieblack wrote: »

I realise that, but I have no control over that - it is what it is.

But is titanium worth paying £44 extra for?
That’s what I would like to know 🙂

Sorry, can’t help with that, very soft water around here, so immersions and kettles last a lifetime! Copper pipes don’t do so well, though!

coffeehound

Heatrae-sadia guarantee their titanium elements for 5 years while their incoloy ones are guaranteed for only 2 years. Based only on that it looks likely that titanium would be worth getting in your situation even with the mark-up.

However, the TESLA brand that Screwfix sell get some very bad reviews so probably best avoided.

Perhaps worth checking with your plumber which brand he expects to buy and check the guarantee and online reviews before letting him purchase.

jackieblack

coffeehound wrote: »

Heatrae-sadia guarantee their titanium elements for 5 years while their incoloy ones are guaranteed for only 2 years. Based only on that it looks likely that titanium would be worth getting in your situation even with the mark-up.

However, the TESLA brand that Screwfix sell get some very bad reviews so probably best avoided.

Perhaps worth checking with your plumber which brand he expects to buy and check the guarantee and online reviews before letting him purchase.

Thanks!
That’s really useful information and does imply that there should be a reasonable expectation of improved longevity with the titanium one.
I have asked about the warranties on both and the chap who rang didn’t know but said he would find out and let me know when he rings on Monday.
I will ask about the brand also

knightstyle

Ok, I would pay the extra but I am sure you could get a better deal.
I used to replace immersion heaters in a block of all electric flats on a regular basis and would recommend titanium ones which never needed replacing, there was also a cheaper one called incaloy which also lasted a lot longer than the standard ones.