Water heater

outlaw777

Hi I have just moved into new flat with electric heating and no gas does anyone know what the attached is? and I new

Hasbeen

Its to turn your immersion heater in your hot water cylinder on/off

post a photo of the tank and any other switches / connections.

Gerry1

Big mistake to go all electric, it'll be very expensive.

If you're on E7, make sure than any Boost switch is left permanently off.  Make sure you take a meter reading immediately and register with the existing supplier of the flat otherwise you'll be defaulted onto a cripplingly expensive 'deemed' tariff. Then think about switching, and take monthly readings, (preferably weekly to start with) so that you get an idea of how expensive it's going to be !

Biscuit_Tin

outlaw777 said:

Hi I have just moved into new flat with electric heating and no gas does anyone know what the attached is? and I new

It's an electrical switch.
You will need an electrician to confirm what, if anything, it is connected to.
Typically, it would be connected to .... yes you've guessed it,... a water heater (usually an immersion.)

We've got one of those switches in our house, and it's not connected to anything. (nor has it ever been since the house was originally built)

Edit: here's ours (turned on for photo only)

matelodave

If it's glowing then it's using electricity to heat your water - if it only glows overnight (between say midnight and 7am then it should be using off peak energy, If it glow like that all the time then you are using peak rate energy and should turn it off to save money and only turn it on when you need hot water.

However, check your hot water tank to see whether it is fitted with one or two elements (or post a piccy). The other very important thing, what sort of heating and what tariff are you on. All these thing will make a tremendous difference to your energy bills.

Give us more info and we'll be able to help but in general an all electric place is not going to be cheap to run so you need to take measure to mitigate the costs by learning how to use it all effectively and make sure that you are on the best tariff. Hopefully you have read your meters and opened an account using the new reading with the existing supplier to ensure that you dont end up paying for someone else's energy.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Important facts are it should be wired to the bottom 3kW immersion element/thermostat and should only come on [be lit] in your off peak - overnight - cheaper times. You should have two sets of wires going to two immersion heating elements and a proper water controller to be partL specification. A picture of yours put here of we will be guessing and you will get bad information.

Best of luck



 

tim_p

Richie, not all cylinders have the immersion arrangement you have shown. Some, mine included, only have a single immersion that is angled downwards from the top of the tank. This only has a single switch and turning it off will not provide any hot water. (Ours actually has a solar diverter, so a bit more wiring involved) 
There is an outside possibility it’s connected to something other than a water heater! Just that whoever wired it only had a switch with ‘ Water Heater’ marked on it.  

Biscuit_Tin

Richie-from-the-Boro said:

Important facts are it should be wired to the bottom 3kW immersion element/thermostat and should only come on [be lit] in your off peak - overnight - cheaper times. You should have two sets of wires going to two immersion heating elements and a proper water controller to be partL specification. A picture of yours put here of we will be guessing and you will get bad information.

Best of luck



 

Lots of assumptions there, but typically and especially as the OP's photo appears to show it in their kitchen, it may be for the upper immersion (assuming the OP's tank has 2 side entry immersions) - the red light warns the boost is on.
Usually no need for a warning light on a lower immersion, if on E7 (again an assumption) as that is usually left on permanently and may come live only during the low rate supply, depending on how it is wired up.
Only if live 24/7 would a timer be required for the lower immersion.

Just to confuse matters further, there are also double element immersions that have top entry (rather than 2 side entry immersions)

Or it might just be a single immersion.

Also looking at the OP's photo, it does not appear a new build flat (just new to them), so partL may not apply. It's not retrospective legislation.

Hasbeen

That's probably why some posters are asking Op to post some more pics of cylinder set up etc

But all electric flat? there must be a switch to turn hot water on somewhere?

Most are in kitchen for ease of use with a second isolating switch adjacent to any hot water cylinder. Which the OP has not confirmed he has?

outlaw777

Hi all the switch I sent is in the bathroom and these pictures are from the kitchen please advise what exactly is the switch for and does it need to be on? 

Gerry1

http://horstmann.securemeters.com/files/8014/7287/7933/Economy_7_Quartz_Installation_-_P27956_15_PRINT.pdf

Make sure the cheap rate is set correctly - dial 105 to find out your cheap rate times, or watch the meter change over.

Use the timed boost only if you run out of hot water in the daytime - it's very expensive.