Economy 7 - Hot water not working

Heely

tim_p said:

Heely said:

tim_p said:

If you’re confident with electrickery then you could swap the wiring to the upper element and see if it powers up the bottom element / stat combo. Obviously you need to take safety precautions and ensure everything is off before touching the wiring but that would be my next step in trying to isolate the problem. 

Not confident 😪😪

Fair shout!  It’s not for everyone and it’s always better safe than sorry!

Thanks for your help. After my explanation plus pics do you know what the problem might be? Don't want to call out an expensive Electrician for something minor.

matelodave

who changed the element - didn't they test it before taking your money and scuttling away?

TBH there isn't much to go wrong assuming that it was correctly wired before and all that's been done is to take out the old one, fit in the replacement and then just reconnect the wiring

[Deleted User]

Hi,

is the timer actually working, and at the right time?

Gerry1

The consumer unit suggests you have an off peak immersion circuit (B3) that's switched by the meter and a 24h circuit (A5) for the boost.  That's the normal arrangement: the lower heater can never operate on daytime rates, and the boost circuit only needs a simple delay timer (similar to a kitchen 'pinger') to make sure it can't be left permanently switched on by mistake.

Therefore it's rather odd that you have a Horstmann unit that also has a time of day switch: they are intended for use where there's only a 24h circuit available for water heating, so it has to 'shadow' the meter's switching times to get the cheap rate.

Possibly a red herring, but this apparent 'belt and braces' installation could be working against you if it's fed by an offpeak circuit and the timer has gone adrift.  It might be switching the lower heater on only when the off-peak supply is off !

• Is the water heater switch (the one that's not upside down) an input or output?

Heely

matelodave said:

who changed the element - didn't they test it before taking your money and scuttling away?

TBH there isn't much to go wrong assuming that it was correctly wired before and all that's been done is to take out the old one, fit in the replacement and then just reconnect the wiring

A neighbour installed the new element. Tbh, the same neighbour installed the previous one that worked fine for 6 years. He is surprised its not working. 

Heely

frugalmacdugal said:

Hi,

is the timer actually working, and at the right time?

Yes, it is. 

Heely

Gerry1 said:

The consumer unit suggests you have an off peak immersion circuit (B3) that's switched by the meter and a 24h circuit (A5) for the boost.  That's the normal arrangement: the lower heater can never operate on daytime rates, and the boost circuit only needs a simple delay timer (similar to a kitchen 'pinger') to make sure it can't be left permanently switched on by mistake.

Therefore it's rather odd that you have a Horstmann unit that also has a time of day switch: they are intended for use where there's only a 24h circuit available for water heating, so it has to 'shadow' the meter's switching times to get the cheap rate.

Possibly a red herring, but this apparent 'belt and braces' installation could be working against you if it's fed by an offpeak circuit and the timer has gone adrift.  It might be switching the lower heater on only when the off-peak supply is off !

• Is the water heater switch (the one that's not upside down) an input or output?

When it works, the lower heater comes on during off peak E7 hours. At the moment, the lower heater is not coming on at all.

How can I tell if the water heater switch is input or output? The switch is always swtiched ON. it lights up automatically when the upper element (boost) or lower element (off peak) is in use. 
However, it currently isn't working during Off peak. It lights up when we use the Booster though.

Gerry1

At what time was your neighbour present?  If it was only in the daytime then the connections to the new element can't have been tested.

Presumably the lower heater has its own switch not shown in the photograph, and this has been left on?

Presumably the trunking going down from from the small square switch goes to the upper heater?

avoidtheupsidedownbottles

Do other items on the Economy 7 rate still come on as normal over night?  Perhaps you have your storage heaters off now but maybe there are indicators in their switches that would confirm the over night supply is switching on as normal.

stewie_griffin

Try switching a storage heater on tonight and see if it charges up. If it doesn't the it's a problem with your meter or timeswitch (if it's external to the meter).