Immersion heater to run central heating

Gerry1

matelodave said:

Unless there's another heating unit lurking under that timer panel, then a 3kwh water heater isn't going to be enough to heat the place.

Probably 6kW because there are two heaters.

tim_p

matelodave said:

Unless there's another heating unit lurking under that timer panel, then a 3kwh water heater isn't going to be enough to heat the place.

Easily fixed, just need 3 x 100w incandescent bulbs and the place will be toasty for next to nothing!

matelodave

it depends how its configured - they are designated off peak and boost as you'd expect for an E7 or E10 hot water cylinder. 

You'd normally have to keep pressing the boost button to the activate the boost heater unless they've been wired in parallel but that is possible considering that it looks like a bit of a bodge anyway..

As Elwood says, it was probably designed as a crude storage system to work on an off-peak supply but as 150 litres of water can't store much useful heat it's not going to be very effective - it would take about 12 kwh to heat the tank from 10 -80 degrees, which could be done in about 4 hours with 3kw or just 2 with 6kw.  However to use it for heating or hot water it's only going to be useful between 50-80c. which is only about 5-6kwh so it's not going to store anywhere near enough.

A single 3kw storage heater on E7 will store 21kwh with a seven hour charge, this can't store more than around 6-8 kwh of useful heat however long you leave it switched on.
Bearing in mind that it's also the hot water supply it would have to be on virtually continuously even if connected to a dual rate off-peak supply.


It might just about be OK in a one room flat with an E10 or other complex supply like THTC where you get afternoon and evening off-peak boosts but absolutely useless for E7 or even worse the way this has been set up with on a single rate.

Here are the installation instructions - you can see that its designed to supply domestic hot water, not central heating. This installation really is a bodge if they are also trying to heat radiators from it. Although I'd like to see how they've done it if they have as there's no provision for connecting to a radiator or heating circuit.
 https://mediacdn.heatraesadia.com/-/media/themes/heatrae/literature/santon-and-elson/elson_coral_e_installation_servicing_and_user_manual.pdf?la=en&v=1&d=20190521T153309Z&hash=0E149D7480D644A1D2A5D1C0D8108EED

I think it needs a bit more exploration to see what is going on.regarding the heating pipework

Rodders53

The Landlord or Landlord's Managing Agent needs to explain the heating system and how it's meant to work to the tenant.  There really ought to be written instructions and copies of user manuals in a 'pack' I'd have thought?

Or tenant should ask immediate neighbours (probably similar systems in all the block?  They are probably better placed to advise.

Danni636

Rodders53 said:

The Landlord or Landlord's Managing Agent needs to explain the heating system and how it's meant to work to the tenant.  There really ought to be written instructions and copies of user manuals in a 'pack' I'd have thought?

Or tenant should ask immediate neighbours (probably similar systems in all the block?  They are probably better placed to advise.

I did ask the neighbours that I know but they have different systems as they own their flats. No helpful info from letting company, they're the ones that turned my immersion on for 24 hours a day and killed my bills