Immersion Heater

Edinburghlass_2

Just discovered my immersion heater has gone caput :eek:

Will this require an electrician at the electrical end of it or a plumber to look at the actual tank as for the past few weeks I have found I can hear the water bubbling in the tank in the attic above me? Or both?

Pink.

My immersion heater sprung a pretty spectacular leak a few months ago. A plumber did the job and sorted it the same day. It cost £302.00 for him to take out the old one and replace it with a new state of the art one.

Unfortunately I hadn't the sense to take the old one to a scrap yard, so I asked him to take it away :rolleyes:

Pink

edited to add: Sorry, I didn't read your question properly.....if it was me I would call a plumber.

withabix

Pinkwinged, I think you're referring to your hot water tank!!

Edinburghlass - You need a plumber, rather than an electrician. The point where the cable for the immersion heater is connected behind a wall pate to the spur to your fusebox is still allowed to be re-connected by anyone - ie you don't need an electrician. Your plumber will do it. Just remember to turn off the mains power to your whole property at your isolator switch, not just by removing the fuse/tripping the circuit breaker.

The gurgling in your header tank has possibly been caused by your immersion heater thermostat failing and causing your water to boil - was your water extremely hot???

Pink.

iainkirk wrote:

Pinkwinged, I think you're referring to your hot water tank!!

Where I live we call our hot water tanks immersion heaters, what's the difference?

Pink

Cagey

Your post is a bit confusing Edinburgh. If your tank is bubbling up your water must be coming out the tap boiling. If this is the case & you have a standard Immersion then it sounds like a thermostat problem. The stat should be easily removed from the heater & a replacement could probably be purchased at B & Q.

withabix

Pink-winged wrote:

Where I live we call our hot water tanks immersion heaters, what's the difference?

Pink

Your IMMERSION HEATER is a long element, similar to that in your kettle, which is used to heat the water in your HOT WATER TANK.

your HOT WATER TANK stores your hot water (or cold water if you've used it all up or your boiler/immersion heater are broken!)

Your HOT WATER TANK may also be heated by your gas/oil/solid fuel boiler via a heat exchanger or coiled pipe in your tank.

Pink.

Thanks Iain...........I stand corrected!


Pink

YorkshireBoy

iainkirk wrote:

The point where the cable for the immersion heater is connected behind a wall pate to your ringmain...

As an electrical engineer, and in the interest of safety, I'd just like to point out to any "would-be electricians" that the immersion heater IS NOT/SHOULD NOT BE connected to the ring-main.

It's normally on it's own 15A fuse/16A MCB.

I wouldn't want anyone isolating the ring-main to work on their immersion heater and then electrocuting themselves!

As a general rule, if you're going to replace an electrical accessory, it's always best to switch off at the consumer unit's main switch. And don't forget to tell the wife and kids (and anybody else living with you) that you've switched it off deliberately!

And by the way, if you want a tradesman to do the job, you're better off getting an electrician to change the immersion heater (or even the thermostat if that's all it is). It'll be quicker, and most probably cheaper.

robowen

Edinburghlass wrote:

Just discovered my immersion heater has gone caput :eek:

Will this require an electrician at the electrical end of it or a plumber to look at the actual tank as for the past few weeks I have found I can hear the water bubbling in the tank in the attic above me? Or both?

If you have hot water, then your immersion heater is working fine. :j

If you have hot water in the tank in the loft as well as the cylinder, then the thermostat inside the immersion heater is bust.
This is very easily replaced...even for a scottish person !!

Turn the electric off to the immersion heater.
Remove cap from immersion. Check connections with electrical tester to make sure power is off.
You'll see a block with a dial on it ...looks like this http://www.plumbworld.co.uk/-14816
Take out the two wires.. remembering where they came from.

Slide the thermostat out of the immersion. Take it to plumbing shop for similar.
slide the new one in and connect up.
set the dial to around 60oc..........job done.

who needs a plumber eh !

rob

Pink.

robowen wrote:

This is very easily replaced...even for a scottish person !!

rob

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: I love it!!!

djohn2002uk

Please, please don't give advice on here unless you know it to be sound.

When I read post#3 I thought "Oh my God", then I got to post #8 and thought "Thank God for that".
I've read other posts in other threads that could be thought of as not the best advice but would cause no more that a messed up PC or similar, but when electricity is involved it really should be left to people who know what they are talking about.
Post #3 could so easily have led to a fatality with the potent mixture of electricity and lots of earthed pipework in close proximity.

A good thing to remember is that Electricity has no friends.
The first thing I was told when I started my apprenticeship on the electricity board.