Immersion Heater HELP!!!!!

mwjohns

Please help me, im going mad!

I moved into my flat 2/3 weeks ago. I have an immersion heater in the airing cupboard and there is quite an old looking but working (i think, as there is a little blue flame inside as you would expect) gas boiler in the kitchen.

Since we moved in I have had the immersion heater switched on non stop as I thought that heating it up a little every now and then it better than heating from cold everyday when we want to do the washing up etc.
Our shower is electric and heats up seperately so we only use it for washing up or baths prob once/twice a week.

Is this ok? the immersion heater only has a radiator style knob with heat numbers on, about 0-9 so i have it set at about 3 and the water still gets really hot, and it only has one switch with no markings, so guessing its on or off, no seperate switch for on peak/off peak or anything...

I am confused as I dont understand why there is a gas boiler if the hot water is all from the immersion heater.. is the gas boiler just for central heating? or am I being a berk and using the immersion heater for no reason?

Really confused and worried I am gonna get a huge electricity bill soon...

Thanks for help in advance.

Matt

Cardew

As you say you might be getting a bit confused; and so am I!

Firstly I am assuming that as your gas boiler is old, it is not a combi. - a combi heats the water as you use it.

This boiler will therefore heat the water in the Hot Water tank in the airing cupboard.

Secondly it is this HW tank which will have an immersion heater in the top. I get the feeling you are using the term 'Immersion heater' for the HW tank???

The "radiator style knob" I assume is on the HW tank? If so it is nothing to do with the immersion heater but is a thermostat to control the temperature of the water provided by the gas boiler in the HW tank.

By switching the Immersion Heater you are heating the water using this and the "radiator style knob with heat numbers on" will have no effect as it is overidden by the immersion heater.

You shoulld switch off the immersion heater and just use the gas boiler to heat the water.

It is quite common to have both an Immersion heater and a gas boiler, but you should always use gas.

mwjohns

First of all thanks for reply. Finally feel like im getting somewhere.

You are correct, its not a combi boiler, just an old style one.

I now understand what you mean about the immersion heater and the hot water tank being different things, and it now makes sense that there is a timer next to the boiler which I thought was just for the central heating but this obviously works for the hot water tank aswell? I will have to set this up tonight and put the boiler on timed as I currently have it on neither timed or constant as I thought it was for the heating. I guess as long as I have the radiators all turned down the heating wont matter?

Will i have built up a massive bill already by having the immersion heater on non stop? i notice it does have some sort of thermostat so it hasnt been on 'boil' or anything. just topping it up when cooled enough...

Thanks again

Cardew

No, in 2 or 3 weeks you will not have built up a huge bill; although heating water with an immersion heater is the most expensive method available. The Immersion Heater has a thermostat so when it reaches the pre-determined temperature(not set by the radiator style knob with heat numbers on) it switches off; otherwise it would boil!

Most CH systems have a timer with the ability to have HW alone, i.e. you can shut off the CH completely.

Assuming your HW tank is well lagged it will hold the temperature of the water for a long time with very little cooling.

Ideally you want the timing of the HW to come on and be off before you use it in the morning e.g. if you get up at 7am have the HW to be on from 5:30am to 6:30am

MX5huggy

You should have meter readings from when you moved in so you can work out your usage.

When I have lived in properties with electric showers I have not used the HW system at all execpt turning it on for a couple of hours before having the odd bath if I needed a proper wash! Just used kettles of boiling water for washing up. Heating 140 liters of water for a couple of bowlfulls of washing up water seems a bit over the top.

mwjohns

Thats true, the boiling kettle idea does sound a good one. i assume washing machines heat the water they use themselves? (that probably sounds really dumb..)

I may just do as you say and have it all switched off... can boil the kettle in the morning for washing face etc too... dont know why i didnt just think of that in the first place...

also very handy to know about the gas boiler and timer etc for winter as im guessing the central heating actually uses the water thats been heated up by the gas boiler too? would be a good idea to figure this out before the winter comes i suppose!

MX5huggy

Almost all newish washing machines only have cold water inlets, as in most situations it is more efficent for the machine to heat the water its self, and all washing machines can heat the water themselves.

".. dont know why i didnt just think of that in the first place..."

Maybe you need to go on more hoildays to places with no running water or electric, makes you look at everything differently but then again most people would dispute that it is a holiday, carting water round in buckets and chopping wood!

Cardew

MX5huggy wrote: »

Maybe you need to go on more hoildays to places with no running water or electric, makes you look at everything differently

Or even go on holiday to places that don't have the internet or even a PC;)

mwjohns

Oooh final question.

Having got home from work I have got it all set up. Only thing now is the boiler has a switch that says Thermostat with 3 selections available - High, 0, or Low.

What do these settings mean?

The model is apollo fanfare S by myson

Cheers!

Matt

mwjohns

and also, i currently have the thermostat switch mentioned on 0, but the boiler keeps humming (turning on) every few minutes yet it isnt set to come on until 12am-1am and then 6am-7am on the seperate timer...

Any ideas