Immersion heater tripping electrics

[Mary1]

have you got two consumer units?

If its the boxes in hallway that have mains electric switches in red and fuses then yea there are two od them?

 

[JohnD]

Yes, you can test things and see if you notice a pattern. Tripping the RCD a few dozen times will not wear it out.

 

[Mary1]

looks like the bottom one has been leaking. Possibly the top one too. That might be connected with the tripping. Modern sealing of screwed plumbing, using PTFE, can be much better than old seals, so it may be that fitting new ones will cure it. To change an old immersion element you need an experienced plumber, as they may be stuck and can be difficult to remove without damage. I'd get them both changed at the same time. The cylinder will need to be drained, which the plumber can do. Clean away all marks of leakage afterwards with a green pan scourer, so that any new leak is easy to spot, and people will not see the old marks and think the leak is still there.

Worst case, you might need a new cylinder, for example if the sockets where the elements screw in are corroded or there is some other leak. If you do that, I like to get the biggest one that will fit in your airing cupboard, the cost is not much more than a small one.

BTW it is not correct, and is uneconomical, to connect the bottom element to the Peak supply. It should be the cheap-rate economy supply, controlled by the timer. Follow the route of the cables to check. You can add a red jacket or two to that old cylinder, which will cut heat losses and save you money.

Thanks John. So does thay mean that I've been hearing water overnight on timer but it's been using peak electric rates, sorry I'm confused?
Also have followed cables they go into timer but I'm not sure how I know I'd they are ok here is pic

 

[JohnD]

If you have been heating the electricity at night, it has probably been charged at the offpeak price.

show us some photos of your meter. There may be a timer in it or beside it.

Your electricity bill will also give an indication. Your storage heaters should be turned off for the summer, so the cylnder should be costing you around 5 kWh per night on the off-peak column, depending how big it is.

 

[JohnD]

Also have followed cables they go into timer but I'm not sure how I know I'd they are ok here is pic

please take pics showing the cable from the bottom element all the way up to its switch or timer, and the same for the top element.

They might possibly both go into the timer, in which case we can't tell just by looking.

 

[Mary1]

If you have been heating the electricity at night, it has probably been charged at the offpeak price.

show us some photos of your meter. There may be a timer in it or beside it.

Your electricity bill will also give an indication. Your storage heaters should be turned off for the summer, so the cylnder should be costing you around 5 kWh per night on the off-peak column, depending how big it is.

Thanks John will get photos. I only moved in on 10rh June so no bill yet. I'm with Scottish power and did switch into my name but they couldn't confirm for definite what hours odd peak was which I thought was odd anyway I left immersion timer as it was, set for one hour on between two and three in morning and always has hot water. You are right storage heaters are odd for now.

 

[Mary1]

So I've just switched the immersion timer back on and press the boost switch and it's not tripped and it's definitely heating up the water I can hear it does this mean anything help thank you

 

[JohnD]

the "boost" switch is normally wired to turn on the top element, whereas the "timed" supply usually goes to the bottom. Yours might be the other way round, but it is probably not the same element that caused the night-time trip.

Feel the plastic cap of the elements to see which is getting warm.

 

[Mary1]

the "boost" switch is normally wired to turn on the top element, whereas the "timed" supply usually goes to the bottom. Yours might be the other way round, but it is probably not the same element that caused the night-time trip.

Feel the plastic cap of the elements to see which is getting warm.

The top one labelled off peak is warm

 

[Mary1]

Pictures of meter

 

[Mary1]

The top one labelled off peak is warm

Guessing that means they are must be labelled incorrectly?

 

[JohnD]

sounds like it.

But connected correctly!

You will find out if you feel them around midnight.

 

[Mary1]

sounds like it.

But connected correctly!

You will find out if you feel them around midnight.

Thanks John you've been so helpful. I now feel I've got a little bit of knowledge to use in my discussions with the plumber now - that is when I get brave enough to call one.. I might just manage with the boost for the time being!

 

[crystal ball]

If you put your boost on you can sometimes hear the element fizzing like a kettle

 

[winston1]

Hi John, yes it is the switch above green label. The shower is always switched off with pull cord after use ?

Although not affecting your current problem you should not do this. The pull cord is for isolation for maintenance and does not need to be turned off between showers.