Immersion heaters tripping

[terryplumb]

Did you receive any paperwork when consumer unit was installed ,detailing the circuits ,cable sizes / test results etc ?

 

[sparkwright]

I think the problem may be within the consumer unit.

A neutral in the wrong neutral bar perhaps.

A picture of inside the consumer unit would help, however it contains live parts, even when switched off, so that's going to be difficult.

 

[TNDU]

Did you receive any paperwork when consumer unit was installed ,detailing the circuits ,cable sizes / test results etc ?

yes. that seems to say only the 40amp is the immersion heater, but the wall switch labelled water heater only lights up when the 16 amp fuse switch labelled storage heater is turned on.

 

[sparkwright]

40 amp seems a lot for an immersion, are there several storage heaters in the flat?

Could the 40 amp serve another consumer unit for storage heaters?

 

[TNDU]

I think your problem is within the consumer unit . Was it the same electrician that supposedly " tested" the circuits recently ,that installed the consumer unit earlier this year ?
And please confirm that he tested the circuits recently ,without removing the cover of the consumer unit .

no, different guy as the other guy lives too far away for this job, which he would consider too small. the new electrician said the consumer unit was not put in well but he didn't say the wiring in there was the cause of the short circuit. he claims it is the elements themselves that are short circuit.

 

[TNDU]

40 amp seems a lot for an immersion, are there several storage heaters in the flat?

Could the 40 amp serve another consumer unit for storage heaters?

i put it down to those two red switches were for the night supply, the storage heaters and the immersion heater and that the 40 amp was there so he used it.

 

[TNDU]

40 amp seems a lot for an immersion, are there several storage heaters in the flat?

Could the 40 amp serve another consumer unit for storage heaters?

so the dynorod plumber came back and found that one of the immersion heater that he had installed were damaged so he put in two new immersion heaters again. the hot water is working fine now but when the night immersion heater becomes live at night, the main RCD trips again.

the night time immersion heater had to be turned off at the wall switch so that it wouldn't come live and trip the consumer when the E7 supply comes on at night.

i got a funny feeling that the 40amp is for both immersion heaters as the paperwork from the electrician when he installed the new consumer unit only had the 40 amp MCB on the consumer unit detailed as hot water heater in the certificate of testing that he issued.

so that when the night immersion heater comes live, it somehow conflicts with the day time one. the 40amp is fine for both immersion heaters as they are 2.4kW rated each.

 

[sparxxxx]

i got a funny feeling that the 40amp is for both immersion heaters as the paperwork from the electrician when he installed the new consumer unit only had the 40 amp MCB on the consumer unit detailed as hot water heater in the certificate of testing that he issued.

so that when the night immersion heater comes live, it somehow conflicts with the day time one. the 40amp is fine for both immersion heaters as they are 2.4kW rated each.

Immersion heaters are normally wired in 2.5² T&E cable with 16 or 20A protection. So a 40A mcb is double the size required and means the cables could over heat with disastrous consequences. You must get a proper electrician to inspect your installation. A question you could ask to find out if they are "proper" is - "is a 40A MCB the correct size for an immersion heater" he should immediately say "No", any other answer or umming and arring means another numpty, and you have to ring someone else.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Fuses and MCBs protect the cables - nothing to do with the immersion - the flex will not be overloaded.

If the cable is large enough for a 40A MCB (obviously might not be), the immersion won't know or care.

 

[sparxxxx]

Fuses and MCBs protect the cables - nothing to do with the immersion - the flex will not be overloaded.

If the cable is large enough for a 40A MCB (obviously might not be), the immersion won't know or care.

So you're telling them I'm wrong, and that 2.5 T&E is adequately protected by a 40Amp MCB - I never knew that.

Is my spelling OK?

 

[EFLImpudence]

So you're telling them I'm wrong, and that 2.5 T&E is adequately protected by a 40Amp MCB -

I didn't say that, did I?

You don't know it is 2.5mm², although even if it is, it likely is adequately protected for one immersion.

I never knew that.

Do you not think you should have known it?

Is my spelling OK?

Yes, I think so. I am a bit worried about your reading though.

 

[sparxxxx]

I didn't say that, did I?

You don't know it is 2.5mm², although even if it is, it likely is adequately protected for one immersion.


Do you not think you should have known it?


Yes, I think so. I am a bit worried about your reading though.

You love starting arguments, any normal person understand exactly what I said and the reasons for it, bring on the "we".

Happy nitpicking and a happy new year

 

[EFLImpudence]

That's because a lot of your posts, while not actually wrong, do not tell the whole story.

 

[sparxxxx]

That's because a lot of your posts, while not actually wrong, do not tell the whole story.

That's because sometimes the whole story is irrelevant, so I get straight to the point - contractors hate that - are you an ex-contractor? In this case I was trying to help someone find a "proper" electrician, so instead of sniping at me why don't you try and help the poster.

How would you advise them to find a "proper" electrician?

And congratulations on confusing the situation with your spurious comments, and strangely, why is it that you hardly ever comment on new threads, insecurity perhaps?

 

[TNDU]

Immersion heaters are normally wired in 2.5² T&E cable with 16 or 20A protection. So a 40A mcb is double the size required and means the cables could over heat with disastrous consequences. You must get a proper electrician to inspect your installation. A question you could ask to find out if they are "proper" is - "is a 40A MCB the correct size for an immersion heater" he should immediately say "No", any other answer or umming and arring means another numpty, and you have to ring someone else.

here is the circuit details for the consumer unit that i was given. i think the night immersion heater is connected to the 40A MCB and the day time one is connected to an incorrectly labelled Storage Heating 1.

 

[crystal ball]

Circuit 1 immersion wired in 6mm on a 40 amp MCB is ok, but certainly unusual, maybe it was re purposed from something else