my water heater

[glowworm]

I live in a rented house and am trying to think of ways to cut down on the extortionate electricity bill I had last winter!!

I have no central heating and water is heated in a big cylinder/tank in an airing cupboard in the bedroom. I think this is called an immersion heater.

I has no timer on it that I can see...just two wall switches. One has a label stuck on it saying 'booster only remember to turn off' and the other has a label saying 'heater switch - keep on'

I have to say I don't really understand them. I 've asked my landlord but he has never lived in the house as it was bought as a buy to let so he's as clueless as me.

Is the booster switch for when I want the water to be heated quicker and isi it always used in conjunction with the other switch?

How is this connected to my economy 7 - if at all?

I've just done an experiment with leaving the booster switch OFF and just keeping the other one for 20 mins but doesn't seem to heat any water up at all so I am wondering...could this be that that is supposed to be the switch I leave on all nignt to make the most of cheap electricity rates????

At the moment I switch both switches on for an hour if I need a bath. This just about gives me enough hot water for one nicely filled bath.

But I ideally I would like to somehow make the most of the cheaper electricity at night and have the water heated between the hours of 12 midnight and 7 am but without a timer I don't see how I can do this..

How easy is it to fit a timer and how much would it cost?

Will be thankful for any light anyone can shed on this matter for me!!

 

[MarkBarl]

I had an identical setup when I lived in a rented house. The hot water tank has 2 immersion heaters, one at the bottom and one mid way up. the idea is that overnight on the cheap electric it heats the water up via the bottom heater ready for the morning. The second immersion heater is for when you have used all the hot water and you need some more, it is place half way up the tank to heat the top water quicker. The economy 7 supply is usually done with 2 consumer units and 2 supplies coming from the meter. The second CU only comes on when it switches over to cheap rate at night to heat the storage heaters and water tank. The first thing to do would be to look at the second "Heating" CU and check for a Hot Water fuse/MCB this may well indicate that it is on the night time tarriff. Having checked this. you could further check by switching both heaters off and letting the water in the tank go cold. Switch just the bottom one on during the day for several hours and see if the water heats up. If is does then the immersion heater is not running on the night electric only.

 

[hi-spec plumbing heating]

>How is this connected to my economy 7 - if at all?


the switch on all the time should be connected to the bottom element in the tank which comes on at night cheap rate and heats the water and go's back off in the morning.

the boost is the top element which is on the dearer rate electric. this is to be switched on in the day time if you have used all the hot water heated during the night.

if you live on your own you shouldn't need the boost as there will be enough hot water for washing up and a bath.
but if theirs a few living there it don't take long to use all the hot water so then switch on the boost to heat more water.

they are dear to run as they are 3kw which is 3000 watts that would be alot of light bulbs.

 

[glowworm]

that's so helpful Mark - thankyou so much. I'll give it a go - must thought when I looked at it properly it DOES look like one huge tank but obviously it's two tanks under one 'shell'.

 

[glowworm]

just seen your post Hi Spec - many thanks to you too..

 

[Onetap]

If you are on Economy 7, there should be 2 sets of dials on the meter, like the one here;

http://www.electricity-guide.org.uk/meters.html

There should be two sets of figures on the bill. It will be extortionate if it's all on the peak rate.

Is the electric account in your name or the landlord's?
If he charges you for the electricity, there is a legal limit to the mark-up he can put on it.

Economy 7 was cheaper when most of the electricity was generated by coal-fired power stations, which couldn't be turned down much at night. I believe modern oil and gas generators can be turned off or down, so Economy 7 is not as cheap as it was in the '70s.

 

[glowworm]

thankyou - the electricity is in my own name and the landlord has no involvement at all; I just have my meter read by the electricity company and then they bill me direct.

Well, last night I did the experiment....

I turned just the bottom switch on on it's own for about four hours and the water was stone cold.

I took this to mean that this switch is attaced to economy 7/cheaper night rate.

I left the switch on before I went to bed.

I woke me up with the hissing (lol!!) but that DID stop at 7am.

I turned on the water and had a lovely piping hot shower

I went out and came back at 13.30pm and there was still loads of piping hot water left so I had a bath.

There is still piping hot water left in there but not sure how much.

All so far so good but my question now is this -

How do I know what time this switches itself on? Does it switch itself on at 12 midnight and keep going all night? or will it be set to come on at a certain time eg 5am - 7am??

I have looked for a timer but can't see one.

Unless I keep checking it through the early hours of the morning I don't see how I'm going to know how long it's on for as if it's all night it defeats the purpose.

How does that side of it usually work?

The other question is - now I know why the cylinder is so huge; because it has two tanks - is there any point buying a giant insulating jacket for it or is the material of the 'shell' that it's in like a thermal type insulator?


The water has been piping hot all day although at 7am this morning I did switch the switches off, even though I know that's not necessary, just so I know that no further energy is being used to retain heat in the water.

This has surprised me because normally during the day if I need a bath I will put BOTH switches on for one hour but if I use some water and keep some hot water in the tank I find that not long after I turn on the tap and the hot water is no longer there...

 

[hi-spec plumbing heating]

it start at midnight to 7am.

>How does that side of it usually work?

if your tank is cold the immersion stat will call for heat on night rate when stat detects the tank is up to temp it will shut off leaving you with a full tank of hot water for the day.

>because it has two tanks

there is not two tanks inside only one large tank.



'>shell' that it's in like a thermal type insulator?

no need for another jacket.

>I did switch the switches off, even though I know that's not necessary

the immersion stat will control it, no need to turn it off.

>I will put BOTH switches on for one hour

both switchs will not work in the day time only the top element will have power in the day time.
just leave the bottom one switched on all the time, thats night rate.
and use the top one if you use all the water in the daytime and need to heat it. thats day rate.

 

[glowworm]

thanx hi spec!!!

 

[glowworm]

Well I am very happy but gutted at the same time.

If I leave the switch on for just one night then I have more than enough hot water for all my needs to last me the next TWO DAYS!!! so I'm better of water wise than I was when I was turning it on for an hour when I needed.


The even BETTER news is I have worked out that the amount of electricity used to heat this two day supply of water up at night time is only 60 pence!! 60 PENCE!!!!!!

 

[JohnD]

"I woke me up with the hissing (lol!!) but that DID stop at 7am. "

it should not make much noise. Possibly the thermostat has failed and it is boiling. get a thermometer and see what temp the water is at in the early morning before it goes off.

 

[glowworm]

what temp should it be John?