immersion heater

[bigshock]

hello all!

really confused here.


I have an immersion heater top element gravity feed. The fuse box continued tripping after changing. the spur 1 of 2 is feed by a 3amp fuse dedicated to the boiler.

the second spur around 9 inches away was also feed by a 3amp fuse which continued to blow.

I replaced the immersion heater spur with a 13amp fuse from a 3amp the power going to the immersion was not sufficiant.

the question is

is it safe to leave the boiler spur which is 3amp feeding the immersion heater isolater which is now 13amp. the cabling is fine and suitable for 13amp usage 16mm thick
after fitting I checked 24hrs later the 13amp spur is warm but not hot and the water is now working fine.

just concerned the low 3amp feeding the 13amp spur

 

[Pete999]

hello all!

really confused here.


I have an immersion heater top element gravity feed. The fuse box continued tripping after changing. the spur 1 of 2 is feed by a 3amp fuse dedicated to the boiler.

the second spur around 9 inches away was also feed by a 3amp fuse which continued to blow.

I replaced the immersion heater spur with a 13amp fuse from a 3amp the power going to the immersion was not sufficiant.

the question is

is it safe to leave the boiler spur which is 3amp feeding the immersion heater isolater which is now 13amp. the cabling is fine and suitable for 13amp usage 16mm thick
after fitting I checked 24hrs later the 13amp spur is warm but not hot and the water is now working fine.

just concerned the low 3amp feeding the 13amp spur

Best call a competent Electrician Bigshock, diagnosing problems like this, remotely, could become dangerous.

 

[bigshock]

Best call a competent Electrician Bigshock, diagnosing problems like this, remotely, could become dangerous.

I did ask the advice of a friend by showing the pictures of the switched fuse spur. been told the immersion should bot be running anything less than 13amp.

only concern was it comes of another switched spur with controls the central heating

 

[bigshock]

3amp switched spur to a 13amp switched spur. heating element was changed with thermostat all wires are secured and in good condition

 

[westward10]

I suspect it is connected from the live side of the heating spur so the 3A fuse is not relevant to the immersion. What size mcb is it at the consumer unit.

 

[bigshock]

so this is the switches now both lights are working along with the heating

 

[bigshock]

100amp which has 7 fuses active

 

[bigshock]

the main fuse box is around 100 metres away which is 100a goes down into the two switches pictured above using an armoured cable

 

[bigshock]

prior to the change the fuses had been there for years

 

[westward10]

I assume that is a commercial installation.

 

[bigshock]

I assume that is a commercial installation.

I

yes mostly powers lights and a kitchen

 

[bigshock]

the switched spur is in the live side. I swapped the 3amp for a 13amp as it tripped it. on manufactured advise it states 13amp

 

[westward10]

Are you an electrician because from your answers you are not.

 

[telectrix]

an immersion heater could never run on a 3A fuse. instant blow.

 

[bigshock]

that's the thought process I'm suprised it managed before it initially blew. I took the advise of a plumbing and heating engineer to up the one fuse. it has worked just three me it goes from a 3amp

 

[westward10]

There is no way the previous immersion was running with a 3A fuse unless it was 750w or less.

 

[bigshock]

There is no way the previous immersion was running with a 3A fuse unless it was 750w or less.

it was a full 37inch element with an 18inch thermostat

 

[telectrix]

chines copy 3A fusemight do 3kW for a while before the holder melted.

 

[westward10]

it was a full 37inch element with an 18inch thermostat

It was never working on a 3A fuse. I suspect what has happened is someone has changed the fuse in an attempt to make it functional and if the element was good it would have blown almost immediately.

 

[bigshock]

that's what I thought. the fuse was in ok condition tbh but looked clean. just annoying it feeds from the central heating switch spur at 3amp rather than it's own circuit