No hot water Hortsmann 7

[Superman]

Hi, my mother has been without hot water for 4 days now. She lives in a sheltered accommodation and 3 different repair men have been and not resolved anything. The electrician keeps saying it’s not a electrical issue and it needs to dealt by the plumber or heating engineer….the plumber came yesterday and saying it’s an electrical issue! The timer seems to be coming on and off at the set times and the boost button seems to be working but we still don’t get any hot water. Can anyone help please?

 

[UNG]

Surely the electrician has tested the immersion heater to check it hasn't failed as that is what the problem more than likely is if the controls are working

 

[Superman]

Surely the electrician has tested the immersion heater to check it hasn't failed as that is what the problem more than likely is if the controls are working

Hi, thanks for the reply. I don’t think he did…I was not present when he attended. BUT….I have done a Manual reset about a hour ago and set the time and pressed boost function and it has heated the water….I’m just testing the off peak functions now to see if that heats the water as well. Did notice the water is not burning hot like it used to be before these issues….is there any settings to increase water temp on this system? Do you think the heating elements may need to be changed?

 

[UNG]

Hi, thanks for the reply. I don’t think he did…I was not present when he attended. BUT….I have done a Manual reset about a hour ago and set the time and pressed boost function and it has heated the water….I’m just testing the off peak functions now to see if that heats the water as well. Did notice the water is not burning hot like it used to be before these issues….is there any settings to increase water temp on this system? Do you think the heating elements may need to be changed?

The off peak element could have failed, does the cylinder have two immersion heaters or one combined peak / off peak immersion heater
The only temperature adjustment is on the thermostat that is under the heater cap

 

[littlespark]

Two switches on one of the photos. Does the left one light up during off peak hours when it should?

 

[Superman]

The off peak element could have failed, does the cylinder have two immersion heaters or one combined peak / off peak immersion heater
The only temperature adjustment is on the thermostat that is under the heater cap

Just checked the water which has had the off peak timer running for about an hour and the water is cold. Think your right the off peak element seems to have failed. Shall I try the boost element now? I’m sure it the tank has 2 immersion heaters (see pic)

Generally speaking after a timer/boost function has kicked in how mins/hours will be sufficient to wait and see if the water is heating up appropriately?

 

[Superman]

Two switches on one of the photos. Does the left one light up during off peak hours when it should?

Hi, yes it does when the off peak timer kicks in

 

[westward10]

Hi, yes it does when the off peak timer kicks in

Leave it on boost for an hour. Any good electrician could tell you what the issue is.

 

[brianmoooore]

Any good electrician could tell you what the issue is.

Shouldn't even need a good one. Fault finding doesn't come more basic than this.

 

[brianmoooore]

Did notice the water is not burning hot like it used to be before these issues….is there any settings to increase water temp on this system?

There are legal limits on the temperature of hot water coming from a tap, especially in sheltered accommodation. Thermostats for immersion heaters are no longer calibrated in degrees, and are supplied locked (with a blob of sealant) to the correct temperature.

 

[Superman]

Leave it on boost for an hour. Any good electrician could tell you what the issue is.
Am I right in thinking the boost function will switch off automatically after 1 hour? Or will I have to manually off it?

 

[Superman]

One of the electricians were saying a heating engineer or plumper will have to change the element….when I tell repairs team this they seem to say otherwise suggesting the electrician would have to. Can anyone clarify which trades person would be responsible for changing the immersion elements?

 

[westward10]

Some electricians will change elements some won't but you need to establish if it is the element, it could be a wiring issue. The electrician even if they won't tackle the element should easily be able to confirm this.

 

[Superman]

Some electricians will change elements some won't but you need to establish if it is the element, it could be a wiring issue. The electrician even if they won't tackle the element should easily be able to confirm this.

They said there was no wiring issue when they inspect it last….suggested it’s a immersion element.

 

[brianmoooore]

The electrician should measure the resistance across the terminals of the element, which should be about 20 ohms. If it reads open circuit, or many orders of magnitude higher than 20 ohms, then the element is faulty and the electrician hands over to the plumber to change it.
It should be a fairly simple procedure to change it, but there are a few pitfalls that may occur - the valve controlling the cold water flow into the cylinder may be stuck or fail to turn off completely, the drain valve for the cylinder may fail to open, may not turn off fully after being opened, or may simply not be present in the first place, and the immersion heater may be stuck and refuse to unscrew. This can result in the boss being ripped from the tank, necessitating a new cylinder.

 

[littlespark]

Ideally a plumber changes the element and an electrician connects it up…. But most plumbers will do both jobs.
Not many electricians try it. We don’t like getting wet.

As mentioned above, the act of changing the element is not without risk and a plumber is more likely to have the materials in his van to fix a problem there and then.

For 4 days without hot water, I’d be sending a strongly worded communication to whoever is the boss of the housing there.

 

[Superman]

Generally speaking what is typical off peak timer setting people use with these timers? 12am ON - 7am OFF?

 

[brianmoooore]

Generally speaking what is typical off peak timer setting people use with these timers? 12am ON - 7am OFF?

That's the limits at both ends, and should be avoided in case the off peak time gets slightly out of sync with the timer.
4 or 5 hours is enough time to heat most tanks.
My own Horstmann 7 switches on about 3am. If the bedroom door is open, and I wake up in the night, I can tell whether it is before or after 3am by whether there is a faint orange glow on the wall outside.

 

[westward10]

So has the other element heated the water.

 

[Superman]

So has the other element heated the water.

The boost element heated the water…don’t think the boost option is meant to be used more than the off peak elements as this would be pricey on the electricity bill I’m assuming?