Boiler problem - what can be done?

[DanteA]

Hello,
I have a strange problem.

I have noticed that in the mornings there often (always?) is no hot water. In order to have hot water, I need to press a boost button on a panel next to the boiler (and after 20min there is hot water; the boost turns itself off after 1h or so). I suspect that the boiler does not have any other timer which would turn it on at any specific times (weird?).

This is quite annoying, especially in the mornings (as I always need to press the button and wait 20min).

Is there a quick fix - e.g. changing the panel, or adding some simple device, which would e.g. turn the boiler on at 6am and make sure there is hot water until e.g. 9am? What is the cheapest solution?

I will obviously ask a professional to do it for me, but I would like to hear some unbiased views first about what exactly should be done... (ideally with some pricing guidance, if you happen to know?)

I am attaching photos of the boiler and the panel, in case somebody recognises them:

Thank you for help!

 

[stani]

Are you saying the boiler, is your hot water cylinder?

 

[doitmyself]

Your "boiler" is a hot water cylinder which is heated by electricity.

What does the cable (bottom pic) connect to at the other end? A pic would help.

 

[Harvest Fields]

immersion heaters always take about 20-40 minutes to heater dependant on the size of the tank and the element more pictures would help.

 

[Darren Jackson]

You have a direct cylinder there. So all you need is either a 24hr mechanical immersion timer. About £7 , Or a 7 day digital immersion timer about £16 -£20 can pick them up at Screwfix mate.

 

[kris]

There should be something other than a boost , some kind of timer function,
I take it your heating is electric also,
Always remember that off peak is cheaper so best to heat your tank just before it starts to get into peak times but I'm surprised you've only an on off switch and not a timer, you could get that switch replaced with a simple timer type clock ,

 

[Harvest Fields]

That's why a picture of where the cable goes from the immersion would be good.

 

[kris]

Yeh I mean I'd imagine it would be a simple twin feed which could easily be wired to a clock , as no switch wires needed it's just on or off but the timer would allow this ,
Good shout harvest on pics

 

[Harvest Fields]

Your "boiler" is a hot water cylinder which is heated by electricity.

What does the cable (bottom pic) connect to at the other end? A pic would help.

It was actually this bloke that suggested it first

 

[DanteA]

Hi,
Thank you for all the replies!

Apologies if I have used the wrong terminology.

I am attaching three more photos, if this helps. The cylinder has two cables going to it (one in the upper part, the other in the lower part), looking the same. They go these switches in the wall. There is some (isolation?) tank above.


My heating is electric, but not central heating (every electric heater is separate, has its own timers etc.), so - unless I am mistaken - the cylinder only feeds hot water to the kitchen and the bathroom.

So if I understand correctly, I would just need to replace the current "start/cancel" thingy with a digital 7 day immersion timer? Amazon has those things: Timeguard NTT03 24-Hour/7-Day Compact Electronic Immersion Heater Timeswitch: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools . Would it be a good one? If I buy one and ask an electrician to fit it, would that do the trick?

Best,
Milo

 

[stani]

No, it appears your off peak side isn't working, you need a plumbing confident in electrics or an electrician who understands the off peak side.

 

[Harvest Fields]

I'm with stani

 

[DanteA]

Ahhh, so close to an easy solution, yet so far away. I must admit that I am still a bit puzzled, as there doesn't seem to be any device which actually defines what "off peak" means (I would still expect some timer...).

If I may ask (so that I learn a bit) - how do you know that it isn't just the timer? Is it because one of the sockets is labelled "off-peak", suggesting there should be some off-peak heating?

To ensure I get the right person (and not end up paying hundreds of pounds of incall fees for people who don't know what to do) - how should I best explain the issue? That one of the heaters (connected to the cylinder) is broken? Or that likely some of the wiring in the wall is broken? Or maybe it is some kind of fault of this simple boost panel? Should I suggest that the electrician brings some specific spare parts, just in case? Finally - do I need to/is it recommended to replace the immersion timer anyway, or not really?

Thank you once again for your kind help and sorry for the simple questions.

 

[stani]

You should have near your fuse box a timer, possibly a large mechanical type timer, or, your electric meter should have 2 rows of numbers I.e. Peak and off peak, or you will have a grey plastic box, that does have a boost switch on it.
You need an electrician,tell him your having problems with off peak immersion heaters.

 

[jtsplumbing]

It seems all you need to do is replace the bottom heater, are you in a hard water area by any chance ? The off peak side is controlled by the off peak meter (Cheep rate electric) idea being that it heats the tank usely over night ! if you use up all the hot water through the day then click on the boost switch that will only heat the very top of the tank, biggest problem with these is the time it takes to drain out the tank ! Bit of advise replace the top heater at the same time

 

[DanteA]

Thank you all for the helpful advice. Now I have much better understanding of how these things work.

I have called some plumber/electrician to deal with it - London prices are crazy, but well... Let's hope he does a good job.

Next time I should probably just learn how to replace the heater...!

 

[steadyon]

Modern immersion heaters have two thermostats.

One controls the temperature, switches off when the required temperature is reached, and switches back on again when the temperature of the water drops.

The other is an "overheat" thermostat. It switches the current off when the water exceeds a set temperature (around 85 to 90 degrees, and which can't be altered by the user), but does not switch on again automatically when the water temperature drops. It has to be manually reset, usually by pushing in a small red or black plastic button.

If you feel confident, turn off both the wall switches with cable coming from them to isolate the heaters. Better still, switch off the power to the whole property as well. Remove the cover of the bottom one, and see if it has a reset button. If it has, and it has tripped, reset it. Replace the covers, turn the switches on, and see if the whole tank heats up overnight.

London has hard water, and it is not uncommon for the base of the hot water cylinder to fill with limescale over a period of years, and this quickly ruins the immersion heaters. If a new immersion is required, make sure as much limescale as possible is removed once the cylinder is drained, and that Incalloy or Titanium immersion heaters are fitted.