How do you check an immersion element?

[SPC]

as above, went to a cylinder yesterday and it had live going to one side of the element so the stat was fine but still wasnt heating up. i tested the resistance accross the element and it came back about 16 ohms i think, is that the correct way to test if the element is knackered and what sort of reading would you be expecting to get?

 

[mikegas]

yes across L N you should get 16-20 ohms also check L E you should get OL or mega ohms if its ok

 

[philtheflush]

its the thermostat i garauntee it i think thats how you spell garauntee

 

[dontknowitall]

its the thermostat i garauntee it i think thats how you spell garauntee

Warrant's easier ...

 

[WaterTight]

yeah but sentence didn't warrant it, i guarantee it.

 

[GQuigley67]

is it gaurantee or guarantee ??? lol i think its the first

 

[PlumbBobBob]

deffo the second one GQ.

 

[GQuigley67]

I see it both ways all the time, it gets confusing...

 

[SPC]

there was power going into the stat and power coming out of the stat to the element so id assume the thermostat is working fine. what would it indicate if you dont get OL or mega ohms accross L to Earth?

 

[WaterTight]

it's guarantee. i've got an a-level in english. and also in history and art. comes in super handy in plumbing i can tell you.

 

[GQuigley67]

least someone done good in schoool lol I would of to be honest if I was interested, found more interesting stuff and decided to skip school for most of the duration

 

[dontknowitall]

I did 22 'O' levels when I was at school.

Never passed one first time and it took me 6 goes to pass English. Speling, punkuation and grammer were top bonana but gone downhill ever since. Same with physics, chemistry, French, maths, etc, etc.

It was only when I left school that I passed exams first time including my RSA Grade I typing - I got to 90 words a minute at one stage in audio typing.

 

[WHPES]

If the stat was working fine but the element wasnt heating up isn't that proof enough the thing is knackered?

I had a problem last week where an immersion heater was tripping out an MCB. I tried a new stat and was the same so thought its the element. After a major mess on and drain down (heatstore cylinder) and recharge with inhibitor I found the problem was still there.

It was the MCB which was faulty. Moral of the story - check the MCB first!

 

[stani]

make sure your neutral connections are good, i.e. no broken wires or loose screws, electricity needs a return path, you've got power to the stat, test across the live out from the stat direct to the neutral post with a meter

 

[SPC]

ive just checked the stat again, it has 16 ohms accross live to neutral, but when i test from live out from the stat to the neutral point there is nothing, both connections at the immersion and fused spur are good but i didnt check for continuity of the neutral between the immersion and fused spur, would that be the next step? seems logical.

 

[stani]

yes, then from fused spur back to consumer unit, but be careful!

 

[WHPES]

Test - stick a bit of 2.5sqmm flex on and a plug and plug it into the ring main (test only must NEVER be installed like this)

 

[gassafe]

If theres power going to the immersion and it aint working i just change the whole thing! I thought it was always 99% the element gone!! Only on a really old, stubborn looking one would i be tempted to try the stat first lol!

 

[philtheflush]

try spelling wen yuve ad a drunk i thawt it wis garaunteeeeeeeeed

 

[pobsdad]

Went to a Gledhill Electromate today(changed the boiler pump 3 weeks ago) and found that one element had failed,and the Neutral on the other had melted(2 inches of wire missing,presumed dead.)If you disconnect the N wire then you should get live up to that point.If not,the wire/element,is broken.Immersions are always a bugger to test,especially on economy 7,unless you want to go out at 3am!

 

[stani]

Hi SPC.did you get anywhere with the immersion?

 

[SPC]

i did indeed, ive just finished to job tonight. at the person who lives there has an electric shower, all he used the cylinder water for was washing the dishes and hand wash in the basin so i talked him round to having a 15L Unvented hot water store. once all fitted and complete ready to turn the power onto it, switched the fused spur on and nothing!! so checked all my wires, at the UHWS i had 0v L to E, 230v N to E and 230v L to N. sensing something obviously not right, back to the switch we go. the feed coming into the switch was all correct, 230v L to E, 0v N to E and 240 L to N but when switched on, the load part of the switch was where all the magic was happening 0v L to E , 230v N to E and 230v L to N so morral of my story is check the switch!! and no before you say it, it was wired correctly in the first place. Replaced it with a new Fused Spur and all worked correctly as it should. So element may not have been faulty all along. Thanks for all the input guys, and gals if there was any

 

[stani]

nice one mate, we never cease learning

 

[kirkgas]

it's guarantee. i've got an a-level in english. and also in history and art. comes in super handy in plumbing i can tell you.

I guarantee it should be English, and I only got an A for my English O Level

 

[Guest123]

I did 22 'O' levels when I was at school.

Never passed one first time and it took me 6 goes to pass English. Speling, punkuation and grammer were top bonana but gone downhill ever since. Same with physics, chemistry, French, maths, etc, etc.

It was only when I left school that I passed exams first time including my RSA Grade I typing - I got to 90 words a minute at one stage in audio typing.

Punkuation? Johnny Rotten in your class?