Immersion heater nightmare!

[CXR100]

last week i ripped a hot water cylinder trying to change the immersion. ive never had this happen to me before. ive lost all my confidence now! ive got one to do tommorow and cant stop thinking about it, how do you guys change them? i use to just put a box spanner on them and hit the bar on that with a hammer and ptfe the new one and screw it in! any tips / advice would be great! thanks guys

 

[jtsplumbing]

Just start by giveing it a few short sharp taps and watch for movement, use a small hammer and dont start with a lump hammer !

 

[TomLane]

Try not to get too down about it. Mistakes happen, it's how we learn from them that matters!

If you use the search bar near the top of the page there has been a thread about this recently!

Whatever you do, remain calm & take your time over something you're not sure of. Better to get it right with a little time taken than rush it & break it!

 

[Mike Jackson]

If you tell us how you tried to change the other one we may notice why the cylinder ripped and save you doing it again.

 

[Centralheatking]

We did this one not so long ago.

Turn of water supply

1. Do not drain it down leave as much h20 in as poss - keeps it strong
2. Give it a sharp tap - in the right direction - big hammer using immersion spanner
3. Water will appear use towel in cupboard to mop up the 2 pints that show - I usually use the one that the householder lost 10 years ago somewhere down the back and then keep it to clean up joints.

While ur there
If ur in a hard water area undo the top nut - hot water out - move it over and look inside - it will be full of limescale - get a masonry bit + drill and clear out the rock - seen the nut almost totally blocked with scale.

Father Xmas - its getting colder - LOads of money !!!

 

[Gray0689]

We did this one not so long ago.

Turn of water supply

1. Do not drain it down leave as much h20 in as poss - keeps it strong
2. Give it a sharp tap - in the right direction - big hammer using immersion spanner
3. Water will appear use towel in cupboard to mop up the 2 pints that show - I usually use the one that the householder lost 10 years ago somewhere down the back and then keep it to clean up joints.

While ur there
If ur in a hard water area undo the top nut - hot water out - move it over and look inside - it will be full of limescale - get a masonry bit + drill and clear out the rock - seen the nut almost totally blocked with scale.

Father Xmas - its getting colder - LOads of money !!!

Lol at least I'm not the only one that looks for the old towel stuffed behind cylinder to use lol

 

[Gray0689]

last week i ripped a hot water cylinder trying to change the immersion. ive never had this happen to me before. ive lost all my confidence now! ive got one to do tommorow and cant stop thinking about it, how do you guys change them? i use to just put a box spanner on them and hit the bar on that with a hammer and ptfe the new one and screw it in! any tips / advice would be great! thanks guys

Don't worry about bit these things happen mate

 

[dave1]

Lol at least I'm not the only one that looks for the old towel stuffed behind cylinder to use lol

Yeah and chuck it back down there after ;-)

 

[Nostrum]

Me too on the old towel front, always go for the ones that look a bit faded and very crispy to the touch.

 

[erpkid]

I know that feeling in fact I always warn customers that there is a risk of damage especially if someone has used a setting sealant and not ptfe'd the threads. If sealant is evident once partially drained I remove the foam around the boss, thermostat and as much flammable stuff as possible then gently heat up the boss with my gas torch. Once warm box spanner and a very gentle tap gets things going.

 

[Rickster123]

Me too on the old towel front, always go for the ones that look a bit faded and very crispy to the touch.

I always go for the nice Egyptian ones. They soak up so much more!

 

[CXR100]

i put a box spanner on them with a screwdriver thru the holes for the bar, pull on the handle and tap the blade with a hammer! it didnt open so i put heat on it, as soon as i did this it started leaking and would not seal back up!

 

[Best]

If you take a minute & carefully cut the washer close to the old immersion using a hacksaw, that will weaken the grip of the immersion. Not so easy on a foamed cylinder though.

 

[erpkid]

i put a box spanner on them with a screwdriver thru the holes for the bar, pull on the handle and tap the blade with a hammer! it didnt open so i put heat on it, as soon as i did this it started leaking and would not seal back up!

Did the cylinder rip then, or was it that the softened sealant hardened and allowed water to pass?

 

[CXR100]

No because the new immersion wouldent seal up either!

 

[erpkid]

Ah understood, mind it does not take much contamination on the flange for a leak. This won't help at the mo but I am am fitting a lot more stainless cylinders now the price has stabilised with copper. Strong as you like so you will be able to give these some wellie without worries in the future. The 1050 by 400 version gives you slightly more capacity than a 900 by 450 and due to the squarer profile does not affect the pipe positions as much as you would think. Also the thicker insulation is offset by the narrower tank profile

 

[CXR100]

does everybody heat the immersion up before trying to remove it or what?

 

[Rickster123]

I tend to judge it when I'm on the job. A bit of heat does tend to do the trick. I'd advise against tapping or banging the immersion if at all possible. It normally ends in tears. And always have a disclaimer on you quote!

 

[stevetheplumber]

if your using a box spanner and bar throw it in the bin and get the cast iron monument one the box one give to much leverage in the wrong direction as they tend to rock as you bang them 86mm 3.3/8in. Cast Box Ring Immersion Heater Spanner | MonumentHandTools.co.uk

 

[erpkid]

I have welded a piece of 12 inch steel bar across mine so I can apply a more equal force when turning. I have the box type which can rock as stevetheplumber notes but this mod does help. You can still give it a gentle tap and steady it at the same time.

 

[Mike Jackson]

I tend to judge it when I'm on the job. A bit of heat does tend to do the trick. I'd advise against tapping or banging the immersion if at all possible. It normally ends in tears. And always have a disclaimer on you quote!

A sharp tap on the correct immersion spanner has never ended in tears for me and is a lot quicker and safer than heating the thing up.