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Author Topic: Immersion heaters  (Read 2065 times)

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Taxi_Driver

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Immersion heaters
« on: 31 August 2014, 18:55:53 »

My boiler is going to be offline for probably about a week  :-\

So i want to fit an immersion heater to the hot water tank....so at least ive got hot water during that time...theres a 20amp supply in the airing cupboard...so should be a fairly easy install.

Been looking at them quickly and they appear to come in two sizes .... 11in and 27in....am i right in thinking the 27in are for 'economy 7' installs and the 11in ones are for 'normal tariff' installs  :-\

Will a 11in heater be big enough for a gravity fed shower? On for about 10mins  :-\

Cheers chaps
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The Sheriff

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #1 on: 31 August 2014, 19:01:18 »

Nowt to do with economy 7, Dave. The length of the heater depends on the size of tank you're putting it in. Most common size of tank is 36", so 27" heater. If you put 11" in (ooer missus), you just heat the top 11" of water.
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The Sheriff

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #2 on: 31 August 2014, 19:04:19 »

Just had a thought. If your cylinder has a coil in there for the pump to throw hot water through, it may be the shorter one that's needed. If I were you, I'd wait for someone that knows what they're talking about to answer.  ;D
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Bigron

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #3 on: 31 August 2014, 19:13:49 »

If your HWS tank is a standard 40-ish gallon tank, there should be room for the 27" heater, which will give you a greater depth of hot water for your length of showering - especially if another person wants to shower soon after you.
Plumbers may correct me, but the 11" heater is there to heat the top section of water in the tank to back up the boiler heating coil.
I assume that at present you have a blanking plate where the immersion heater is to go?
Some months ago I had to replace my immersion heater and I learned a whole new lexicon of profanities!
After trying MANY different techniques, I ended up using the biggest, best-fitting spanner and long lever, with sustained but not massive pressure on the lever, occasionally giving it sharp taps to jar it undone.
PLEASE have the tank full of water before you start to undo it, but only to loosen it! Once loosened, drain the tank somewhat to lower the water level and remove the cap, to be replaced by your immersion heater, obviously. The body of water strengthens and supports the tank whilst you apply the Desperate Dan measures on the cap.
Do not be tempted to use sealant on the threads of the heater - that is why mine was such a son-of-a-bachelor to get undone!
Good luck.

Ron.
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Bigron

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #4 on: 31 August 2014, 19:17:08 »

I read STMO's post after writing mine....my tank has a boiler heated coil in it; no problem, the immersion heater avoids it - must have been designed that way?

Ron.
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The Sheriff

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #5 on: 31 August 2014, 19:18:09 »

Thanks, Big Ron, that's exactly what I thought :y

All the ones I put in years ago were just cylinders with the one heating element...27". But then I remembered that most probably have a heating coil nowadays.

The 11" are crap on their own though. If I try to leave my boiler off and just use the immersion heater, I get about half a bath of hot water.
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Taxi_Driver

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #6 on: 31 August 2014, 19:22:02 »

Just had a thought. If your cylinder has a coil in there for the pump to throw hot water through, it may be the shorter one that's needed. If I were you, I'd wait for someone that knows what they're talking about to answer.  ;D

I never listen to your answers Steve.....they are usually rubbish  :P :-*
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The Sheriff

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #7 on: 31 August 2014, 19:22:40 »

Just had a thought. If your cylinder has a coil in there for the pump to throw hot water through, it may be the shorter one that's needed. If I were you, I'd wait for someone that knows what they're talking about to answer.  ;D

I never listen to your answers Steve.....they are usually rubbish  :P :-*
Well....turns out it wasn't this time :P
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Taxi_Driver

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #8 on: 31 August 2014, 19:32:38 »

If your HWS tank is a standard 40-ish gallon tank, there should be room for the 27" heater, which will give you a greater depth of hot water for your length of showering - especially if another person wants to shower soon after you.
Plumbers may correct me, but the 11" heater is there to heat the top section of water in the tank to back up the boiler heating coil.
I assume that at present you have a blanking plate where the immersion heater is to go?
Some months ago I had to replace my immersion heater and I learned a whole new lexicon of profanities!
After trying MANY different techniques, I ended up using the biggest, best-fitting spanner and long lever, with sustained but not massive pressure on the lever, occasionally giving it sharp taps to jar it undone.
PLEASE have the tank full of water before you start to undo it, but only to loosen it! Once loosened, drain the tank somewhat to lower the water level and remove the cap, to be replaced by your immersion heater, obviously. The body of water strengthens and supports the tank whilst you apply the Desperate Dan measures on the cap.
Do not be tempted to use sealant on the threads of the heater - that is why mine was such a son-of-a-bachelor to get undone!
Good luck.

Ron.

Ive no idea if the present tank can take an immersion heater.....but its going to be replaced first off...(its 32 years old i reckon at least) so first job is new tank with an immersion heater fitted  :y

Thanks for your input....didnt realise the water help strengthened the tank  :y
But as a new tank will be going in....the heater will be fitted before it goes in

27in heater....seems to be the way forward atm  :-\ and TBH 11in of hot water doesnt seem very much to me  :-\
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Taxi_Driver

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #9 on: 31 August 2014, 19:35:43 »

Thanks, Big Ron, that's exactly what I thought :y

All the ones I put in years ago were just cylinders with the one heating element...27". But then I remembered that most probably have a heating coil nowadays.

The 11" are crap on their own though. If I try to leave my boiler off and just use the immersion heater, I get about half a bath of hot water.

So are you saying you have a little one thats no good to man or beast  ::) :P ;D
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4x4

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #10 on: 31 August 2014, 19:41:20 »

27" heaters are for single element tanks where it is screwed in from the top near the hoidioter outlet
11" heaters are fitted where the element can go in the side,normally 2 if economy 7,bottom is main heater on economy 7,left on all the time,top element is a booster,if you run out and tops up the heat  :y
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Taxi_Driver

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #11 on: 31 August 2014, 19:55:09 »

27" heaters are for single element tanks where it is screwed in from the top near the hoidioter outlet
11" heaters are fitted where the element can go in the side,normally 2 if economy 7,bottom is main heater on economy 7,left on all the time,top element is a booster,if you run out and tops up the heat  :y

Ah right ...cheers....actually you have just reminded me....i used to live in a house with economy7 heating....the hot water tank in that house used to have two heaters....bottom heater on all the time (well all night) top heater used for topping up  :y 27in element it is then  :y
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Bigron

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #12 on: 31 August 2014, 22:40:16 »

Just a quick not for clarification - your new tank will have the heater fitted by you? If so, use just grease on the threads and the gasket, and hand tighten it. Fully tighten it when it is nearly full of water: same reason as before.
Nowadays, the Safety Elf decrees that the thermostat in the heater cannot be set as high as in earlier years, so as I like a lot of water in my bath, it is cooler with the extra cold water I have to add to get the level I like!
Bloody H&S rules!

Ron.
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4x4

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #13 on: 01 September 2014, 00:23:32 »

Boss white to be used on the thread and gasket,cant use grease as its not a sealant  :y
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Bigron

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Re: Immersion heaters
« Reply #14 on: 01 September 2014, 07:39:18 »

4x4, I agree, and yet I don't. Boss white is great stuff if you never, ever want to dismantle the joint and the parts to be sealed are small and prone to leak (i.e. under high pressure), but in this application the thread is so huge that when it sets, unscrewing results in major aggro, especially when cooked over the years by the heat from the immersion heater.
Sorry, but my bitter and expletive-heavy experience when removing my old one backs this up.
The size of the thread is also a benefit here, though, as it really doesn't need a sealant, apart from the high temperature lithium-based grease I used on thread and gasket last year - not a drip from it and I only finger-tightened it plus a fraction of a turn with the spanner.

Ron.
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