Domestic PIR - extent of immersion heater inspection & testing

[SW1970]

Hi folks, when carrying out a domestic PIR, do you include an inspection of the central heating immersion heater for old style single contact type? (Of course assuming that fixed wiring up to the immersion is tested as normal). If yes:

1. If it is old style single contact, what code would you give? (Feels like a 4 but because of potential danger might be a 2?)

2. Do you recommend replacement immersion to include a latching over temp thermostat contact by an electrician or that it should be done by a central heating engineer or either, or do you simply recommend that it is inspected by a competent person in central heating matters?

3. If the immersion is fed by an FCU (because it previously was supplied from a ring final circuit), but is now correctly supplied by a dedicated radial, but still has the FCU in place, am I right in thinking that the FCU should be replaced with a DP isolator, and therefore the wiring up to the appliance (the immersion head) must also be tested?

There was a thread on another forum about this a few years ago but was referring to 16th. Many thanks, SW

 

[oldtimer]

There's no requirement to have a t/stat with safety overheat in place unless the storage tank is plastic in which case a code 2 would be appropriate.

Guys me think why this has all come about was that a baby died when the stat on an immersion stuck on make for heat so essentially the immersion became a big kettle with the expantion vent releasing into a plastic cold water tank now to drift off a bit here in Scotland where I live the expantion pipe is vented to the outside hence why you see a lot of green "swan kneck" pipes on the roofs now my understanding is that in England (correct me if I have this wrong) it was seen as acceptable to vent the pipe into the cold water tank that at the time would have been lead or galvinised it was only the introduction of plastic where this problem was highlighted.

Lenny you are correct about immersions with no control stat but I must admit just like the shared neutral problem I in my 36 years have never come across both until last month where I helped another spark out as he could not understand why the RCD was tripping when he switched the hall light on.

So if there is no stat then yes this is a problem but if there is a stat and the owner reports that it works fine then I dont think its even a 4 because if you log it as that then were back to stating the obvious with the other 4 fav which is "No RCD protection" so to finish off I certanly would not grade a Unsatisfactory PIR on a installation that that essentially was acceptable at the time standards wise

 

[Jurassic Spark]

In my opinion the parents of that baby should have been charged with negligence. There's no way that a boiling immersion heater can be mistaken as it would be like a giant kettle banging and crashing the pipe-work. Obviously didn't have the wit or common sense to turn it off and get it checked out.

 

[oldtimer]

In my opinion the parents of that baby should have been charged with negligence. There's no way that a boiling immersion heater can be mistaken as it would be like a giant kettle banging and crashing the pipe-work. Obviously didn't have the wit or common sense to turn it off and get it checked out.

This all very well for you to say they were a young couple and non technical they switched the immersion on in good faith and yes they even reported that the water was scalding hot but going to your bed with the immersion on in any other case it would have reached control temp and cut out then cycled on and off all night as it should have this as we know didnt the water in the plastic tank heated up then the tank burst and the infants bedroom was directly below but as you say common sense if we all had it we would not need half or even any of the safety features we have today so a death of an infant in this case is not a point the finger scenario yes we live in a blame culture but I for one would say they were in the wrong place at the wrong time or in other words fate