rewiring redundant economy 7 immersion heater

[bertle]

Hi,

I have a dual immersion boiler, with one immersion operating on E7. I no longer wish to use E7 after many problems with wrong switching times and so on and feeling I am being conned into paying high day rates in exchange for a small amount of cheaper night electric. I want to make use of both immersions simultaneously.

The E7 immersion only operates during the E7 time period. It appears to be on a separate supply with teleswitch.

I have 8 x 2 CU. All the E7 circuits are on one side/row, everything else on the other side/row. I have storage heaters that I have never used. There are no spare MCB spaces on the "normal"/non E7 side of my CU.

The boiler itself? Two immersions, each with separate FCUs and own MCB on the CU. Another FCU to run the pump and boiler controls.

Is there any easy way of getting these E7 only circuits to work at all times, for example having the main incoming supply wired to feed both rows/sides of my CU?

Or asking my supplier to remove the E7 and enable the two supplies to be merged back into one?

Any ideas welcomed. Why the hassle? I figure that two immersions simultaneously will reduce shower/bath waiting times. A while back I had considered removing the boiler and replacing with electric showers/ instan****er heaters but that seemed like a lot of headache for a reduced hot water flow rate.

regards
Bert

 

[acat]

Your first move is to have the E7 meter removed and changed for a standard domestic tariff. Can you post a picture of your CU so we can see what you are explaining include the area around your CU.


Chris

 

[baldsparkies]

Simplest way out would be to forget the day boost element which is the one halfway up the tank, and run your day rate feed to the bottom element giving you a full tank of hot water on demand. You could fit an immersion heater timeclock for timed control. Dont forget to disconnect and isolate the E7 supply safely.

 

[bertle]

Hi Chris,

piccie of CU. The bottom row of MCBs are E7 only. Two storage heaters and one immersion.

regards

Bert

 

[baldsparkies]

putting the supply from circuit 4 to the bottom element and isolating circuit 11 completely will do as said in my last post. As chris said your tarrif and E7 supplies will need sorting long term.

 

[bertle]

Thanks for the help. The simplest idea is the best it seems. By getting the immersion circuits swapped, Im still going to be waiting a long time for the shower/bath, as its still one immersion ? About a 50 minute wait for shower/bath on top immersion.

Or by getting E7 removed, the incoming supply should now make all circuits live all of the time, so I can have both immersions on simultaneously? (assuming supplier somehow joins the E7 meter tails back into the one supply?

regards
Bert