water in the terminal of immersion heater

[oldtimer]

+1 old timer, and sorry didnt realise there maybe different installs in scotland. I guess down here we like recyling the venting water :laugh:

No your just lazy lol

But seriously when cold water tanks were lead lined or galvinised this was not a problem as the water in the tank would boil up then vent to outside but sadly for this child the tank was changed to plastic eventually split because the stat in the immersion was faulty and welded itself closed hence the kettle analogy . Now this is a common fault and people see a problem when the water comes out the taps scalding that why they changed the regs to include a high limit cut out stat within the thermostat so when I get a call that the immersion is not working I carry 2 stats with safety cut outs .

Just to add although we live in the UK there is a lot of differences between Scotland and England with regards to Laws and building regs the only oddity is MOD family houses as these are built off plan to English standards and because its on MOD land then it does not have to comply to the Scottish building standards

 

[rsp84]

No your just lazy lol

But seriously when cold water tanks were lead lined or galvinised this was not a problem as the water in the tank would boil up then vent to outside but sadly for this child the tank was changed to plastic eventually split because the stat in the immersion was faulty and welded itself closed hence the kettle analogy . Now this is a common fault and people see a problem when the water comes out the taps scalding that why they changed the regs to include a high limit cut out stat within the thermostat so when I get a call that the immersion is not working I carry 2 stats with safety cut outs .

Just to add although we live in the UK there is a lot of differences between Scotland and England with regards to Laws and building regs the only oddity is MOD family houses as these are built off plan to English standards and because its on MOD land then it does not have to comply to the Scottish building standards

Probably cause the Scottish Builiding Standards are better regulated and possibly tougher/more expensive to impelment. And yeah, ive been told of the child passing story before,very sad indeed.

 

[Caren Mccabe]

sorry no idea! waiting for all the experts to get here and assess damage....thanks for posting!

 

[ruston]

sorry no idea! waiting for all the experts to get here and assess damage....thanks for posting!

Please let us know what the outcome is.

 

[Caren Mccabe]

thanks for all advice! engineer coming out Monday so may be clearer then.....will keep you posted! we have metal tank above immersion and plastic one in the loft (the loft one is the overflowing one) do we need a metal one in loft too? I think the immersion is over 30 years old so may be kaput! Thanks again...I will let you know what's what as soon as I know more!

 

[ruston]

Thanks for keeping us informed. Your engineer on the site will be in a position to assess better than us. Is the water coming over the top of the tank into the loft or is it coming out of the overflow pipe to the outside of the building? If it is excessive heat that is causing the overflow he will design it properly for you.

 

[oldtimer]

Well getting a metal cold water storage tank is not going to happen as plastic is king and as thought the expansion pipe from the immersion does vent into this tank this was safe enough when it was metal and if it was the immersion that was giving the problem then I would have said change the control thermostat for one with a safety cut out on it.

But you have a wood burner that is acting a bit like the old draw coal fire setup but in that case you could redirect the heat back up the chimney as a form of control and thats the key to the wood burner nothing wrong with it heating the water in the immersion but there needs to be a proper automatic temperature control that switches this function off when the immersion gets up to temperature.

As for the vent pipe well up here that would not be allowed as this is the fail safe system ie if the electric immersion heater or central heating or A N Other heat source fails and ends up boiling the water then all you would see is steam blowing or venting to the outside instead of plastic cold water tank collapsing with the heat and flooding the property with hot water so if you are going to all of this trouble then get it vented to the outside then you can sleep at night

 

[Caren Mccabe]

the water is flowing out of the building down the outside wall but the immersion heater has water in the cap so not sure where water is coming from....don't understand the flow through the house and am thoroughly confused with talk of tanks everywhere! plastic tank in loft where overflow to outside, metal tank above immersion tank in bedroom....not sure where the water in the immersion top cap came from and central heating wood burner stove on ground floor with pipes leading upstairs to immersion AND up again to loft (I think?) Don't even know if it's a plumbing or electrical problem but seems related according to the general electrician that came out.....Thanks for advice...will let you know!

 

[MarkieSparkie]

Caren, can you clarify one point for me, when you say a metal tank above the immersion tank, do you mean a second copper tank sat directly above the copper immersion tank as part of an integrated unit?

 

[oldtimer]

Caren, can you clarify one point for me, when you say a metal tank above the immersion tank, do you mean a second copper tank sat directly above the copper immersion tank as part of an integrated unit?

Mark I think this is the central heating expansion (small) tank

Caren some pictures would help

 

[MarkieSparkie]

Mark I think this is the central heating expansion (small) tank

Caren some pictures would help

That was my initial impression too mate, but just wondered if we all making the same, possibly 'wrong?,' assumption from Caren's description.

 

[oldtimer]

Yep a couple of pics would be nice

 

[Caren Mccabe]

the metal tank above the copper immersion is a silver metal tank that will need replacing soon as advised due to a white powdery residue appearing on the sides....apparently a sign of corrosion? what significance is it that it's an expansion tank? what does that mean? The overflow pipe is coming directly from the other plastic tank on the floor above (loft)....I will try to put some photos up of all tanks, thanks for your concerns and help....I started as a novice but hopefully will pick up a few tips that may help in future but hopefully will not be needed!! I am interested in what wrong assumption is being made from my descriptions cos I need to make sure I'm saying the right things to get this sorted asap! Ta for now!

 

[Silly Sausage]

Have you tried these boys yet?

Plumbing Forum | Plumbing Advice | Plumbers Forums | A forum for plumbers advice in the UK

 

[Caren Mccabe]

if my immersion tank (copper cylinder one) needs replacing do I get plumber or electrician? My local electrician said seek advice from plumber before he can re connect the immersion so I'm unsure who to speak to re a replacement if it's needed... ta!