Immersion heater timers keep packing up !

[wishiwasasparky]

Hi all,

posting this on behalf of workmate.

He keeps on having to replace his sisters immersion heater timer ,first one was a mechanical type that lasted about a week , he then fitted a digital type from B & Q costing around

 

[Barx]

How are they 'going'? burning out. Timing circuit blowing? I may be wrong but.... Could it be a big immersion element that draws >13A. I've had them before that blow 13A Fuse Spurs.

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Hello....

welcome

need a bit more info here m8...

such as;

What was on controlling the circuit before all of these timers that failed?

i.e. why was the first timer (that lasted a week) fitted?

was it replacing another timer?

or was it purely manually controlled?

when you say timer has "gone"? what actually happened?

e.g.

burning

physical damage

mechanical timer actually jammed

contacts welded up

any signs of melting overheating around the terminations

etc??

what rating is the imm heater? standard 2.7kw (@ 230v) {old money 3kw @ 240v}?

Has the electrical circuit to the heater been tested to verify things like

polarity?

Earth loop impedance?

volt drop?

Sounds like something is a-miss somewhere! :|

the probability of several times all failing seems a bit odd to me! ?:|

 

[wishiwasasparky]

Thanks for the quick response.

The circuit is just to the immersion heater.

The timer was originally fitted to take advantage of off peak electricity tariff.

He tells me that the clock is still on and the over-ride switch works , just the timer part packs up no smell of overheating , no fuses blow , timer seems ok , he took the back off one.

I'll get him to check the rating of the immersion heater ,can you get higher than a 3KW ?

Regards

 

[Apache]

All I can add is 'welcome'

Does your friend have a separate CU (fuse-box) for his economy 7?

I do and I have 2 immersion heaters, the top one can be put on anytime for a boost, but the bottom one is wired through the separate CU and only comes on at night when the economy 7 is active. No timer, just it's internal thermostat.

 

[a1]

Welcome to the forum.

I am going to state the obvious here, but - He is removing the "Battery Life, Saver Strips" from the back of the timer, before fixing it to the wall, Isn't he?

It's a thin strip, placed, in manufacturing, between the flat battery and the terminal on the +ve side of the Clock battery.

 

[wishiwasasparky]

Hi, not sure I will ask him.

Just out of interest can you explain how this might cause the problem?

Cheers

 

[steptoe]

Welcome to the forum.I am going to state the obvious here, but - He is removing the "Battery Life, Saver Strips" from the back of the timer, before fixing it to the wall, Isn't he?

It's a thin strip, placed, in manufacturing, between the flat battery and the terminal on the +ve side of the Clock battery.

not very common, and wouldnt stop the clock from working, would only reset the programme if power was cut.

sounds very like a low voltage contact is being used to switch too high a current/voltage, but that may only burn out the contactor,

any chance the polarity is reversed, could he have wired the second clock the wrong way round and hence every clock since?

what is the make/model of clock he is using?

maybe Apache (our resident links meister) could find a suitable clock to use....

 

[batty]

I use smiths/timeguard timers they have a three year guarantee and will last this long at least. I would imagine the b&q ones are like screwfix. I brought one once the thing didn't even work.

Batty

(And I don't work for smiths/timeguard) no:S

 

[SLIPSHOD & SLAPDASH]

Some makes of time clocks have separate terminals for the load and the clock motor. In this situation the input lives should be linked. Is it possible they are not and the clock runs and operates the immersion untill the battery goes flat ?

 

[Lec]

Shouldnt immersion timers be 16a, I am pretty sure the Grasslin ones are.