Please Help Anyone! No Hot Water!

[utterlyfab]

Hi all, I've come here to try get some advice. Am a complete noob, have no idea what I'm doing.So moved into a flat a year ago, and few months back, hot water stopped. Landlady is nightmare, took weeks to send someone round, and I think he was a right cowboy. It's economy 7 storage heaters through out, and he came round and changed the element and thermostat. And also changed the buttons we use to turn the hot water on. Disconnected the old box, added a horstmann e30 Booster switch.Now problem is when I try heat the water during the late afternoon or early evening, it doesn't heat it up enough, or Sometimes doesn't heat at all! But if I try during the day,it's fine. I have no clue what the problem could be. Thermostat set to 60°. Have to fill the bath up by boiling kettle 20x every night just to bath my kids.Any help or advice would be amazing guys. Landlady is dragging her heels again. I have pics if anyone needs, but won't let me post em here for some reason. Thanks in advance

 

[utterlyfab]

Hi all, I've come here to try get some advice. Am a complete noob, have no idea what I'm doing.So moved into a flat a year ago, and few months back, hot water stopped. Landlady is nightmare, took weeks to send someone round, and I think he was a right cowboy. It's economy 7 storage heaters through out, and he came round and changed the element and thermostat. And also changed the buttons we use to turn the hot water on. Disconnected the old box, added a horstmann e30 Booster switch.Now problem is when I try heat the water during the late afternoon or early evening, it doesn't heat it up enough, or Sometimes doesn't heat at all! But if I try during the day,it's fine. I have no clue what the problem could be. Thermostat set to 60°. Have to fill the bath up by boiling kettle 20x every night just to bath my kids.Any help or advice would be amazing guys. Landlady is dragging her heels again. I have pics if anyone needs, but won't let me post em here for some reason. Thanks in advance

 

[Andy™]

after spamming the place, you got very little chance of getting any help

 

[Murdoch]

Write to your landlady and if she doesn't provide a tradesman to fix the problem in a timely manner, you can organise your own, pay them and deduct the payment from the next bill.

 

[Andy™]

stop spamming and you might get help...

 

[ProDave]

Normally you should get a full tank heated overnight at the cheap rate automatically without pressing any buttons. Does that happen?

the boost switch is only ever intended to heat half a tank at the peak daytime rate in case you have used up all the overnight hot water.

Perhaps the last guy didn't have the full picture so fixed the wrong fault?

P.S The point of making 10 posts is so you can post some pictures to illustrate your post. If you don't need to post pictures, then there was no need to set off on the wrong foot spamming the forum with pointless answers to old posts.

 

[utterlyfab]

P.s I'm posting on my phone sorry guys it just Posted the thread twice! Pics are here ; http://postimg.org/gallery/32btf0v92/

Sorry guys I didn't know what I was supposed to do to make 10 posts. Sorry. I'll try the overnight thing, and see how it is in the morning. How would I heat it overnight without using the "boost" buttons...like I said...guys was a cowboy

 

[Murdoch]

Try turning on the off peak supply!

 

[utterlyfab]

Sorry mate I didn't know what I was doing, just kept saying to make 10 posts before I could post a topic... My bad

 

[ProDave]

No 1 Get your landlord to supply and fix a cover to that immersion heater, there are live terminals.

N0 2, it looks like you might only have 1 immersion heater. In which case the OLD control box was the right thing to heat it overnight on the cheap rate with the option of a mid day boost. the MUPPET of an "electrician" that took that away and only fitted a boost switch has denied you the overnight automatic cheap rate tank of water (unless you get up in the middle of the night and press the button)

So get your landlord to send a competent electrician next time to put it back right so you once again have the full tank automatically heated overnight with the option of a boost if needed.

 

[ProDave]

Sorry mate I didn't know what I was doing, just kept saying to make 10 posts before I could post a topic... My bad

but you didn't stop at 10, I counted 17

 

[NozSpark]

This 10 post thing is driving me nuts

 

[utterlyfab]

That bigger box is not connected anymore, just the small horstmann one. ok thanks guys, so does that sound like the reason it won't heat correctly during late afternoon earlly evening? at best, when I press the 30minute boost, it Sometimes makes a sound like a kettle, heats for a few mins then stops. I thought there was something wrong with all those wires showing

 

[utterlyfab]

17?! were any of them duplicate by any chance? On my mobile...apologies again guys and thanks for the help

 

[ProDave]

The little boost controller should work at any time of day, unless the muppet has wired it to the off peak supply. Does the light come on when you press the button?  Press it 3 times to get 2 hours.

It will take a lot more than 30 minutes to get a meaningful amount of heat into that tank.

 

[utterlyfab]

The light does come on, but it just doesn't seem to heat for long. It starts by making a hissing sound like a kettle starting, but doesn't last long. Go back 20mins into an hour boost say, and nothing but silence. And after the hour, just lukewarm water

 

[ProDave]

Turn up the little screw dial on the exposed thermostat (with the power off)

but you NEED to get someone competent back to rewire it properly.

 

[Rob_the_rich]

I think I can see the reset button needs resetting. But there is a serious problem with the connection of the brown wire coming from the thermostat to the element, The wire is seriously overheating and looks to have melted the termination. You will almost certainly need a new element fitted and I wouldn't recommend you trying to reset the button. Switch everything off and get in touch with your landlord, or a plumber (since the cylinder will need to be drained), and if there is no cover, keep your kids away just in case.

 

[utterlyfab]

it was set to 60°, have tried on 65° and the max 70°, still same problem. But if I try heat it at say 12/1pm, it heats up fine! Confused. Sounds like the "electrician" ( I.e General handyman she gets to do work on all her properties, and is a plumber on Monday, a brickie on tuesday and an electrician on Wednesday!) ; has messed up somewhere for sure. It's been costing me a BOMB just to TRY heat the water, with no success! So frustrating. Having to bathe the kids by Heating kettles 13+ Times!

Ok thanks for al your replies guys. I thought so too bout the brown wire looking a bit burnt! Thanks again

 

[ProDave]

That's why I asked about the light. It sounds like you have economy 10 (with a mid day boost between about 12 and 2PM) and it's now wired to only operate during off peak times.

your landlord is a disgrace to landlords. tell them if it's not sorted properly within a week you will employ your own electrician to do it properly and deduct the cost from your next rent.