Immersion heater help.

[doone100]

My daughter's immersion heater isn't working, it has had a new element but still not a sign of life. The heater doesn't have a plug but is wired into a box and there is an on and off switch under the stairs.
The house has very old electrics, does anyone have any ideas where the problem might lie?
TIA
Doone
PS I do have a photo of the under stairs set up but can't figure out how to attach it.

[IsleofWightPete]

My daughter's immersion heater isn't working, it has had a new element but still not a sign of life. The heater doesn't have a plug but is wired into a box and there is an on and off switch under the stairs.
The house has very old electrics, does anyone have any ideas where the problem might lie?

Quite possibly the thermostat?
If you turn the dial with a small flat blade screwdriver, you should be able to hear it click on and off.

Alternatively the fuse / mcb may have blown / tripped (they often go when the element burns out).
Have you checked that?

Often best to explore (if you know how to do so safely) with a neon tester screwdriver carefully touching each terminal to work out where the power is reaching.
http://www.luckinslive.com/t/a548ecdb-d ... 092974.JPG

[bungeejumper]

Is there a 24 hour timer for the immersion heater in the system somewhere? If so, is it going round?

O/T (apologies), but if the wiring is that old, there's a chance that the heavy duty cable to the junction box could be under=strength and overdue for an upgrade. Not a big expensive deal in itself, though you might want to think about a general checkover and report. Is there a fuse box or a consumer unit?

BJ

[doone100]

Thanks all,

I'll get the chaps to check the thermostat at the weekend.
I'm sure Mr Doone has one of those tester things, I'll ask him tonight.
I'm not aware that there is a timer for the immersion.
There is a fuse box, just two fuses for a 3 bed house, Its a chunky black box with a single on/off switch. There is another chunky black box labelled "Immersion".

Thanks again, having bought the property very recently they have very little disposable cash and what they have is earmarked to put in better fencing to keep the dogs secure and a new boiler.

Doone

[jfgw]

A new immersion heater (i.e., the element) normally comes with a new thermostat.

If it has never worked, I suggest you check the cut-out. Either the thermostat or the immersion heater will have a safety cut-out that trips if the water gets too hot. Hover your mouse over the second thumbnail here and you will see a cut-out at the top: http://www.immersionsdirect.co.uk/produ ... oductID=11 . If your daughter's has one like this, press the button (red in the photo). If it clicks in, it needed resetting and may be all that was wrong.

If the immersion heater itself doesn't have a cut-out, there should be one on the thermostat. The thermostat is the blue thing in the picture. Look for a tiny button (about 1mm diameter) that may have popped out. Press it in and see if that fixes it.

Julian F. G. W.