Immersion heater how long to heat water

So the immersion needs to run for 40 minutes just to cover the standing losses over a full day, but again presumably that can be halved as most of the hot water has been used within 12 hours of the charging period starting, so 20 minutes is probably enough to cover the standing losses if I'm reading that right.

If the cylinder and airing cupboard are positioned sensibly any lost heat reduce the space heating required. This is a lot easier to determine with storage heaters, the manufacturers put the charging information on the appliance label. This is one of lifes little quandaries. We generally use the same same time controller and immersion heaters regardless of what size the hot water cylinder is in domestic properties.

With a small cylinder the thermostat knocks the immersion heater off, whilst with a large cylinder it may struggle to reach the required temperature in the time it is allowed. I had a litre hot water economy 7 cylinder once sited in an airing cupboard in the house so it sat at ambient room temperature. The cylinder had two side entry 3kW immersion heaters. The top one would heat about the top third of the cylinder. So the bottom one did not have to heat all of the tank's water, thus giving it less work to do.

If both elements were used overnight then the electrical input would be more than adequate to heat the whole cylinder of water up to a nice hot temperature.

The top element could also be used for a day time top up for hand washing or washing up the dishes etc. So presumably you had two completely separate circuits and time controllers or switches for each immersion heater, rather than a shared circuit and an E7 time controller? I have a set up like this with two timers, set for 3 hours early morning and 1 hour in the early evening.

They are wired on a 32A ring circuit, to save ways in the consumer unit. You mentioned setting the thermostat to 55 degrees. It needs to be at least 60 degrees to be sure of killing legionella bacteria burn. It will be above 60 degrees at the top, there is a higher risk of scalding with elderly customers.

It really needs to be heated throughout to 60C and delivered at not less than 55C to each outlet Scalding risk is addressed with mixers at the outlets if you do it properly The difference between 55C and 60C is negligible in terms of scalding risk - both will generate full thickness burns, at 55C the outcome will be at best a second behind the effects at 60C Regards OMS Let the wind blow you, across a big floor.

Originally posted by: burn They are wired on a 32A ring circuit, to save ways in the consumer unit. These systems will typically have two immersion heaters installed in the side of the hot water cylinder. Each immersion will be wired into a switch or timer on the wall adjacent to it, where they can be turned on and off to heat the water as required. The time it takes to heat a hot water cylinder varies depending on the size of the cylinder and number of immersion heaters.

We would typically recommend switching the immersion heater on around two hours before you intend to use the hot water to give it time to heat the cylinder. The off-peak immersion heater will be the one lower down the cylinder and should be left on all the time when hot water is required.

The off-peak immersion will automatically use cheaper electricity over night to heat the water. Here's how much energy portable heaters use. Read our simple guide here before you despair. This old chestnut is almost completely untrue, and is probably causing lots of people to waste money on lighting.

Modern low-energy light bulbs do use a small amount of extra energy when you first turn them on, as do florescent strip lights. Perhaps your gran believed this and insisted on washing up by hand instead so as not to waste electricity.

You need quite a lot of hot water to hand-wash the same number of plates. Many dishwashers have an economy setting which will use even less electricity and water. Cavity wall insulation is much more likely to solve problems of damp caused by condensation because it makes your walls less cold so less prone to damp.

For a few houses that are right on the coast or face persistent driving rain, the empty cavity can provide some protection from damp getting in from outside. This might also be the case if there are cracks or damage in your outer wall. But for the vast majority of people it is well worth getting cavity wall insulation as it will have a big impact on keeping your home warm and reducing your heating bills.

You can insulate the outside or the inside of the house. If you own the house, you might even be able to get a grant to help fund this through a scheme called the Energy Company Obligation.

Boxes, packing cases and unused furniture in your loft are not helping to insulate your home. And if they're squashing your insulation down they're probably doing the opposite as standard loft insulation works best if it is able to trap lots of air. If you want to store things in the loft, set aside an area next to the hatch, add insulation only to the level of the joists and then put insulated loft board across the joists to place your items on.

The rest of your loft should be insulated to a depth of mm Some people think that a warm air heating system makes the air in their house dry, and many people put a bowl of water by the vents to moisten the air.

We all release plenty of moisture into the air at home just by washing and cooking. Classic myth. People often think that windows are a major problem because they can be draughty and cold draughts are very noticeable. Having a thermostat and timer fitted alongside the immersion can help to keep energy use under control. Proper maintenance of your immersion heater will drastically improve performance, efficiency, and increase lifespan.

Being proactive about heater care saves money and increases safety. Check for damage to all switches, fittings, insulation and thermostats. Insulate the cylinder and pipes. Buy a pre-insulated cylinder. Problems with your immersion? Still Need Advice? Trouble Shooting: — No Hot Water. How to Detect Leaks.