dual immersion

synger

hello there, I am relpacing a faulty dual immersion element. i have instructions on the wiring etc, but do not know which stop cocks to close/open in order to empty the cylinder any advice?

Hi just a quick suggestion before you go closing gate valves and draining tanks - it might be worth checking the electrical connections first - check the resistance of the thermostat and look for signs of burnt/corroded contacts

synger

thanks have checked and i have a fault on top of the sink element that is arcing and is causing the mcb to trip when the sink element is energised.

Micky Dolenz

Look at yuor cylinder, you should see four pipes connected directly to it. One of the top, two that enter in the side about a foot and a half apart, and one at the very bottom, this is the one you want.

Follow this pipe up wall, you should see a red wheeled valve. tuen this valve off, turn on a hot tap. Does it stop.

At the end of this pipe, where it meets the cylinder, you should see a drian of cock. stick a house or a flat pan under it, open drain off cock and drain off a small bit of water, remember you only need to drain it down past the immersion port.

Get yourself a tubular imersion spanner and be careful loosening it, this can be a bigger job than you would think.

Good luck

PauloMN

Agree with above, I would turn on the hot tap in the nearest bathroom and let it run then you'll know you have the right pipe when you close the valve and the water stops.

As regards loosening the element itself - be very careful doing this as it's easy to buckle the top of the copper tank. I've doused the top in WD40 before starting (leave for a few minutes to penetrate) to help as much as possible with removal - try to go easy on it when unscrewing it. The special spanner can be got in most larger DIY stores or McQuillan tools.

Have some of that very thin white plumbers tape to help seal up the thread on the new element (sorry can't remember what it's called, I'm sure someone on here will know). A few turns of it over the thread before you install it is what you need.

Avns1s

PauloMN wrote: »

Have some of that very thin white plumbers tape to help seal up the thread on the new element (sorry can't remember what it's called, I'm sure someone on here will know). A few turns of it over the thread before you install it is what you need.

PTFE tape but usually the gasket supplied with the new element will make a tight seal!

Joey the lips

On the tap be very careful the heating taps are also red and you could unbalance your heating. The heating tap is usually at the base of your cylinder.

On the immersion be careful to make sure the threads are fully clean when the old one is removed. Be very careful to use the heating gasket for sealing. It would be no harm useing hemp and bosswhite but this can be a baxtard to remove.

DIY jobs on immersions have proved very very costly so "Thread" carefully not to ring the threads

Best of luck

Avns1s

Joey the lips wrote: »

On the immersion be careful to make sure the threads are fully clean when the old one is removed. Be very careful to use the heating gasket for sealing. It would be no harm useing hemp and bosswhite but this can be a baxtard to remove.



Best of luck

I wouldn't use Boss White on the immersion. It is highly likely that you would never be able to replace the element again without damaging the cylinder. Anyway, there is no need. The gaskets that come with them give and easy and effective seal.

pipers

Paint both sides of the gasket with a smear of boss white. Do not cover any of the thread with PTFE or flax (hemp) as this is a parallel thread, not a taper.

DublinDilbert

Follow all the advise as per above, also:-

Cut away the old fiber washer with a hack-saw blade, takes a little time but is well worth it, then spray on the WD40.

Roll up a towel and drape from the top of the cylinder under the bottom of the element and put the end into a pot at the base of the cylinder, this will catch the small amount of water that will come out of it, works like a charm.

synger

Thank you everyone element replaced successfully but old element was very difficult to remove as bosswhite was used and had set like stone but no damage to cylinder thankfully......:)