Dual immersion timer switch

RonnieL

Hi.

I just got my gas heating controls upgraded, and I plan to apply for the seai grant. I've been told that I'll need to change the switch on my immersion (see picture), as the seai require one with a timer. My immersion has bath and sink options. I've got an electrician coming to do other work soon, so I'm planning to buy a switch now and get him to install it when he's here. My question is, what switches will be the easiest to swap in for my current one? Ideally I'd like something that's not ugly as it's right at the top of my stairs in the hall. Maybe a digital one?

Thanks!

The Continental Op

Bit of a pain to wire up? Either you put the timer before the switch so you still have control of the Sink/Bath option if you leave the switch on or you put it after the switch or replace the switch with the timer in which case you loose one of the options. Unless someone knows a better way?

RonnieL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119703319#Comment_119703319

Thanks for the reply - I didn't get a notification so only just spotted it now.

My main goal is just to replace it with something seai compliant. I'd also prefer if it wasn't a clunky old school looking timer (but I'd get over that). We use the gas to heat the water, so the immersion is pretty much redundant anyway.

The Continental Op

So really the sink part is probably redundant. You don't need to wire the sink element and can just wire the main bath element. afaik (and I'm not a plumber) you need a timer but thats really about it there isn't a specific timer required. Nothing to do with grants but I've put in a timer recently and suggest you avoid some of the nice looking cheap chinese digital ones as they don't seem very reliable and some have very fiddly connection terminals. The old fashioned mechanical clock timers seem to be more reliable but won't look as nice. You could get the timer located back near the fuse board and leave the switch you have. Leave it switched on then it will only come on with the timer. Because of your rare usage you probably want a timer with a simple override for switching the immersion on the times you do use it.