Dual element Immersion heater

[news]

A friend of mine has an elderly hot water storage tank that is heated primarily by Economy 7 electricity. The tank has a single immersion heater aperture into which fits a vertically mounted dual element immersion heater.

This immersion heater has two element fitted to the single boss, one being 36" long and provides whole tank heating overnight at the E7 rate, the other element is 12" long and provides a "top up" if required during the day but at full tariff electricity.

It seems that the long element has failed and despite spending all morning looking I have been unable to find a replacement (it looks like the modern practice is to have two short horizontal elements one at the top and one at the bottom of the tank.

Can anybody point me at a supplier that still sells dual element immersion heaters? (If not it looks like a whole tank replacement job)

Thanks.

[Andy Burns]

16" + 27" rather than 12" + 36" as you asked

I also saw some 42" dual ones on eBay, but that could be too long for the tank.

[Andy Burns]

36" + 11" listed here

[fred]

16 + 36 further down the same page if that is better.

[Andy Burns]

That'll teach me to have a short screen ...

[alan_m]

Google "Backer dual element immersion heater" or "Backersafe 2 Dual" There appear to be a couple (or more) UK suppliers but prices are around £60 to £90 incl VAT/P&P - maybe cheaper from somewhere I haven't found.

I was going to replacing the duff dual element in my tank but as the immersion is only used for backup a long life single element at 1/3 of the price will do.

[fred]

:-)

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

Dual-element immersions are common as muck here; ?40 locally, and that's not the cheapest place by any means.

[harryagain]

The alternative is you can buy a immersion heater flange and sweat it in at the lower position. Easy job on a copper cylinder. Then fit two immersion heaters. Or as the long element had failed, you can leave that heater as is and fit another short one in the new flange.

[news]

You are a star. Thanks very much for your efforts (and others who responded)

[meow2222]

Would you like to write us a how-to for the wiki?

NT

[Brian Gaff]

On an ancillary note. I was quite shocked recently to see the warped limescaled and generally knackered state of the element on one of these which had only been in a tank for a decade. I'm sure when I first came here as a child the original one was in the old tank for many years, manufactured in 1939! It was certainly not as knackered looking as the last one I had replaced after another 15 years. My guess on this is that there is now considerably more limescale in London water than there used to be, plus that the quality of manufacture is fare worse. Brian

[harryagain]

Ok, I'll post it in a couple of days.