Hi all,
I am going to have a look at a Megaflow Ocean water heater tomorrow morning, and suspect it will need a replacement element.
I have had a quick look around the web, but don't immediately see the likes of Screwfix, Plumb Cantre, CEF, etc stocking them.
Does anyone know of any chains chich might be open tomorrow morning who would hold stock of these?
Was going to send full link but it is ridiculous - so simply search for heatrae element
Obviously you need to check if they have the right one!
My local branch says Saturday: 08:00-12:00.
Looking at the appalling prices for these elements, it seems there is a market opportunity to make a conversion boss to a standard 2-1/4bsp flange for bog standard elements that are a fraction of the price. What is so special about the megaflow elephants?
The obvious difference between an ordinary cylinder and a megaflow is that the megaflow is pressurised. Vented cylinders aren't rated much above 2 bar (20 m head, if that), so why should ordinary elements have a higher pressure rating?
Thanks Dave, I'm used to my vented thermal store which I chose to avoid all the restrictions on DIY work on unvented as well as annual inspection requirements. I guess the OP might theoretically have problems fitting a new element as a diy task?
Bob
Up to about 4 or 5 years back, replacement immersion heaters for open vented cylinders only needed to have one thermostat.
Those for unvented cylinders had to have two, the normal control thermostat and a manual-reset high-limit thermostat, because of the added dangers of an explosive burst if the water boiled.
The unvented immersiopn heaters were intentionally made incompatible, to stop single-thermostat heaters being fitted. Obscure threads/sizes are used and manufacturers charge according to the fact that no-one else makes them.
There were a couple of fatal incidents involving boiling cylinders and collapsing CW storage tanks, so the law was changed so that replacement thermostats for open vented heaters have to have the second thermostat.
They're still not up to the standard of the unvented heater elements, ISTR.
Electric Water Heating Company stock them, ISTR.
Its not so much the pressure that is an issue (directly), but elements used in unvented applications must have a second non auto resetting thermal cutout that will kick in should the stat fail.
Other than the normal problems of changing an immersion heater (which too be fair should not be as bad on an unvented since the cylinder itself won't be so flimsy), the situation regulation wise is now no different.
All hot water cylinders are now included in section 3 of approved doc G (aka G3).
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