Replacing immersion heater

[GB]

This looks a bit tight without removing the heating pump. What do the team think? It's an 11 inch 3kw immersion heater.

[Andy Burns]

Try slacking the pump and rotate it a little, if not you've got the gate valves ...

[GB]

I've checked that the valves at least turn. Whether they are watertight is another matter. Whether I have the strength to undo the nuts is yet another. Hence my question.

I'm trying to work out whether to buy a genuine branded Megaflo immersion heater for silly money or some OEM said-to-be-equivalent.

[Harry Bloomfield]

GB submitted this idea :

Easy - once the thread is released, it will tilt over to be well clear of the pump. The element is much narrower that the boss.

[www.GymRatZ.co.uk]

That'll piss out of there. Masses of room, it'll come out at a rather acute angle if needs be.

[John Rumm]

I would expect that once the immersion boss is unscrewed, you will be able to draw the rest out at an angle.

[GB]

It's a folded immersion, so I think it will fill quite a large part of the boss. I'll check when I get the replacement.

Thanks, all.

[alan_m]

There also seems to be a choice between those recommended for only soft water areas and those soft or hard water areas.

See the text descriptions for those above items. The latter often labelled "long life"

The last time I changed a pump the valves turned, the side of the valve that connected to the pipe came off easily but the join from the valve to the pump was stuck fast, even when I removed the lot and had the pump in a vice and hitting the valve with a lump hammer. The valves were around 25 years old. If you don't have to move the pump don't try it :)

This was when I also found that the fixing on different pumps may have standard distance between the two threads but my replacement valves were a different length requiring the olive on the pipe to be removed in order to cut off around 15mm of pipe.

[alan_m]

I once had a heater element that had completely corroded through and the bit lower in the tank had sprung away from its original position and was forming equivalent to a barb on a hook. Luckily with some difficult maneuvering with a long flat blade screwdriver through the immersion fitting hole I managed to capture the stray end and withdraw the old unit.

[harry]

There's no problem removing that with the correct spanner. The thread is only about 3/4" long, once unscrewed,it will come out no problem. You will need to saw out the gasket. Hacksaw blade wrapped in a bit of tape for a handle is the thing.

[Mr Pounder Esquire]

Is the correct answer.

[tabbypurr]

no problem, unlikely you'd need to mess with the pump.

NT

[newshound]

+1

[alan_m]

Famous last words :)

And fitting is the reverse process :)

On a very tight installation I've managed to bend/distort or round off two of the spanner examples shown in the above photo - the two that have been made from pressed steel [1].

Where the lesser spanners have failed the cast one with the handle has worked.

[1] Different brands may use better quality metal that stands the abuse. I will admit that my examples were possibly the cheapest I could find in the sheds.

[Jeff Layman]

It's the new replacement which might be the issue as to whether it goes in or not with the pump in place. After all, once you've loosened the old immersion why not pull it out a couple of inches and hacksaw off the element or use bolt croppers if they fit? Then it won't matter if the pump remains in place.