[keen n clean]

Hi all.....Having read all the posts about immersion heaters i decided to plump for one to go in my 650ltr upright pure freedom system,i have drilled/ mounted it in the top of the tank,its a 27 inch one,i filled my tank up first of all ,water stops about 2 inchs from the top so the element is exposed that much,i set the thermostate on it to the max 70 i think and switched it on tonight at 6pm,i went at at regular intervals and checked it and sure enough water was heating up and everthing seemed fine,by 10 p.m the thermostate had tripped(although i dont think the temperature of the water was 70!!!) out,so i switched off, anyhow and water was a good warm temperature,but when i put my arm in the lid the water half way down was still really cold and im thinking that the water will still be cold coming out the hose tom as the pump feed is at the bottom of the tank? Can anybody advise me,do i need a longer element ,should i take this element out and put the shorter one(11 or14inch)horizontal near the bottom,how long to heat 650ltrs of water if mounted correctly?I can see the benefits of this but want to make sure im fitting,or have fitted in the correct place.
Thanks
Andy 

[geefree]

Hi,

you need it at the bottom of the tank horizontally really,

but it should still be ok  where you have it,

but the whole element needs to be covered,

there are a few reasons it may have tripped,

did you check the heat of the plug, it must be a heavy duty one, have you felt your cables? are they warm?..... are they the correct type to withstand the amount of power?

[keen n clean]

Hi gazza,i  checked the cables and they seemed fine not to warm at all,the plug wasnt to hot either,the heat resistant flex was supplied and fitted by my spark mate(£8.00 a meter!!!!) so i assume all is good there,the extention cable was fully unwound as well,the only thing i can think is the element not being completley under the water and must get really hot nearer the top so giving a false reading and tripping ? do you think i may need to move to the bottom and use a smaller element??? and im worried if i do this the smaller element wont heat all the water??
Andy

[geefree]

Hi Andy,

I really think you need to put your large element at the bottom, horizontally,

That way its fully submergerd, ..and the element heats only the water above... that is a fact , not guess work....

eventually the heat will find its way around , but that will cost you a fortune, unless you have a way of keeping the water moving.

The ideal way to get the best out of an element,  is to place it at the bottom and to fill your tank to the level you think you will need for the following day...( i have a 640 ibc , i fill above the element , around 300 litres?

which after 4 hours is hot.... and comes out of the hose warm

only heat what you think you will need,...

why pay to heat water you will not use ?

 

[steve freeman]

Heat rises so as the top part of water is heating the heat rises making the thermosat think it has reached the desired temp and turns off

[keen n clean]

Looking at your pictures steve it looked like yours was at the top mate?

[steve freeman]

yes it is same as you only the top part of the tank will get warm when you drive it will mix around ... i didnt do mine for baking hot water just warm enough to stop hose etc freezing ive only used it twice ...but i am reinstalling this week for it to go horizontally

[keen n clean]

Im going to put a shorter element in horizontally at the bottom over the weekend ,i cant use the 27 inch one as to long on the specs,will let you guys know how i get on with it,i think not filling the tank and just having enough for following day should do the trick and heat up all the water i need for next day cleaning.....weather supposed to be taking a turn for the worse again later part of this week!!!!!!!!!! aghhhhh.....thanks steve and gazza i will keep you posted as to how it goes.
Andy

[FCS]

Ready to install my 14" element this weekend into my 650ltr van tank.

My only question is, the washer that comes with the element, does this go inside the tank, between the back nut and the tank, or outside the tank, between the element and the tank?

And basically, the more sealant you blather, the better, yes?

And to all you good good people who've posted pictures and tutorials etc, THANKS!

[dr clean]

i had a few cold spots in my tank too. what a did was left my pump on low with hose in top of tank to circulate the water round to get rid of cold spots. this worked for me 

[Gav Camm lammy 283]

dean does it work m8