Top mounted element replacement snag? All aspects of plumbing questions and answers, help, tips and information

[DavieB]

Evening folks, have searched on this one with no joy.

I want to check I am not missing something here. My immersion element has gone. Easy eh? Well it is top mounted and the ceiling is approx 8 inches above the tank! It is in a flat roofed extension; the roof is about 8 inches above the ceiling. I therefore have about 16 inches (having made a hole in the ceiling) to extract an element over 2 feet long!

The only way I can see to change it is to disconnect all the piping, tilt the tank forward and swap it - or am I missing something?

Is this a recommended method - or am I going to have to install an entire new tank?

Any advice gratefully received.

[ollie83]

you can bend the old one out and then fit a 11'' immersion in its place. get a slightly better quality immersion and it will last you a lot longer. pound on pound a better deal.

[DavieB]

Thanks for that Ollie - I had considered that and thought that the element would be too short/small for the tank which is about 4 feet tall. Would that size provide enough umph to heat a full tank OK?

[marrtin]

No. An 11" element will only heat the top 11 inches of water.

Can't i am afraid offer any other advice about your quandary.

[DavieB]

Thanks.

So what do people think about is the likelihood of disconnecting every pipe (inc draining the CH) to take the tank down and getting it back up again and working is?

Or do you think I should just cut my losses and get a new (side element) tank plumbed in?

[marrtin]

I don't see why the tank shouldn't come out and go back in again without damage. All the connections are usually compression so will just tighten back up again. The biggest problem is going to be tipping the tank with all the pipes in close proximity and t's just so much work for just a simple repair.

Have you actually tried to remove the element yet? With the hole angled at the top of the cylinder and the element thin and only 21" long, maybe it might withdraw without the hassle you're expecting. Or maybe not!

Just be sure to support both sides of the fitting when you release the joints so as not to put stress on the cylinder walls.

[ollie83]

I know what marrtin is saying, but is this not just your back up? If i was going to all the trouble of tilting forward i would plug the old fitting and fit a bottom entry boss and immersion.

[DavieB]

I think that's the way I am probably going. Chances are the element will go again sometime in the future so installing a bottom mounted one does make sence. It does somewhat ramp up the cost however!

I live in a really hard water area so the chances are this tank is probably in a right old state inside anyway. :(