central heating controls and immersion heater wiring question

[x4cs]

The inlaws have had british gas round to install one of their wireless thermostat and a UP2 duel channel programmer for controlling the hot water and heating, and here in lays a potential problem.

Their fuse board is an old wylex job with 3036 semi enclosed ceramic rewirable fuses and lately their lighting circuit has blown 4 times since the british gas kit was installed in September 2012. Prior to that, they've never had an issue with fuses blowing so often and theyve lived in the house for 30 years.

Said fuse went again today and in the process of rewiring it, I noticed that there was no power to any of the british gas kit or their immersion heater - the inlaws hadnt noticed this before......It transpires that the kit and the immersion heater is running off a 5A lighting circuit.

Ive had a look round the house and when they have their 'typical' lights on around the home, they're drawing around 3/3.5 amps before other lights get switched on and of course thats excluding the immersion heater....it appears that theyre quite probably oveloading the circuit...

That said, I've not been house bashing for a number of years, and I don't have my books to hand, however I'm almost certain that the immersion heater should be on its own 15A circuit - can someone confirm that for me? and considering the house was wired circa 1970, id imagine that when the immersion heater went in, it was wired off a ring....How its ended up on the lighting circuit, I dont know - I can only think that whoever installed it had done it.....my suspicions are seconded by there being no immersion heater circuit in the box......thankfully the cooker and shower have their own circuits!


My second question is regarding the british gas kit - does anyone have any experience of it and more importantly, although the paperwork suggests it should be fused at 3A, should whoever wired it have taken a feed off the ring main as a pose to the lighting circuit? I don't know what their routine procedure is for such equipment.

Im making the assumption (I shouldn't assume I know) that someone should of had the foresight to take a look at the fuse board, recognise the age/restrictions of it and do some calcs to see whether it would be wise to wire it off the lighting circuit....


Thanks in advance for all replies.

 

[supertoad]

control ckt from lts ok[check instructions!-may be fused at3 A]
imm htr 16A radial[normal 2.5 t/e] Not off ring-check regs for size[ltrs]

 

[rugbyspark]

10A! I live in a house not a boiler room. It is protected by a 3 amp fuse. You must have a fooooooooooookin massive boiler or a fooooooooooooookin massive nose .

Maybe you don't understand that MM stands for DVM/DMM these are usually give a more accurate reading.
BUT with the tone of your reply, your obviously a "SmartASS" with no need for helpful replies.

I suggest you take earlier advice and get the experts back as your Q&A's suggest your not at that stage at the moment.
May all your troubles be big ones.

 

[onions1066]

Maybe you don't understand that MM stands for DVM/DMM these are usually give a more accurate reading.
BUT with the tone of your reply, your obviously a "SmartASS" with no need for helpful replies.

I suggest you take earlier advice and get the experts back as your Q&A's suggest your not at that stage at the moment.
May all your troubles be big ones.

This isn't my Thread I'm just having some chit chat. I think you need to get off the soap box, brush the chip off our shoulder and pipe down. My 0.1 A was tongue in cheek do you really think I'm sad enough to clamp my boiler at midnight, I was merely saying a boiler will pull no where near 3 amps. It actually would be closer to 0.1A than it would 3 A