Can i leave immersion heater on

Practically every Irish mammy has been known to go on a rant about leaving the immersion on at some stage. It is the number one energy guzzler in the home, so they do have good reason to. In this blog we hope to debunk some of the immersion myths and we give our top 5 immersion tips to help you save money. This topic comes up in discussion forums all the time, but it is not cheaper to leave the immersion on all of the time, rather than to switch it on and off as required.

Even with a good lagging jacket, the cylinder will lose heat and cost more to reheat the water to the optimum temperature. So only switch on the immersion as required.

The temperature of the water in a tank heater drops very slowly if it's not being used, so it will use little gas or electricity overnight. I have a gas tank heater. While a high proportion of homeowners would recognise the need to have their boiler serviced annually, very few know that to keep their hot water cylinder and immersion heater running properly and efficiently, simple maintenance procedures need to be performed.

No, it's almost always cheaper to have your hot water on when you need it, as a full tank of hot water will always lose heat and need topping up by the boiler. Normally it takes around minutes to heat a tank of hot water. The hot water cylinder thermostat controls the temperature of water that comes out of the taps. If your immersion heater has a thermostatic control, it will automatically turn off when it reaches the temperature you set on the thermostat.

Immersion heaters aren't connected to your boiler. If your immersion heater is well insulated, it can keep water hot for several hours after it switches off. Typically, a hot water heater that uses a tank will run for three to five hours per day. The water in an immersion heater is heated by a 3kW element and usually takes around two hours to raise the temperature to the maximum throughout the whole tank. An average water heater runs three hours daily.

A gallon, 5,watt water heater with a. Unlike a gas heated water tank, which has burners below it, immersion heaters heat water directly from inside the tank. A strong electric current is passed through the element which heats the water around it.

Upon heating from the immersion element, the water rises to the top as part of a convection current. Depending on your local utility costs, gas water heaters are typically cheaper to operate than electric. They also cost more upfront than an electric. However, based on energy savings, gas heaters generally make up the difference in price in about one year. Heating water without a boiler If you have a hot water tank or cylinder in your home, you may also have an electric immersion heater.

The water coming out of the cold tap will also be boiling. The best food, health, entertainment and lifestyle content from the irishexaminer. In the Kitchen with. Video Series. Join Derval O'Rourke in her kitchen as she whips up the curry she makes every single week. She'll show us why she reaches for her cheap-as-chips handblender above all other gadgets and how important it is to have her fridge stocked with real butter and lots of yoghurt.

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