Alternative To Immersion Heater

[hc4361]

I am very happy with my central heating system and have no wish to change it.

It cannot heat the hot water without heating the whole house so in the summer months I put the immersion heater on for one hour day. This gives me ample hot water but I feel this is wasteful and there must be another way.

We have no baths, only electric showers, and the dishwasher and washing machine are cold fill only. Is there an alternative on the market? I remember the gas water heaters over the sink when I was a child but that would be expensive to run but I'm not up to date with what is available today.

All suggestions gratefully received.

[TheChair]

Solar Hot water is free. Most solar tanks have an inbuilt heater to top up the temperature when there is inadequate sun.

[New Judge]

"Most solar tanks have an inbuilt heater to top up the temperature when there is inadequate sun. "

What you mean like, er... an immersion heater? :-)

I know you said you don't want to change your CH system, hc, but you may like to consider a replacement boiler and go for a Combi boiler. They heat the Domestic Hot Water only as required and you don't have a tank. More than that, the newest "condensing" boilers use considerably less gas. My gas consumption dropped by about 25% when I replaced mine a couple of years ago.

[EDDIE51]

You can still get gas water heaters that heat the water only on demand as you need it. They are quite a bit more sophisticated than the old 'Geysers'.

[Islay]

What about one of those hot water taps that sit on the side of the sink?

[hc4361]

Plenty of ideas to think about. What hot water taps, Islay?

[ubasses]

I think this is the type of thing Islay mentions
http://www.quooker.co.uk/enuk#lybclBvhmIj5u0Kh.97

[EDDIE51]

^^ a Quooker tap
http://www.quooker.co.uk/enuk#LFLMK1hHTwETjXQO.97

[Hymie]

I don’t understand why your boiler has not got the following settings: Off / Hot water only / Hot water & Central heating.

Set to Hot water only, it should not pump hot water through the radiators; perhaps you have a fault with the central heating pump running when it should not.

[jennyjoan]

Eccles has a quooker if I am correct

[jennyjoan]

Hymie I am the same as you - HW - for hot water - CH - central heating.

[hc4361]

Hymie, it has never heated the hot water.

[hc4361]

Thanks for that, Eddie. Shame there isn't a quooker style thing that dispenses hot, not boiling, water.

[jennyjoan]

HC - you have only been plumbed for central heating which would be one switch

At the time I was getting my central heating years ago I was well aware of that (my plumber wasn't going to do it) but I insisted he gave me the two switches

[hc4361]

Another issue is limescale. I have very hard water and a kettle hardly lasts me a year.

[hc4361]

JJ, it came with the house.

[Islay]

That's right guys a qooker! If you are using it for washing up just add extra cold water.

My central heating is on timer but not my water!! Half the time we just use the central heating for an hour a day and dry the clothes on the radiators so the heat is not wasted.

[ummmm]

I don't think Quooker's are recommended in hard water areas. I think I read that on here.

[TheChair]

NJ, I'm pretty sure that hc4361's objection is not to the concept of an element immersed in water, but rather to the wastefulness of using it for an hour a day to heat water from cold to hot. The heater in a solar tank comes on maybe a few minutes on some days to raise the temperature by a few degrees.

It's probably better if you refrain from sarcasm under circumstances where it only goes to emphasise you failure to grasp the issues - specially if you are going to follow it up with a suggestion that the OP has already indicated that he doesn't want.

[Old_Geezer]

I'm surprised there are systems that do the heating only: I just assumed a boiler would inevitably do both jobs, so I've learnt something.

So what are you using hot water for ? If just washing up then there's always the kettle. We used to use that as a kid as we only had immersion water heating (at least when the coal fire wasn't lit).

The Quooker is an option although surely that's always on keeping a smaller reserve near boiling.

But over sink heaters still exist. https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1EODB_enGB572GB591&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=over%20sink%20water%20heaters%20uk

[hc4361]

Blimey, those quookers are expensive!
I need hot water in the bathroom for washing, shaving and of course cleaning the bathroom.

I need hot water in the kitchen for hand washing, a bit of washing up and general cleaning and mopping.

I never run out of hot water but it annoys me that the kitchen hot tap runs 6 pints of cold water every time I use it. I know it's six pints because I run it into a clean, plastic milk bottle and reuse it. Still wasteful in my opinion.

The over sink heaters I've looked at this morning seem fine for hand washing but not for filling a kitchen sink. Dire warnings about burning out the element. Also it would have to be electric.

I appreciate all the ideas so far. My trusty old boiler must be 30 years old and apart from an annual service has never failed me nor cost me a penny in repairs. I have read many complaints that newer boilers don't last 10 years which is why I am reluctant to install a new one. I may be wrong but I'm worried about the mess, disruption and damage to my decor if I buy a new type of boiler.