HOW TO FIX YOUR IMMERSION HEATER PLUMBING TIP!!!!

[@debbiesaunders1815]

Thank you. Not sure if this is what’s causing mine to not work, but as a single low paid female, worried about cost of calling engineer out, your video has given me a chance if saving money and doing it by myself (possibly). I don’t begrudge paying a plumber, but when you don’t have money, it just makes me feel sick at the potential cost.... fingers crossed I can resolve problem (please God, if there is one)!! Thank you for making this video, much appreciated

[@adms007]

I can't thank you enough. As a single mum, with VERY limited funds, this has saved me a fortune. And I've learnt something! Thanks loads.

[@mrtreebus]

Glad I could help :-)

[@katopeters9980]

Thanks for the info, just saved me £125 by just changing the thermostat and not needing a plumber to fix it. All the other clips I looked at were changing the whole element and never mention it might just need the thermostat changing.

[@tomjennings1451]

Thank you for this. My 92yr old neighbour has an immersion heater and asked me to look at it, I now have the answer without too much worrying about what I might find if I undo nuts and bolts. Thanks Again!

[@secretsandra1]

cheers you have really help me and my 88 year old dad out he is blind and was a plumber. I fell shore i can do this now, my sons a Electrician and lives in Cornwall. Dad and me are in Blackpool. thank you very much for taking the time to do this. xxSan .

[@arsecheese51]

Dude, you just saved my little family from yet another day without hot water.. Having boiler troubles and immersion had gone too.. You've saved the day

[@kobalt77]

God Bless you my friend. . This is pretty much the same set up as I have ( I live in Scotland ). I got a new Boiler and thermostat fitted a year ago, and it has worked perfect until the past week. Now the "Reset" button is tripped ever day. It works fine until it trips, so I am guessing it is the Thermostat that needs to be replaced, which is pretty crap after only a year. I think the previous one lasted 25 years or more. Thanks for sharing this video, so helpful of you.

[@RoyleOak]

My 'indirect' cistern is primarily heated by a gas boiler, and I use an electric immersion heater as a back-up only. When simulating a gas failure, the old Immersion-heater was bringing the water to the boil - - - so I fitted a new safer thermostat (with 2004 cutout). Mr Treebus, you are so right to recommend setting the temperature near to the centre of its range, as when I set it too high it was triggering the safety feature. I now have the "gas" and "immersion" adjusters set to 60 C (= 140 F). To those new to the job, it should be said that this is a 'dry' job with no need for any draining.

[@lagerchimp1]

Very helpful. Replaced thermostat for £10

[@mrtreebus]

Great job

[@8333P]

Thanks for the great tip, my thermostat was quite blackened inside on inspection. Contact was stuck open and the wire leading into it carbonised. Everything working fine now after thermostat repacement. Cheers!

[@allwheel1978]

Thanks for the video. Managed to replace the thermostat and we have electricity back.

[@mrtreebus]

Fantastic 👌🏽

[@sphenesounds]

Good video mate, mine kept tripping out after the council reinstalled it, so I had to keep pushing the reset button - ive now lowered the temp to see if that helps, so far so good.

[@MrWilsontaylor123]

Just followed your video to the T and hey presto it works, probably saved a fortune in call outs and false quotes, thanks ever so much

[@neilwoodward7336]

Brilliant film. It worked for me. 100%. I'm not scared of fixing things. I read lots of negative comments here. I understand that tradesmen are hindered by H&S. But stop trying to scare or baffle the rest of us. A thermostat replacement (as demonstrated in this film) is simple! Why should someone pay a plumber £250+ for that???

[@stephenbolton1700]

Cant agree more.better too learn too fix it yourself than not

[@neilwoodward7336]

@@stephenbolton1700 Thanks. Unfortunately replacement of the thermostat didn't work! It was the heating element in my case. So... I did need to get a professional in. But he was a friend with lots of experience. We did the job together. (His guidance, my muscle). It's a simple job, the thing to be careful about is not twisting the tank. It's got pipes attached to the wall. So be careful not to strain those pipes.

[@zeee149]

Thanks very much! After following your instructions, it was only the thermostat that needed resetting, not even replacing! I didn't know how they worked really, or that they had this reset, so thanks for explaining! : )

[@Sexytoast103]

Great video shows you exactly what to do, and so easy when you know how! Probably saved myself £100+ spending £10 on a new thermostat and fitting it myself :) very happy to have hot water again!

[@bruceeugene7500]

i realize it is kinda off topic but does anybody know a good site to stream newly released series online ?

[@atticuslangston9756]

@Bruce Eugene i use Flixzone. You can find it on google :)

[@yaelwallace8965]

@Bruce Eugene Lately I have been using FlixZone. You can find it by googling :)

[@JulieBickerdike]

Brilliant - just found this - did what you said and hey presto its working again...... THANK YOU!!!!!

[@mrtreebus]

Fantastic 👌🏽

[@MadHobbitStuff]

i watched your movie, did the reset, now its working again, thank you so much, you saved me tons of ££££££

[@periurban]

Thanks. Great informative video that saved me time and money! The thermostat had been badly fitted and the points inside it had burned out.

[@debbiesaunders1815]

I wish I could like this video a thousand times for helping me out x

[@StateGiant796]

Cheers for this video mate. I'm attempting this tomorrow and needed a step by step guide.

[@AnIrishVoter]

Thanks for contributing. My immersion is now back up and running.

[@TheAkashicTraveller]

This brings back memories. Of thermostats failing ON and taps spewing nothing but steam.

[@jarlathbyrne3146]

Thanks for sharing this video. You made everything clear. Thanks again Jarlath

[@WELLBRAN]

Just did this job today and waiting for the water to heat up found this most helpfull Mine did not cut out and melted the top also burnt the T wire so had to reconnect that also but simple enought to do once you have done it its not daunting

[@bertiebassett1972]

Nice video and well explained but (sorry but there always is) if the tank was on economy 7, the circuit would be dead and testing it by switching it on wouldn't prove anything unless the time clock was energised the circuit wouldn't become live. And testing for dead would be a great idea just in case. Great video mate

[@hedgehog1965uk]

Thanks for the video. I have an electrician coming tomorrow to look at my immersion heater, but I suspect that it is just the thermostat that is at fault. I didn't even realise that the thermostat had an adjuster on it. I understand that I have to pull the 15A fuse in the fusebox to isolate it? I think I'll go and have a look now and maybe I will be able to cancel the electrician.

[@shrimpfarmer]

Thanks very much for taking the time to post this video mate, mine packed up this morning so I will follow your instructions and see how I get on.

[@paulrimmer5632]

Thanks so much, just saved me a fortune.

[@garrygemmell5676]

Nice video I didnt realise you could buy the thermostat separately but its best just to replace the whole thing in one go! But you should have done some electrical testing first. Would have been nice to see the tool you use to remove the heater and see the condition of the heating rods. If the thermostat is gone its best to replace the whole thing - Mine has just gone but its the opposite - my thermostat has failed on and hence loads of boiling water is venting out of the tankhouse on the roof so the thermostat has jammed open the opposite of yours but its been working since 1963. Not bad; like all old technology it is the best - over 50 years old and only just failed now! I have a Toshiba microwave from 1960 and its still going strong.

[@colincourier]

very very good thought my world had fallen apart and a big plumbers bill.thanks for the tip.

[@iainmartin7009]

Agree with the "Heating Engineer". First thing I noticed was the Isolator has no fuse! Who fitted that plate? Test items with a multimeter if you know what you are doing. If you don't, leave it to someone who does! Never, ever have the power on and fiddle with the metal lid and nut. Always tighten the lid and nut first! Touching copper pipework and electric shocks are simple to achieve and could be the last thing you do. Be careful.

[@spencerwilton5831]

Iain Martin The isolator doesn't need a fuse, it is a dedicated circuit from the consumer unit with its own 16 amp fuse or RCD.

[@coliewobbler]

Thanks for that. Just tried the cutoff button and sure enough it worked. Had thoughts I'd be replacing the eliment.

[@stewmoir2006]

Very useful video thanks.....however I put the new thermostat in, which works, but soon after it comes on it starts to knock in situ. I've taken it out and used calipers and it is very slightly narrower than the old one so it seems to me that the new one is slightly loose and therefore rattles and knocks. Do you have a fix for this or should I buy a different thermostat and try again?

[@inspoceanmedia9729]

Thank you helped me really this morning

[@raymondanderson6921]

Thanks mate. My heating stopped working and I'm going to replace the rod 1st failing doing all that you showed I'll just get out the engineer out

[@raymondanderson6921]

Looks like I'll need an engineer out seems like it might be the circuit board in my combi boiler. The board looks fine or maybe it might be 1 or 2 of the fuses in the boiler

[@tabethbayanai4483]

Thanks very much for this video

[@Squivels]

Cheers man! Mine just needed a reset push! saved me loads of hassle :D

[@stephaneroqueta3746]

thanks a lots for this video . they change my thermostat few month ago and he stoped working

[@walbuzz]

Excellent video, well instructed and very clear and easy to follow. Many thanks for this information. 100*

[@thebikerepairshopformby]

Thanks for posting, very useful 👍

[@verdeboyo]

Hey thanks for that, great post. My one got so hot I could have made a cuppa with the water. As with your's mine is only the thermostat not working. Oh and just like I would do - lose the nut at the end!

[@kneeship]

Thank you I found the reset and we have hot water .great good video.

[@alidelacy]

Amazing video! My boiler is now working, thank you :)

[@nudgernudge9840]

Watched this before doing mine. Many thanks :)

[@101RED1]

Thank you, had no idea that there was a RESET switch on these things.

[@zszsalek85]

Very good, and a well made video also.

[@MrHoustay]

Cheers Mrtreebus for the video it will come it handy one day.

[@nirmaldalpat]

you are star mate ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@shaziah4210]

My landlords been ripping me off..Such high electric bills which 8 couldn't understand for 3.5 years!!! One person in a tiny one bed flat. I called their engineers out many times and not fixing properly and giving building jargon and you can see right through them..they just did not want to admit it was faulty and did not want to replace and spend money. It's had a knock on effect on my health and finances!!! I've just started to understand it myself they've not explained except that 2 days ago I learned about the emersion 3kw meter and the 2 diff. Switches and the possibility of costing. I need to call the fuel company to get further clarity. Omg!

[@spencerwilton5831]

Shazia H It's got nothing to do with the landlord ripping you off- he hasn't. You have simply not bothered to learn how your system works. Possibly you are on economy 7 tariff but heating your water during the day instead of at night. A faulty immersion heater cannot use more electricity without producing excess heat. If your immersion heater was on all the time the water would boil and you would notice. Educate yourself before blaming the landlord!

[@vipe7ify]

Hi thanks for this, its really helpful. I keep on hearing that its the element that tip however from your comment it could be the thermostat that can be causing the immerson bolier to tip? Has my Immersor bolier tips very time it switch on.

[@stone3t]

Thanks for this video! Very helpful, I'm going to do this work during weekend! Cheers!

[@seanmurphygaming]

Would the heating element if needs replacing stop the water from being heating up even though a timed program set?

[@jakey830]

Great video here! Fireplace & Stove installation in Staffordshire.

[@nijle]

Thanks Mate, you've just saved me a £35 call out, regards

[@Kyle0787]

Had a new thermostat installed a few days ago, but now I am not getting hot water. I did look online that it could just need a reset. Now I don’t have a clue what I’m doing but is it best recccomended to turn off all power to the immersion heater before attempting to reset?

[@kobalt77]

Thank you, very helpful.

[@conorj18]

Cheers man video is very helpful

[@pauljohnleadbeater5533]

Looks like my mum will have to get an electrician to deal with her immersion heater issue, trouble is we have a faulty motorised valve too which at times let's the heat from the hot water escape when it should be operational as per usual. Obviously it will be sorted at the end of the month. Sometimes these things are wear and tear so I can't punish myself too much. Maybe it was a case of an of it being old really and needs replacing.

[@MrJulianbowden]

Can you adjust the water temperature?

[@clairewright3148]

23 Dec and the so called emergency plumbers were talking about after Christmas. Thanks to mrtreebus we have hot water and are only £9.50 down. We have 2 immersion elements though and only one was fixed with the thermostat so we'll be looking at the how to replace the immersion coil after Christmas. Can't thank you enough.

[@electricwater83]

If the water is only heating just a little on top part of the boiler could it be more so the element then termostat?

[@mrtreebus]

Yep the element 👌🏽

[@goldenultra]

Cannot take out the immersion heater though I have the box spanner and a lump hammer. I noticed that the thermostat is dry when taken out of the tank, could it be the pipes need unblocking or changed as they could be 50 years old.

[@spencerwilton5831]

goldenultra The thermostat is supposed to be dry, it's inside a sealed tube and heats only by contact with that tube, not with water.

[@mrtreebus]

Sounds like it’s not filling up 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@alfreddalli5143]

thank you so very much, that is a good tip,

[@blackwizardboy]

excellent video , thank you

[@mrtreebus]

@BigDChixs Did you get it done ok ?

[@mrtreebus]

If its gone bang get an electrician but I suppose you should get on out anyway for this kind of job?

[@seanmurphygaming]

I got one in the flat I live in even with a time program set on the panel it doesn't heat up the water at all and when the advanced button is on it still doesn't heat it up

[@freya38]

If we have immersion heater does it mean we don't have a boiler?

[@ducky-o7y]

Always safely Isolate before opening up an Immersion!

[@Glenn7719]

We leave ours on 24/7 as its easier to keep on turning it off and on having a house with 4 kids. Lately ive noticed that our electric use has got stupidly high, like an extra £20 a week. Ive figured out that it was the heater as ive turned it off and electric has dropped significantly. So i am guessing its at fault somehow and all i could think of is the thermostat is broken making the element be constantly on?

[@MrChriss000]

Nope. if the thermostat was faulty (that way) your hot water would be too hot to use.

[@mrtreebus]

Ha ha Nice one , I did but didn't say it on video ;-) Thanks mate.

[@Efand]

So you don’t need to isolate the water to change thermostat please help ?

[@stephendriscoll7549]

That’s correct! Changing the thermostat only is a dry job!

[@AlexG-wk3nh]

my water has been seriously hot for a while and then now the top immersion (I have a top and bottom ECo7 i believe?) now the top immersion is tripping the circuit breaker when its turned on but when i turn that top one off its fine but the bottom one doesnt even work so i have no hot water, should i try what you are doing here? I have a bit of experience (Did plumbing at college) so i could manage this DIY myself but dont wana waste money if its not gona help, Cheers mate

[@mrtreebus]

Change the top element!

[@TheHeatingEngineer]

See conversation above with Claudia Deeley.

[@AlexG-wk3nh]

got a plumber to help, changed the top immersion

[@billcjones8399]

Oceano Oceano I

[@kevphillips02]

what is that part called that you replaced?

[@crazy8186]

good site, cheers

[@adamcarver9484]

where can I buy the new gear from please?

[@mrtreebus]

A pluming centre of B&Q mate

[@adamcarver9484]

+mrtreebus I've fitted a new thermostat and still no hot water any ideas? thanks mate

[@mrtreebus]

+Adam Carver think it's a case for a plumber or electrician to come out! Sorry.

[@idontleavelikesileavecomme655]

Nine year later and the rest button has been a bonus

[@nickbrick3953]

hiya m8 after changing heater ontroller....water ok.....but having to constantly press reset button....to an extent where cover has to be left unscrewed.....set it to 55-60 ? any help

[@braimahabdul3532]

Thanks a lot

[@PaulC1980]

Thank you

[@fcportosempre581]

You dont use Button Cut Out???

[@jamesheal5389]

I have to process these for scrap where i work, they are a pain especially the insulation foam when coming off 😑

[@mhassan8439]

Nice video

[@lordshoa]

What happens if some one leaves the tap running dripping how does this save you money with the immersion on constantly? I have come down in the morning to find no hot water one quite a few times because some one let the tap dribbling or dripping when they left it.

[@TheAkashicTraveller]

+lordshoa 1. Make sure you have a good tap that closes properly. 2. Don't leave the tap on.

[@lordshoa]

+Jack Evans Kids do not care about leaving taps on, any leak and you lose hot water costing money.

[@AlexG-wk3nh]

+lordshoa make your kids have cold baths for the next month reminding them daily that its because they left the tap on

[@bachellor4u]

hi, i just opened the immersion tank cap, and noticed the neutral wire was not connected to anything. is that correct? i know how to connect the live, and earth, but where does neutral connect to. thanks

[@mrtreebus]

bachellor4u You need to get an electrician.

[@MrChriss000]

Thats the earth not connected or you would have no hot water. No,it is not correct. Please refrain from electrical D.I.Y., Seriously; your understanding is not up to these tasks so its for the best you concentrate on other things.

[@michaelmcconomy1851]

you should have metered out the elements and then the thermostat...

[@nostar]

Every time I switch it on, it flips the fuse for all power but somehow have hot water, boiler is warm but no heating

[@k956upg]

use a multimeter to check if you actually have power there & that spanner is rubbish you need a long spanner lever with a hammer because if its been there for years forcing it will tear the cylinder. test resistances across element gosh i wouldnt encourage people to change the element themself unless there on the ground floor & have loads of towel to soak up the remaining top water above the element neck. there is a lot of power going through this.. leave on economy theory depends on usage

[@rafaeldsouza7625]

Good technology

[@Feelnice1000]

That thermostat reset switch is tiny, I nearly thought I didn’t have one but I have hot water again after pushing it back down😬

[@mrtreebus]

That’s handy, and saved a job 👌🏽

[@Feelnice1000]

mrtreebus set the temperature dial to 62-65 degrees (stops legionnaires disease), and if it still keeps resetting, change the thermostat (approx £30). If that doesn’t work, then you’ll need your electrics check for possibly power surge issues.

[@barun8216]

Do you have to hold the reset button for few sec or is it a little press ?

[@Feelnice1000]

@@barun8216 no you just press it back in. If it won’t stay pressed in then it’s tripping out and something more is wrong. Then you might need to change that part. It just lifts out. Make sure you power off everything before you attempt removal.

[@barun8216]

@@Feelnice1000 thanks mate

[@Lightyear66]

I just checked my heater element and have two of the white wires and neither one of the brown live are connected to the thermostat ! Is this incorrect ? if I connect the brown live wire which of the two white wires would I connect ? This was set up by an elctrician plumber ans seems odd to me because the noise of the water heating up seems continuos ! Any ideas ?

[@mrtreebus]

You need an electrician to look at that.

[@MrChriss000]

Brown (house live ) in to Thrmstat. white from thrmostat exit to element peg.(ignore colours) Blue to other element peg. Its alternating current, you cant wire anything up the wrong way round. Yes, your sparky/plumber took the p#ss.

[@ianhodgson6208]

could you not use a multimeter to check operation of the stat .

[@mrtreebus]

I did and it didn't work, so I changed it!

[@RoyleOak]

+Ian Hodgson , I have a background in electronics and a box of tools to match. For this kind of job and many others I think a "neon" screwdriver is all you need. GR

[@NebakinezaOG]

+Geoff Royle Neon screwdrivers are dangerous and should not be used. Even if the supply has been isolated, you should get out of the habit and throw that death trap away!

[@RoyleOak]

+Sebastian Preece That's a sweeping statement Seb. The sort of 'live' indicators I use are sold by B&Q; CPC/Farnell; Screwfix etc and are fully compliant with VDE; GS; & GE standards. Tools in themselves are not harmful unless the user is unskilled &/or a fool. I survived the old days when we stripped the wires with our teeth :) Now then, where did I put that carpet knife ?

[@NebakinezaOG]

+Geoff Royle Neon screwdrivers are definitely not GS38. My statement is purely built on the foundation that they use oneself as the path to Earth in order to 'indicate'. No thanks!

[@MrChriss000]

Cutting through the technical b/s and complaints of previous responders; (for e.g. the heating engineer's rant about electrical circuit checking; in a single phase house? The hot water element goes down and its a/c supply problem; apart from blown spur fuses, not in my 30 years) Safe isolation procedures. Take a £1.50 neon live indicator screw driver (or 16 quid indicator pen) and test it on something, turning the power on and off until you are sure it lights and goes dark indicating live . (you can do this with the immersion next step but if you can get no live indication replace the tool or check for fused spur problems until you do!) Turn the immersion switch off. Take the immersion cover off. Assume all conductors are live. Check for live and correct polarity with said tool by turning the power on and off again. (You are really just concerned with live being correctly connected elsewhere as 'the brown/red wire',and it is off) Check it twice, to make sure the test tool has not failed since you initially tested it it(1,000,000 to 1 I know, but it may be brand knew and dodgy which would alter those odds dramatically.) Leave the switch off. No other isolation procedures are necessary because the switch is in view(in this case). Without an ohm meter it is difficult to to test the element ( it should read a very stable roughly 19 ohms(U.K.),10 ohms in the U.S. for 3000watts) . Would I bypass the secondary safety switch? If my tank was in a basement or somewhere without risk,hell yes. Those little things are the primary cause of 'I've got no hot water!' If the tank is in the loft, dont alter the thermostat setting (it is usually glued with a blob of hot wax or silicone) and leave the secondary wired in. Lastly it should be noted that the whole element kit costs £26 from a leylands or similar,so if you are comfortable draining the tank etc it really isnt worth messing about.(The tank doesnt have to be 'emptied',just a few gallons so you can take the top loading element out) Leylands will sell you the big element spanner for £4, so change the lot and if its in the loft (and you rely on electricity for hot water) do it every other summer.(but tap gently against that spanner,copper cylinders are fragile) End of lesson,you blustering trade protection plumbers etc, and yes, I am a sparky. This one truly is not ROCKET SCIENCE!

[@StateGiant796]

@mrtreebus I did thanks

[@colinnixson975]

No use made of cable end ferrules to comply with 526.8. Principles are correct but workmanship & safety is a bit suspect.

[@NebakinezaOG]

+Colin Nixson I'm an Electrical Engineer & 17th Reg Electrician. What he has done is fine for BS7671. He does not have to use ferrules to comply with 526.8.1. Although I'm against any DIY electrical work, there is nothing wrong with what he has done.

[@TheHeatingEngineer]

This video is an example of an amateur DIYer using dangerous methods. It fails to show the necessary electrical safety checks that a qualified electrician would complete. The correct electrical procedures are there to avoid electric shock and over-heating (which can lead to fires). My Treebus is alive by virtue of good luck. Others following his example would be at high risk. Now to the details: There is no analysis of the electrical fault. If the fault is “My immersion heater is not working” then the entire electrical circuit needs checking. Please don’t do what this amateur has done and just replace a part, switch on and hope there isn’t a ‘bang’ (his words). If the property contains an old rewirable fuse box, then it needs replacing with a consumer unit with miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) and a residual current device (RCD). A fuse barely protects a circuit. An MCB trips in typically 0.4seconds compared with 5seconds for a fuse, which therefore puts much less heating stress on the wiring in a fault condition. An RCD protects human beings. If you want more info on then contact your local electrician, not Mr Treebus. In the video the flex is too long and at risk of heating and mechanical damage (being pulled). The spur switch is not fused. The fuse is there to protect the flexible cable, and is a better guarantee that the power is off AND cannot be turned on by ‘the wife’ wondering why the fuse box is switched off while hubby is fiddling with the wires. The bang she hears when she turns on is dead hubby hitting the floorboards… There is no mention of -: Checking the circuit impedance just as a precaution in case there is more than one fault. Checking the heating element resistance (Line-Neutral) and earth resistance (Line-Earth). The need or otherwise of an emergency cut out (ECO) - which is needed in this case and happens to be a feature of the thermostat fitted - not that our amateur Mr Treebus is aware, as it would seem. Functional electrical checks on the old and new thermostats. A continuity check on completion. A voltage check on completion. And it appears that the immersion cap nut was left hand tight so that ‘junior’ could fiddle with it, undo the cap and test the voltage with his fingers. Indeed, Mrs Treebus would place laundry in the airing cupboard (presumably), brush against the nut for it to fall off in time and risk her knocking off the cap an exposing her to an electrical shock. The reason the electrical regulations are formulated as they are is because people have died in times gone by and in their wisdom, the authorities deem it better to try to keep the population alive. Mr Treebus has just put himself, his wife, his kids, and any unsuspecting DIYer in great danger buy posting this video. He has also alluded to the idiocy of thinking that the services of the electrician are to be avoided. The electrician is there to keep the population alive, husbands, wives, kids and grand-kids.

[@UberAlphaSirus]

yup, what he said, not to mention if the imersion doesn't switch off due to lack off knowlege and bypass the seperate thermal failsafe on newer units etc etc, remember the thermal cut out operated for a reason, you only reset it after you find out the cause. otherwise you risk being rained on by 300 gallons of boiling water in your sleep. I get a run away emersion callout once per fortnight.

[@NebakinezaOG]

+TheHeatingEngineer I agree that there was no introduction regarding his technical competence and electrical safety however there are a few problems with your comment. Firstly, a qualified Electrician or Electrical Engineer would have followed the Safe Isolation Procedure (with the exception of live-diagnostics) before starting work of any kind. This should have been explained and demonstrated for the layman. Yourself as an 'Engineer' should have explained that, as already you felt the need to lecture about MCB/RCD protection. In the case of an Imm. failure, the first thing I would test is the cut-off, there is absolutely no need to test the entire circuit unless there is an absence of a fault past the local point of isolation. If this is case, no further work should be encouraged. This presents a dangerous situation in where a untrained person is trying to execute specialised high-risk tasks which could not only cause harm to themselves but also to others. If a DIY is technically skilled enough to change a cut-off safely, but to no avail, then a qualified Electrician should be contacted from there on out. How do you know there is a BS3036 fuse-box rather than a split-load CU? The flex is butyl heat-resistant (although I agree it is poorly fitted), however it isn't too long as it is less than 3m. The spur doesn't need to be fused, nor would it be a good selection of equipment if it was. You are confused as to the operation of a FCU in the context you speak of. An FCU would normally only be used to protect a cable if you were using two different cable csas or ratings, i.e a 2.5mm spurred socket from a 4mm radial, normally they are deployed to utilise proper circuit discrimination under fault-conditions. As this is not the case, there is no need to use an FCU in the manor you described. In this case, it serves as a point of local isolation and assuming it is a 3kW heating element and designed for 230/240V then it would draw slightly more than 13A. Considering the ambient temperatures required by BS1362s for correct operation and the current they will blow at, the FCU would nuisance blow too often. In practice, an unfused 20 amp switch on a 16 amp circuit would be preferable, as it SHOULD be installed on a circuit which is exclusive for the Imm. heater only. It is also worth mentioning that Mr Treebus did 'knock off' the spur and (judging by the time it took for him to energise the circuit) he had also isolated at the board meaning he has two points of isolation, no 'dead hubby' hitting the floorboards by your example. Testing is something that should always be performed, I agree with you there. However, he is just swapping the thermostat in the heater. There isn't really a need to perform Insulation Resistance and Continuity of CPC for such minor work, if you disagree that is fine but the reality of it is that a simply Loop test would suffice. Also voltage testing would be unnecessary unless there was a fault on commission (i.e lost neutral). Polarity and EFL would cover the installation, however I wouldn't expect any non-electrical technician to know this. I know you are just trying to help and to point out the dangers of DIY electrical work (which you have) however you have slightly confused the issue. My point is that you have, ironically, confused the issue further as you are mistaken on a few points. Going by your name 'TheHeatingEngineer'; I assume that you aren't an Engineer but a plumber who is electrically competent and probably have your 17th Edition to a Technician standard. Correct me if I am wrong, as I mean no offence, but I only say this because of some of the mis-information you have provided. To all DIYers, if you want to undertake your own electrical work then no one can stop you but at least obtain advisory information from a qualified spark. Source: Electrical Engineer & 17th ed Electrician

[@TheHeatingEngineer]

+Sebastian Preece Thank you for your comments. I am Part P to enable me to deal with the heating controls of domestic heating systems. And yes my trade, for what it's worth is plumbing. I am also a mechanical engineer by education and training in this and several other sectors, and both are substantial but I will not be trading qualifications here because the point of our intervention is we are trying to protect the public, I trust? The approach I chose to take was to mention a raft of procedures that were not followed to illustrate that there is more to this work than meets the untrained eye and as a consequence the likely dangers to the DIYer. I have not tried to write an account of the procedures necessary for the DIYer (or anyone) to do the work properly; and I have even tried to promote the use of sparks just in case the point needed emphasising...

[@claudiadeeley7998]

One of the best posts I've ever read. Things are never this easy when you've no idea what you're doing.

[@TheHeatingEngineer]

If you are referring to my comment about Mr Treebus' DIY effort then I am pleased to highlight the dangers to the untrained viewer in the hope that people will use skilled tradespeople so that the job is done properly and safely. Most people in my experience get away with doing such DIY work by sheer luck (eg Mr Treebus). It's so much safer to employ the professional than DIY, and more-so the electrician than probably any other trade. The training schemes that professionals use to gain their skills encourage them to look for any other obvious faults while doing the job they have been asked to do. So hopefully over time a home becomes a safer place. And yes the cynical will say that we are looking for work... and in a sense that is true. So what do the critics want us to do? To see a loose cable or broken fitting and ignore it? No, the professional draws it to his customer's attention and suggests a price for the repair. The customer then has a choice and is at least is aware that more repairs are necessary. I like my work and I like the thought that afterwards my customers enjoy the benefits of repairs that work and that are safe; they have a year's guarantee, and have avoided the safety worries about a DIY job. There is always the concern about the skills and morals of a tradesperson. It's a moot point. We are all human beings which means that some will be better than others. The regulations have tightened significantly over the years so you do have to know your stuff to be able to trade. I can talk for hours about this and related subjects but it's probably time to finish this particular comment. Thank you for your post.

[@andy1dp]

Geez this guys going to get someone killed with this irresponsible, very amateurish video! I’m a 30yr fully qualified electrician amongst other things and this truly scares the crap out of me. Only qualified/trained persons should carry out this sort of work to avoid the obvious dangers, so you don’t get prosecuted for hurting or even killing others or totally voiding your home insurance in the event of a fire, leaving you and your family with nothing! If they survive of course.

[@MrChriss000]

'Blahh, Blahh, ' trade protectionist bull shit. If this video scares you, you aint a sparky, are you? 'fully qualified'? I think not. Its a fxxcking handymans job.

[@andy1dp]

Joe shmoe - Illegal unqualified handyman's job who usually carries a paintbrush and a sink plunger? Maybe You?

[@MrChriss000]

Yup. plunger. check. paintbrush. check. Level 3 2330 with 7 distinctions out of 9 modules over 3 years. check.

[@andy1dp]

Joe shmoe Congratulations on the use of check lists, makes you a ‘Competent’ person. Unlike the guy in the video who doesn’t, by failing to use electrical test equipment to ensure power is isolated before exposing & working on the electrical wiring.

[@MrChriss000]

If you listen, the guy has turned off the M.C.B. at the consumer unit, and its his house, so he must be pretty sure the m.c.b. is correctly labelled. Because. When he has changed the stat,he fires it up and strait away knows to listen for the element humming,(displays experience, savvy and evidence gathering skills and awareness of the dangers). If he wasnt sure he would have switched off every mcb apart from the lights,I am pretty sure.and we know a 6 or 10 amp mcb wont run that heating element. He says 'no BANG' which people are mocking,but indicates to me he knows if the element was cracked it would knock the m.c.b./r.c.d. out sooner or later. In this case,the candidate has shown competence for the job. It is a shame he didnt use a simple neon indicator to verify source polarity and safe isolation,but in my view he has 'passed' as a thermostat/element changing handyman. I would happily send him round to check out a cylinder,unlike many of the 'part P' ers I have met, who were actually just kitchen/bathroom fitters without his displayed savvy or understanding of basic household electrical installations at all.