Hot Water Cylinder blowing elements

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Hot Water Cylinder blowing elements

mikemix

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#249046 22-Apr-2019 14:45

Hi all,

I have a Peter Cocks 250L solar ready hot water cylinder with both elements installed (top element connected to controlled meter and bottom element connected to my solar system being fed via a power diverter). Cylinder is about 2.5 years old and during that time 4 elements have blown as follows:-

Top element 3kw blew after 1.5 years, replaced with 3kw element which has just blown again

Bottom element 3kw blew not long after the top element, was replaced with a 2kw element which blew 2 months later then replaced with a 3KW element which is still going

Top element replacement is within the 12 months period so hopefully will be replaced under warranty but this is proving to be very frustrating.

I'm pretty sure the element replacements have been the incoloy elements.

What could be causing this? Cylinder?, wiring?, just back luck on the elements?

I'm based lower half north Island - water quality seems to be good

Any insights appreciated, plan on contacting Rheem tomorrow and run it by them

Cheerrs

Aredwood

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#2222192 22-Apr-2019 15:01

Check if the elements actually are incoloy elements. What material is the cylinder made out of? Copper, Stainless steel, enamel steel etc.

Are you sure that the cylinder is not accidentally being drained? Can sometimes happen if the council turn off the water supply temporarily for repairs. You may not know that it has happened if it is done while you are not at home.

Do you have any photos of the failed elements?

I would be suspicious of the water quality. As in Auckland, elements will often last for ages on council water. Sometimes the cylinder will fail before the element does. And even in my own house, the original 40 year old cylinder still had its original working element. Which only got replaced due to upgrading from 1KW to 3KW.

PolicyGuy

1727 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#2222214 22-Apr-2019 15:16

You need to be a little more precise about where you are than "lower half north Island" - that area includes Whanganui which has notoriously hard water from bores, as well as Wellington which has nice soft water from the Hutt River - and also say what is your water source, is it town supply, roof-fed tank, private bore, or something else?

You say "water quality seems to be good", but it's the hardness (dissolved calcium level) that has a major effect on longevity of immersion elements.
Back in the day, the box the element came in had printed on the outside "Five year warranty except in Wanganui <and a couple of other places>" 😟

cyril7

9058 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#2222216 22-Apr-2019 15:19

Kapiti is another area that injects bore water during the summer, water hardness goes up, cylinder failures rocket, been happening for some years now.

Cyril

sparkz25

750 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#2222219 22-Apr-2019 15:33

Have you had the Water tested?

I would start there and then look at what type of element you should be using.

As @Aredwood has mentioned if its the correct element it should last for years. And also post some pics of the element.

Goosey

2834 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2222277 22-Apr-2019 17:04

Good luck with Rheem and Peter Cox

Down here in ChCh, both manufacturer/agents and council have washed their hands of blowing elements and leaking cylinders.

Bascially Rheem/Peter cox refers you to the fact that the cylinders and elements are operating as they should and put the onus on you to prove its the water supply blowing them / creating leaks in the cylinder.

In ChCh, the problems surfaced with the introduction of chorine into the towns water supply whilst the council are running around bringing well heads above ground to comply with new regs (as a result of the debacles resuting from the Havelock North issues).

Ive replaced a family members element with a titanium version (a few bucks more expensive than a standard aluminium one) and havent had an issue since. This cylinder was less than 3 years old when the element self destructed.

I think the manufacturer isnt making cylinders like they used to and futhermore....quality of the imported elements has either dropped or they were shipped a whole boat load of sub standard elements.

mikemix

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2222320 22-Apr-2019 17:59

Thanks everyone for the replies, answer to the questions:-

I'm based in Otaki......I'm pretty sure we are bore water so will look at getting that tested.

Cylinder is Stainless steel, model is the Silver Bullet. Certain it's not being drained

Haven't got a photo of the photo of the current failed element as its still in the cylinder. According to the sparkies invoice the top element was replaced with a Sin3 3kw element so hopefully they actually put in the incoloy element which has also failed. Bottom element was originally replaced with a SIN2 incoloy element (have the packaging for that) and that failed with-in 2 months (sparky was going to send that one back) and hereplaced that with another Sin3 incoloy which is still going.

Interested in the Titanium elements - what do one of those go for and where can you source them? Worth bringing in from oversea's to get better quality?

Cheers

Goosey

2834 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2222371 22-Apr-2019 20:11

Not sure what brand and no name on the invoice from the sparkly/plumbers. it was $135 ex GST. (3kw).

And it was a silver bullet cylinder as well.
Me thinks if the rest of the country has issues....these all need to be escalated because obviously a manufacturing/ parts issue and id say Peter cocks know about this because the warranty on elements are only a couple years compared to the main cylinder which is at least ten years!

sparkz25

750 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#2222446 22-Apr-2019 22:10

mikemix:

Thanks everyone for the replies, answer to the questions:-

I'm based in Otaki......I'm pretty sure we are bore water so will look at getting that tested.

Cylinder is Stainless steel, model is the Silver Bullet. Certain it's not being drained

Haven't got a photo of the photo of the current failed element as its still in the cylinder. According to the sparkies invoice the top element was replaced with a Sin3 3kw element so hopefully they actually put in the incoloy element which has also failed. Bottom element was originally replaced with a SIN2 incoloy element (have the packaging for that) and that failed with-in 2 months (sparky was going to send that one back) and hereplaced that with another Sin3 incoloy which is still going.

Interested in the Titanium elements - what do one of those go for and where can you source them? Worth bringing in from oversea's to get better quality?

Cheers

SIN2 and SIN3 all sound like incoloy elements made by smiths.

Smiths Elements and Controls sell titanium elements their part number is STE3

https://www.smithsnz.co.nz/product/waterheating/tank-elements/titanium-elements/ste3/

Bung

6496 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2222481 23-Apr-2019 07:12

Note that Smiths recommend fitting a magnesium anode when using a titanium element. The type or condition of the anode seems to be ignored in most of the failed element stories.

Kickinbac

427 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2222656 23-Apr-2019 11:50

PolicyGuy:

You need to be a little more precise about where you are than "lower half north Island" - that area includes Whanganui which has notoriously hard water from bores, as well as Wellington which has nice soft water from the Hutt River - and also say what is your water source, is it town supply, roof-fed tank, private bore, or something else?

You say "water quality seems to be good", but it's the hardness (dissolved calcium level) that has a major effect on longevity of immersion elements.
Back in the day, the box the element came in had printed on the outside "Five year warranty except in Wanganui <and a couple of other places>" 😟

If it's a stainless steel cylinder there won't be an anode?

Rikkitic

Awrrr
18665 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2222657 23-Apr-2019 11:56

Not sure this adds anything useful but we are on a rural farm with very hard spring water and for years we had to replace the hot water cylinder elements every couple of years. This became unmanageable when the water destroyed our expensive new wetback. Water softeners have been used in the distant past but these were rejected for various reasons. The ultimate solution was a separate rainwater system for hot water.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos