Hyco water heaters a bit crap?

[Tim Watts]

During house renovations (sigh) we have and will not have CH for a good
while.

I've been using a Hyco 9.5kW inline multipoint heater to run 2 sinks and a
bath - which is OK in itself.

However, they just don't last. First one blew one of its 2 elements just
after a year and the 2nd one is going dicky - throwing the overheat cutout
on a daily basis. I suspect the flow switch is getting sticky and not
shutting it off cleanly.

OK - they are only £100 quid, but before I nip down to QVS and put yet
anotherone in that will last slightly longer than the guarantee period, are
there any 9.5-10kW units that are not crap?

These are inline, no water storage, really simple - not undersink types.

Cheers,

Tim

--
Tim Watts

[Martin Brown]

Are you sure it isn't hard water limescale build up doing them in?

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

[Tim Watts]

We're not that hard here. Sure - there's a little, but the kettle only had a
mild deposit after 3 years. It's harder than Pembury (so soft it doesn't
even register on a hardness test kit) but a *lot* softer than south London.

And people don't replace electric showers every year...

What I do see when a hot tap is turned on full blast is small flakes of
black "grit" that looks like it might be element plating falling off...
Which is making wonder whether Hyco are just a bit crap.

I'm considering one of these:

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/SOILX009.html

As it is a little more civilised in regulating the temperature.


--
Tim Watts

[David WE Roberts]

"Tim Watts" <tw+u...@dionic.net> wrote in message
news:u7cn09-...@squidward.local.dionic.net...

We had an electric shower that used to do that - chuck black flakes out.
Use to block the shower head so I had to give the whiole thing a full blast
cold flush without the shower head on every now and then to clear it out.

Speaking of showers, any reason you can't use an electric shower body?
Seems like the general principle is much the same.

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

[Tim Watts]

David WE Roberts wrote:


>
> We had an electric shower that used to do that - chuck black flakes out.
> Use to block the shower head so I had to give the whiole thing a full
> blast cold flush without the shower head on every now and then to clear it
> out.

Interesting - I've not seen a shower do that.

> Speaking of showers, any reason you can't use an electric shower body?
> Seems like the general principle is much the same.
>

Only, except that most showers are not designed to have the outlet shut off
with a manual valve (tap) - so that could be bad as they would not be able
to operate their cool down purge.

Wonder if that's how showers last longer...

Anyway, TLC have one of the Zip heaters in stock - inlet/outlet connections
are of course reversed, but nothing a flexi tap hose won't fix :)
--
Tim Watts

[David WE Roberts]

"Tim Watts" <tw+u...@dionic.net> wrote in message

news:07fn09-...@squidward.local.dionic.net...

Showers never used to have a cool down purge, (our current one doesn't) but
they certainly lasted longer than a year.
AFAIK the older showers just have an off/cold/warm/hot control, plus a water
throttle.
However I do see that just using a remote tap will rely on the overheat
protection unless you also implement a remote power switch so probably not
the best idea.

[Scott M]

Tim Watts wrote:

>> Speaking of showers, any reason you can't use an electric shower body?
>> Seems like the general principle is much the same.
>>
>
> Only, except that most showers are not designed to have the outlet shut off
> with a manual valve (tap) - so that could be bad as they would not be able
> to operate their cool down purge.

I installed a shower unit (ebay bargain!) as a water heater in a stable
block before xmas. Plumbed it to the unused sink hot tap and then
ensured that the tap couldn't be shut off. Works well.

Oddly enough, I then saw the exact same unit being used as one of those
over-sink-water-heaters-with-spout affairs just days later.

--
Scott

Where are we going and why am I in this handbasket?

[Martin Crossley]

My Redring Powerstream 9.5kW has survived 16 years including regular misuse
filling the bath.
Similar price from a couple of places I've just looked up, and a three-year
guarantee.
Martin.

[Phil L]

Why keep throwing good money after bad? - why not just install a cheapo
combi and blank off the CH flow and return until you are ready to get the CH
up and running?

You've already spent over 200 and are planning to spend another 100 - my
combi from b&q cost me �280 and has been running perfectly for 5 years

[Tim Watts]

This was only supposed to be a temprary measure pre CH.

Installing a boiler is too hard right now (flue + flat roof mainly) so I
don't have a lot of choice sadly. Bloody crap manufacturers...


--
Tim Watts

[David WE Roberts]

"Tim Watts" <tw+u...@dionic.net> wrote in message

news:eifp09-...@squidward.local.dionic.net...

Get an Aga - you know it makes sense ;-)

[Tim Watts]

David WE Roberts wrote:


>
> Get an Aga - you know it makes sense ;-)

Wouldn't work - bungalow - no convenient place to put the HW cylinder
upstairs to ensure a gravity circuit works.

Yep - I've been through all the design :)

I'd have to say - the design of the Zip Inline looks much better than the
crappy Hyco. Brass heating unit rather than plastic - and a reassuring Made
in Germany. As ever, buying cheap shit is never worth it - although I only
anticipated needing it for a year - then I got a job 60 miles away so house
renovations are now *very* slow (little kids don't help - well they do,
"she" just held some pipes in place while I did up the nuts, but we're not
into +ve net gain territory yet...)
--
Tim Watts

[m.r.su...@gmail.com]

Suspect you were right on the flow switch. Mine did the opposite. Two years on the little reed switch on the inlet refused to operate and so all the elements failed to switch on. I emailed HYCO and they supplied me a New Part FOC . Top Guys !

[Tim Watts]

Hycos are shit in my personal experience - blew the element after little
over a year.

[m.r.su...@gmail.com]

Unfortunate that it just went out of guarantee , elements can be temperamental ! Yes a two year warrantee would be better to cover such occurrences . Some companies do offer this , some companies operate 'good will' and will be understanding .. As I posted HYCO were very good with my heater and helped me out with fix FOC . The performance of the unit is really very good , and in my case I'm very happy with their product and service support .