Immersion heater keeps tripping any ideas

[RetroTed]

I have an oil powered heating system approx 10 years old. Generally I use the immersion heater to heat the water for baths etc but when I switch it on at the switch that's located in our kitchen on the wall it trips all of the electricity at the breaker

However if I use the normal oil heating system on either water only or water and heating that's operated off a different power supply it works with no problem and the water gets nice and hot

Has anyone got any ideas ( element )as I'm mechanically minded and would like to tackle it myself

Thanks

[ch427]

If the immersion heating element in the tank is the only thing on that particular switch then it sounds as if its knackered. Getting it out can be a challenge, a box type wrench will be needed.

[hairyben]

Yeah the immersion heaters only last so long. Any half decent spark or plumber can swap it or if you're minded that way yourself it's not hard especially if it's top entry, either way make sure an alloy one is fitted not a copper one- they're only a couple quid more.

[justanotherJC]

Sounds like the immersion heater is borked. If the element has failed and is shorting, that would trip the breaker.

Isolate the cold feed to the tank, and you'll need to drain some water out as well (I can't tell you how, I haven't seen your tank). The immersion heater should be fairly obvious - it's screwed into the top of the tank, just to one side with a mains lead coming out of it. Obviously you should isolate the mains before removing it!
Once you've removed it, you'll have an idea which one to buy from Wickes/B&Q/Screwfix/Toolstation/etc.

To quote Mr Haynes (probably incorrectly) 'Refitting is the reverse of the above procedure'.

Hope that helps.

[RetroTed]

Thanks for the advice

[Bill]

It is very easy to split a copper cylinder using too much force on the spanner. Tbh I'd either do without (Oil is half the price of electricity after all.) or get a bloke in.