Water heater repair

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone would have any insight into the cause of a water heater failing to heat? It's a small 30 litre / 6.5 gallon one which says Santon PT30L on the underside. It is quite old so I haven't been able to find any information online.

Would it be possible for a DIYer to repair it safely? Comfortable with plumbing, but not sure about the electrical aspects.

Cheers,

 

Sorry in terms of the problem...it was working fine and the began gradually make more and more noise each time it was used (sound a kettle makes) and made a low banging sound before it stopped working.

Thanks.

 

If it is older than 12 or 15 years, it has probably reached EOL, and needs replacing. I doubt fixing it would be economically feasible. Most likely the heating element has burned out. How is this thing suspended in the air like that?

 

Thanks. Is it generally straightforward to replace the whole thing with a new one?

There are brackets on the other side out of view.

Cheers.

 

Generally it's pretty straightforward but you have an unusual set up. If the replacement is identical it will be easy. Many new tanks come with more insulation which increases the outer dimensions of the tank. That might entail modifying the piping to fit.

 

This is mostly USA board so we are not so familiar with products/practices in Ireland. Santon appears to be in England, have you tried contacting their customer support number to see if parts or service are still available for this model? It doesn't show up on their product lists, so it is likely old, but they may still have parts available.

 

Spoke to them and they don't do parts for that model anymore so repair not an option anyway. Will look into getting one with as similar set up as possible and go the replacement route.

Thanks for the advice.

 

I'm just guessing but the heating element probably died on you, and it's likely a generic 5KW or 7.5KW element that you could replace it with . . . . but I have no idea what would constitute a "generic: heating element in Ireland.

Has your community ever suffered from low water pressure where the HWH may have been drained and the element allowed to be exposed to the air ?

Armed with photos, your local hardware store in Ireland might be able to match one up with yours. If it's not the Element, then the thermostat may have succumbed . . . . but you probably never altered it settings, so wear on it is doubtful. Still, the hardware store may have a direct replacement for it too, if necessary.