Chauffe Eau - luke warm water

[Hester]

Hello, we had our chauffe eau installed six years ago and usually have it switched on for four hours a day which gives us enough hot water.   This morning the water was barely luke warm, so assumed there is a problem. However, when we switched it to come on again the electricity meter is flashing, indicating power and thus heating up? But still not getting much hotter. Can anyone suggest why this might be happening. Thanks, Hester.

[woolybanana]

Is the water in your area very hard?If so, the boiler could be furred up and unable to het properly.

[Gardian]

[quote user="woolybanana"]Is the water in your area very hard?If so, the boiler could be furred up and unable to het properly.[/quote]

Yes, but you'd get a gradual degradation of heating power (as it were).  This is presumably a sudden 'malfunction'.

Try listening to the chauffe eau when the juice is on - you should hear a soft sound a bit like a kettle warming up.  If nothing, then either the thermostat, the fuse, or the ballon itself is kaput. 

[Hester]

Many thanks Gardian and Woolybanana.     But......sorry to have wasted your time, it turns out to be the plug in timer. Should have tried that earlier but it was working on the overide, just the hours that were timed to come on when it didn't work. Lesson learned: plug in timers don't last forever. Thanks again, Hester.

[Gardian]

Good.

Glad it was that rather than something more expensive and time-consuming to fix.

[Nick Trollope]

And plug-in timers are interdit on chauffe-eau, I'm afraid.