No gas. Can I leave immersion heater on all the time?

[JellySlice]

Our gas is cut off until Thursday. I can't work out from looking at the immersion heater whether it has any kind of thermostat. Can we leave it on all the time? Otherwise there will be no hot water in the mornings.

It will cost a fortune to leave it on all the time. Could you turn it on an hour before you need the hot water?

It's really really expensive to run.
Put it on just before you need it and remember to turn it off

As pp have said, mega expensive. Don't leave it on. Either switch on an hour before, or shower in the evening and have a quick freshen up with boiled water and a flannel in the mornings.

You can get timer plug/sockets, I fitted one to our electric immersion heater so it went on at 5 a.m for 2 hours for morning water and 6 pm for another hour for the washing up. Wasn't expensive. I got mine in Woolworths (shows age!)

You can re-use it as a security device on a lamp and radio, so that they come on for an hour or two in the evenings when you're next on holiday!

Immersion heaters work a bit like a kettle so aren't good for leaving on.
If you warm the tank at night it should still be hot AM.

Yeah, they're money-burners.

It's going to be tough enough getting everyone up in a cold house - I'm not getting up an hour earlier to get the immersion on!

Can't fit a timer as it's wired-in.

OK, back to babyhood - all will have to wash in the evening.

Hope the gas is fixed on Thursday, and at least it's not snowing!

If you put it on for an hour before bed then it should still be warm in the morning assuming your tank is well lagged.

Risk with that is that you forget and leave it on all night although it should have a thermostat and stop heating once the temperature is reached.

Costs 3 x your unit rate per hour to leave on. Work it out - GCSE maths and size of tank will tell you how long you need it for.

Each to their own, but as work and sweatiness happens in the day, evening ablutions seem to make more sense for adults. Go to bed clean.

I think we may all go swimming tomorrow. Simplest option, really.

Put a reminder on the pillow to switch it off wowfudge?

Easier said than done if you're tired!