Looking to replace water cylinder which type needed?
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36 x 18 is the size in inches (before metric came along) which would be 915mm x 457mm (approx), so a new cylinder would be probably 900 x 450, however you need to tell us if the property has been extended to incorporate another bathroom /en-suite and if anyone else is living there. Don’t know much about the material as haven’t had the pleasure of working with the stainless steel ones.
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36 x 18 is the size in inches 36" 18" wide
Indirect is the type of cylinder used most commonly meaning the water from the boiler runs through a coil in the cylinder and never mixes with the hot water used for washing. As the label says the medium cylinder will withstand 10 metres of head, you have barely a metre there so that is fine. Copper is fine you can go stainless if you wish but a copper one again is OK. the foam is insulation you can buy non insulated ones and fit a jacket but stick with foam insulated much better.
Given the position a taller one is not practical but you might get away with a wider one if you want to increase the volume of water.
Indirect is the type of cylinder used most commonly meaning the water from the boiler runs through a coil in the cylinder and never mixes with the hot water used for washing. As the label says the medium cylinder will withstand 10 metres of head, you have barely a metre there so that is fine. Copper is fine you can go stainless if you wish but a copper one again is OK. the foam is insulation you can buy non insulated ones and fit a jacket but stick with foam insulated much better.
Given the position a taller one is not practical but you might get away with a wider one if you want to increase the volume of water.
Why, is there something wrong with one you have?
A stainless steel cylinder might come with an impressive-sounding guarantee (10 years?) but you have to have it inspected internally at specified intervals, which in practice hardly anybody bothers.
If cylinder isn't causing a problem, dont worry about it, that one is fairly modern by the look of it I would however, be looking at the strength of the wooden platform supporting the cisterns, and indeed replacing at least the Cold Storage (bigger cistern), for a modern equivalent with fitted lid, and lagging. Ideally the smaller central heating F&E with something with a lid and jacket also.
Hi everyone thanks for your advice and comments I think the cylinder is faulty as the inlet and outlet from the boiler both pipes get hot but the out let from the top is only luke warm, generally the hot water in the house is only luke warm, also when the immersion heater is put on for an hour the hot water comes very hot, so I’m thinking there is maybe some scale on the coil but I’m not sure ?
I'd be checking the coil/adjacent pipework isn't blocked first of all. You could still get a slight circulation which would make the pipes hot, but insufficient to transfer enough heat into the DHW.
As above post - use a magnet on the pipes to coil, particularly on the return pipe (most likely lower pipe) and at the tee piece as that is where magnetite often accumulates - which resembles black coal. Sometimes a gentle few taps with something blunt on the tee piece might improve flow and prove that pipes are partially blocked.
Workmanship looks poor, soldering at tees appalling, pipes not insulated, no lid on cold water tank, tank supports look suspect.
Risky thing having a hot water tank in an attic, often above bedrooms, so be careful what you decide.
An unvented cylinder to replace the lot is still potentially dangerous and requires yearly service and always risk of leaks - the external expansion vessels of which can flood the house if their balloon diaphragm eventually ruptured and allows mains water to corrode the light steel vessel.
Sometimes traditional is best
Workmanship looks poor, soldering at tees appalling, pipes not insulated, no lid on cold water tank, tank supports look suspect.
Risky thing having a hot water tank in an attic, often above bedrooms, so be careful what you decide.
An unvented cylinder to replace the lot is still potentially dangerous and requires yearly service and always risk of leaks - the external expansion vessels of which can flood the house if their balloon diaphragm eventually ruptured and allows mains water to corrode the light steel vessel.
Sometimes traditional is best
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Thanks for all the advice one thing I have noticed is if the hot water is set on for one day say for one hour and not used on that day no shower or taps used and then set on for an hour the next day then used on the next day, then the hot water comes very hot at the taps, but if the hot water is set for an hour one day and used that same day for a shower or two
Then heated again for next day it’s not as hot just like warm, it’s like a cumulative effect, if hot water is on and taps are not used for a few days then used the hot water comes piping hot, but is the hot water is on for an hour then used daily for showers and washing up it’s only luke warm any idea why that could be dunno if that makes sense?
Then heated again for next day it’s not as hot just like warm, it’s like a cumulative effect, if hot water is on and taps are not used for a few days then used the hot water comes piping hot, but is the hot water is on for an hour then used daily for showers and washing up it’s only luke warm any idea why that could be dunno if that makes sense?
That makes perfect sense.
It would indicate the coil has very little flow through it and means cylinder water is not getting fully heated in one hour, but longer run periods of heating the cylinder will eventually heat it well.
The pipes going to coil are blocked or at coil.
It could have a tiny flow at present through a blockage and not enough to have fast heat recovery of cylinder
It looks like there's a lockshield valve for the cylinder return next to the Honeywell wiring centre.
Take the red handle from the illegal gate valve fitted above the boiler and see how many turns the lockshield is open...there's a faint chance it's insufficiently open of partially blocked.
Be prepared to pinch up the tamper collar if it weeps a little.
Take the red handle from the illegal gate valve fitted above the boiler and see how many turns the lockshield is open...there's a faint chance it's insufficiently open of partially blocked.
Be prepared to pinch up the tamper collar if it weeps a little.
Ok thanks for the advice so if the coil is faulty would a new cylinder help? The pipes going into and coming out of the cylinder from the boiler are very hot when the boiler is on but the pipe coming out of top is only luke warm ?
If the coil is blocked, and you are unable to clear it, then a new cylinder is a distinct possibility, but until you've checked the pipework to/from the cylinder for issues, dont condemn the cylinder. You could easily replace it and still have the same issue if the problem lies elsewhere.
Going back over previous posts, there is some heat transfer from coil into cylinder, as the cylinder will heat up, (and remain hot!), if no water is drawn off for a day or 2, which indicates there is some slight circulation through the coil, which would cause the pipework to get hot as you describe. Only this reduced flow through the cylinder isn't sufficient to heat the contents in the normal timeframe.
Check the flow and return pipework with a magnet, any sign of the magnet being attracted to the pipe? Copper is non ferrous, (i.e. magnet wont attract to it), so if the magnet attracts then there is something inside the pipe making it do so. What is inside the pipe at that point is your problem.
Going back over previous posts, there is some heat transfer from coil into cylinder, as the cylinder will heat up, (and remain hot!), if no water is drawn off for a day or 2, which indicates there is some slight circulation through the coil, which would cause the pipework to get hot as you describe. Only this reduced flow through the cylinder isn't sufficient to heat the contents in the normal timeframe.
Check the flow and return pipework with a magnet, any sign of the magnet being attracted to the pipe? Copper is non ferrous, (i.e. magnet wont attract to it), so if the magnet attracts then there is something inside the pipe making it do so. What is inside the pipe at that point is your problem.