Hot Water Cylinders

What Are Hot Water Cylinders?

Heating is amongst the largest energy-expense in many homes. According to one stat, it costs roughly 30-50% on yearly energy bills. Hence, it's imperative to have the best hot water heating system. There are many options to choose from, including air to water heat pumps and boilers. 

However, none provides as powerful yet affordable a performance as the heat pump or water heaters, whether solar hot water systems or others. Here are a few different kinds of warm water cylinders for those seeking hot water solutions to deal with cold weather. 

Hot Water Cylinders Types

Here are the most commonly found types:

Open-Vented Cylinders

A vented cylinder – an open-vented cylinder – is meant to be used with a regular boiler, otherwise known as a heat-only boiler. Moreover, it usually needs buffer tanks positioned between heating zones and boilers. 

Its tank gets filled by mains supply and employs gravity to provide warm water, then supplies it to other parts of the house. 

They're pretty popular among homeowners because of their dependability and capacity to work with most traditional heating systems. 

Furthermore, higher-grade copper is corrosion-resistant, which means the appliance can last longer, and it's a better option if the house has two or more bathrooms.

Unvented Cylinders 

An unvented cylinder is aimed to be used along with a system boiler, and it depends on mains pressure. In other words, homeowners won't have to place the header tank within the property to ensure water circulation throughout the home. 

These cylinders are versatile and help people save enough space in the house. In addition to that, they're manufactured using high-quality stainless steel, which makes them a reliable and sturdy choice. 

Thermal Stores

A thermal store cylinder essentially functions inversely to standard water cylinders. For example, standard water cylinders transfer the heat in the cylinder using a coil and make the stored water hot. 

However, thermal stores warm water stored in a tank, pass cold water using a coil to heat before it goes to wherever needed. 

A wood-burning stove is enough to keep the water cylinder warm; however, users may need an additional immersion heater or electric water heater in specific conditions. 

Some Key Factors 

Here are some key factors to remember before buying a gas hot water cylinder, an electric hot water cylinder, or some other:

Pressure Systems

In terms of hot water cylinders, two terms are widespread, and people will hear them often. They are mains pressure hot water cylinders or low-pressure hot water cylinders. 

Mains pressure water cylinders are made from steel and operate at about 600 to 1100 Kilopascal (kPa). It's close-vented, meaning they don't have vent pipes. 

As a result, it delivers water to the whole house at more and equal pressure. In short, they're high-pressure hot water cylinders.

On the other hand, low-pressure cylinders have poor water pressure compared to mains and other average cylinders. However, the pressure can be increased by adding water pumps.  

Density Elements

Two density elements are present in heat pump hot water cylinders: high density and low density. 

High-Density Elements

High-density components feature a shorter surface and produce much heat. In addition to that, they collect more limescale because of their more temporary surface area. 

These elements are recommended only for usage in soft-to-medium water areas as the power consumption will rise as the component degrades. 

Low-Density Elements

Low-density components feature an increased surface and employ the same energy amount as their counterparts. 

They don't wear down so quickly, thanks to the more significant surface area. Additionally, they generate less heat per sq. inch mainly because they draw limescale quite slowly than high-density components. 

It's a vital factor to consider for homeowners living in areas with hard water. 

Hot Water Cylinder Sizing

The size of an indoor or outdoor hot water cylinder is solely based on two things: how many individuals live in a house and how often they consume hot water. 

Broadly speaking, people should consider 50-liters per individual. 

Nevertheless, it's important to remember that a typical shower can use approx. 30-60-liters, while one bath can use up to 145-liters. 

In addition to that, hand washing may consume about 5-liters. And the dishwasher may take about another 30-liter.      

Primarily, if everybody in a home washes hands with chilled water, takes showers, etc., then 50-liters per individual should be more than enough. 

However, if they take a bath, wash their hands with warm water every six minutes, and the house has a dishwasher as well, then it's better to consider a large size hot water cylinder. 

Other Things To Consider

Hot water cylinders are armed with several features to prevent accidents, including drain valves, thermostatic valves, and T&P valves.

Drain Valve 

This valve is used to rinse mineral deposits from the tank. Apart from that, it can be used to drain a water heater as well. 

T&P Valve 

T&P valve is employed to relieve cylinders of different temperatures or pressures that are incredibly high. The valve closes automatically once the temperature/pressure comes back to the safe level. 

Thermostatic Valve 

These valves are utilized to keep a safe and secure water temperature. Wondering how they do it? Well, this happens by adding icy water to the hot water to reduce temperature.

Warranty

Typically, the warranty coverage for electric or gas water heaters runs for four to twelve years. The life expectancy can be increased if it's well-maintained. 

For longer-warranty heaters, households will have to pay more! However, models with extended warranty periods usually have high-quality fittings that can heat water quickly. 

Not just that, they have thicker and deep insulation for reduced heat loss. So, choose a heater with impressive features and a more extended warranty coverage.