WHICH HOT WATER CYLINDER? TANKS, CYLINDERS AND HOW THEY WORK
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Ever wonder which hot water cylinder or hot water tank you need? Which will offer the best supply of hot water and flow or pressure? Ever wonder how they work? Do you know between your unvented tank, vented tank, direct and indirect hot water supplies, coils, immersion heaters, secondary returns and expansion tanks and pipes? No? Then watch this video, it should hopefully help you out! We cover everything from the main types of cylinder - including fortic cylinders! If you want to learn more about these tanks, then follow the link here: www.kingspan.c...
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#plumberparts #plumbing #hotwatertank
Hope you enjoy guys! *_You can visit my Amazon Tool shop here!_* www.amazon.co.uk/shop/plumberparts and my *_Vlog Channel here_* ua-cam.com/users/TimesWithJames ALSO Diagram at 3:49 - I know but it was only for indicative purposes so the leyman can get an idea. I don't expect people to pipe up their houses according to these drawings - it's just so they understand the principle of the system!
plumberparts wait; weren’t you gonna mention solar? Well, you mentioned it, but I was hoping it’d get a bit more detail.
What about self priming?
Being an old bugger I can barely keep pace with you but I LOVE your videos - full of enthusiasm, down-to-earth thinking and common sense. Keep it up!
Just a big thank you for the time, effort and energy theses vids take. I find them very informative and useful as a DIYer. No I don’t fit boilers and unvented water systems but I do basic plumbing within the scope of my capability and use your vids and blogs as a means of enhancing my skills to do the jobs well. When I was an apprentice, some 45 years ago, the work we carried out as an electronics engineer covered a multitude of skills. So blow lamps and solder don’t phase me, I now want a pipe bender so I can emulate the excellent work I see you and your followers do on Instagram. Why? Because I want to and have the time to do it. So thanks again 👍🏻
A lot of information and important for those of us who know nothing of plumbing other than the plumber's number.
I'm doing a surveying course at the moment and these videos are really easy to follow, they make a subject I know next to nothing about pretty easy to understand, cheers James, keep them coming
Thanks mate im doing my bpec level 2 and trying to understand the hot water. Educational and funny. Sorry to hear about your friend 🙏 cheers mate
I wondered what my tank was called! It's incredible that just about anything I care to wonder about, that nice chap from Plumberparts more often than not has already uploaded a video on exactly what I'm looking for. Amazing!
I install a desertification pump so the whole cylinder is equal temperature top and bottom. And always use a rapid recovery coil or coils. And thermostatic diverter valve so when cylinder is up to temperature the TDV closes and send the central heating directly through the radiators.
I like doing it as best I can and efficiency is key.
Good man James
Brilliant mate .. you crack me up ... ive just installed 7 ariston electric heaters and made damn sure there was at least a meter before the first bend.
Why the 300 mm before the first bend? Just for ease of replacement?
Sorry to hear about your mate James and thanks for the content .I'm just doing my plumbing course(with books just at the moment )and your videos are helping me alot.thanks
Thinking of getting rid of combi boiler. I I had one of these installed how would I solve the heating? Is the only way storage heaters?
Sorry for your loss, thanks for the vids!
Is there an indirect vented cylinder able to accomodate air-to-water heat pump, solid fuel stove and oil boiler?
I've got a 35 year old Gloworm fuel saver mk11! It works great. Everything gets bloody hot! Rads/water really hot. Do I need to change it?
James - in this video you referred to a “double indirect” tank normally used in conjunction with solar systems. Can you possibly expand a little on that please?
Ty for ur work. left revision for hot water exam till the day before lol
Good clear explanation thank you.my tank is leaking so gotta get new one in .it's a rayburn I have on peats .wood and ovites.what is best tank for this.i run two or three radiators off the fire too mostly.
This is the first time I have heard of gravity fed system when you have pressurized city water or even well water in areas where water is hauled in sometimes the water tank is kept in the attic above for gravity feed
Thank you for all your help am ready for my exams 👍🏿🙌🏿
Hi
If I am installing a shower dose it have to be copper piping from the water tank in the loft down to the bathroom downstairs or can I use plastic piping
Regards
Hugh
Thank you!!! Needed info about the tanks!
Is there an indirect water tank with all the service holes on one side ! I want one to replace my old cylinder which as the boiler loop in an out with the cold water feed in the same side ! If not is there a solution ?
My hot water tank is more than 12 years old. I don't know how much older it is, just I've been here 12 years and it was already here. I want to put a modern digital controller on it, and might change the immersion heater element because by now it must be thick with lime scale. I'm going to get a plumber in, but I'm not sure what I should ask, or how to tell if my lack of plumbing knowledge gets taken advantage of. I'm half tempted to ask him to replace the entire cylinder. Would that be a good idea? Or should I just go with the digital thermostat and leave it at that? Opinions please :)
Brilliant video as usual. I'm sorry to hear about your friend.
Hi mate,
I watched one of your vids about pumps. Now the questio I did not grt an aswer to is wether the ta k size matter?. And is there mini um required for a pump just 1 bathroom
This is so much better than strictly mucking around on a dancefloor that's fixed by the BBC producers.
thanks for the video James. Sorry to hear about your friend.
What about horizontal unvented cylinders? Do they work as well as the veritical?
If there’s a massive run of pipe to let’s say your mixer shower and you’re converting the system then I’d usually put a pressure reducing valve just after the mains stop tap under the sink then I’d go to the cylinder in the airing cupboard and then on the cold feed to the cylinder I’d like stall an in line strainer none return valve then a prv and then just before the inlet to the cylinder I’d tee off for vessel. It makes the job so much easier plus you can just put a drain off after the stop tap just before the reducing valve to drain down the water to service the valve and then that way the whole supply is balanced.
Great video. Is it possible to swap out an old vented direct cylinder (approx 15 years old) for a new unvented direct dual immersion cylinder and would you recommend it? Refurbishing a top floor flat (water tank in the loft) and want to improve mixer shower pressure as well as EPC rating. Thank you.
James love you channel, its brilliant, does the vent pipe t off the feed pipe, because in my level 2 book it shows it as a t off from the hot, at the top of the immersion heater, if that makes sense. Cheers
If I have two elements in my tank is it necessary to wire both of them to the electricity or can I just wire up one
I have an integral hot and cold water cylinder. After having some work done in the bathroom we've noticed the hot water flow to our taps has reduced. A plumber told me it's because of partial blockage in the cylinder. Does this make sense and what can I do about it?
Whats the lowest flow rate you have had on a unvented cylinder and did it function ok?
Is there anything that dictates the minimum size of a hot water tank, with respect of any regulation/certification?
Currently have a 150L Kingspan tank which seems to be sufficient for our needs. Getting quotes for ASHP and they are proposing 210L tank.
Why do fortic tanks have so many holes in them if cold water is at the top and then it should have a single hot outlet? And 1x immersion?
Tanks alot mate
maybe I missed something,but you mentioned three types and solar,, I,m interested in solar aspect.. I want to use my hot water tank as a big heat store powered by continuance solar electric,,,could you recommend the tank I should use!!
I too would like to know more about this .
Have solar system installed 2 months ago, use eddie device to heat the water from electric of the solar.
Hey James, perhaps you can help answer a question which has always troubled me? All the water tanks you featured seem highly inefficient. Surely by using cold water pressure to force out the heated water you are mixing the two in the process meaning by the time you have used half the capacity of the tank the water will be coming out almost cold?
duhakiiHD That's why correct sizing is important. And why tanks have baffles / diffusers inside them to prevent the water mixing too much and instead retain stratification- the cold water sits at the bottom of the tank while the hot water rises to the top.
Hi any chance of a video on a accumulator booster.
Does the vented cylinder need another jacket on, would it make a difference to my bills? or would I be wasting my money, because its got its own jacket stuck on, like foam.
Sorry to hear about your mate, condolences to you and his nearest and dearest.
I've got a quick question for you too. I've got an indirect system with header tank, I'm going to fit a water softener what is the best way to make sure the water in the header and cylinder is replaced with soft water. Do I drain it all then fill from the softener? or will it over time mix and everything become soft? All the best.
I would drain and clean it out and then refill
Sorry to hear of your loss dude. I’m probably being tight, but would love to know if you could fully answer my question. We are soon to be moving house to a property with 3 bathrooms that has had a recent combi boiler. I’d really like to have a fantastic shower, loads of water and pressure, the other two I’m not so fussed about but would also like to be able to run two showers at once at reasonable flows. What do you suggest? It seems a shame to ditch this
Quick question, can you change an indirect vented storage cylinder with and unvented indirect cylinder to improve pressure?
You need to have good pressure to fit a unvented cylinder so if you’re mains pressure is piss poor then you won’t be able to fit one.
Thanks mate
Amazing video, thank you so much for helping me understand tanks and cylinders, im very grateful.
Hi! Can this explode by accident? I am viewing rooms to rent and one of the rooms has this water tank in the room. Is it dangerous to have such a water tank in a room? I am not sure if mine is vented or not vented... Thanks a lot for your video.
great video well explained enjoyed the video
I have a 25 year old "thermal store" combination vented tank that needs replacing. Are such systems still recommended?
You said at @9:05 this is a direct unvented cylinder but you can also get a direct unvented cylinder. Did you mean to say Direct vented cylinder?
Great video mate spot on advice love this channel very goid information have a great weekend mate all the best
I’ve been on a job today ,where the fortec tank was above a bathroom and every time the customer filled the bath the fortec cylinder overflowed through the over flow any ideas why this would happen ?
Great video Jimbo . Sorry to hear you have lost a friend , sad times . Chin up dude. Life is shit at times.
Do a video on multi fuel thermal stores please.
IS it also possible to run the secondary return loop on a PIR?
Yes certainly many different ways you can kick in the secondary pump
Have you seen heatpump cylinders? They’re appearing in the United States. They have a condenser in the tank, and evaporator right above it. They suck heat out of the room, so potentially useful in summer instead of using an air conditioner.
Anthony Dyer Wouldn't be appropriate for the UK. We are more concerned with keeping heat in our homes. A cylinder that takes its heat from the surrounding air only means we need to run the central heating harder to make up the difference- we would end up paying twice for our hot water. Couldn't locate them in a garage or outbuilding as ambient temps get too low for them to function efficiently, and could cause problems with frozen pipes etc.
Great and very helpfully video. For sure I will check your Amazon shop.
Thanks. I have discovered I've got a Fortic tank watching this video.
very informative.👍
Great man
Got a 750×450 95 litre just want to know the size of elements
You don't happen to know cloin furze do you? Guy used to be a plumber and has a very similar personality...
Top vid, informative as always 👍
*Question* : I have an unvented cylinder (megaflo) that has both electric element and loop from a gas system boiler. The heating is off all summer and the hot water is permanently switched on at the programmer. How does the programmer / megaflo decide whether to use the element or the boiler? Or more to the point, can I save money by changing any settings?
The element is a manual standby should the secoundry circuit fail to hear the water from the boiler. The element is not wired into heating controls
@@getbry7452 So how would one manually engage it? It appears to be wired into the same FCU that the other electrical connections on the cylinder are?
@@juancornetto8243 I think it's the thermostat that's wired in that tells the boiler the temp has been reached and turn the 2 port valve to the off position.
I always thought three was a separate and dedicated switch to turn the immersion element on if needed.
I would look closely as the switch you refer to is probably the immersion switch , the boiler and controls are normally fed from a switch fuse by the time clock ( near the boiler if it's in a utility room etc). If you immersion is left on it probably doesn't come on load as the boiler is doing it first , also immersion heaters have an overheat stat nowadays and that can trip if the heating system stat is set higher
Awesome video bud!! Thinking about doing G3.
For the love of God , could someone do a review of a horizontal electric emersion direct tank?
Brilliant
Great vid. I'd be interested to know what the advantages and disadvantages of vented vs unvented are. Every plumber I've ever spoken to seems to think a pressurised tank is the way to go but I feel I a vented is right for me.
Leigh Emmerson issue with “vented” is you need to have a feed & expansion tank somewhere which takes up space, and you’re reliant on gravity for pressure. If you like a powerful shower then you’ll always get it with “unvented” and you don’t need a tank in your loft
@@bethgmc Thanks. Yes I was aware of that. I'm just concerned about leaks when bumping up the hot water pressure and I have two digital showers which give me wonderful pressures any way. Can't really see a good argument for switching.
Changing to unvented is not that straight forward and careful consideration@@leighemmersonis needed for existing appliances. Digital showers would need to be changed if a 3bar system goes in. All new builds have unvented or combi boilers
@@leighemmerson are the showers on a pumped system currently ?? If so an unvented cylinder would do away with the pump . If you have a stored system the pressure is always the same and I the event of the water being off you still have 25 to 50 gallons stored so can still use a shower . Unvented cylinders are good for 3 storey houses with no loft space or if you are converting the loft and want to remove the cold water storage. I have a vented system heated in the winter by a wood burner and immersion in the summer.
how can you tell the age of your hot water tank ??? ha no lables on it x thank you in advance
Ooh. Majorly wrong diagram at 3:49. The vent pipe is never off the cold water feed pipe to the cylinder. Vent pipes run off the hot water outlet on indirect cylinders.
I know but it was only for indicative purposes so the leyman can get an idea. I don't expect people to pipe up their houses according to these drawings - it's just so they understand the principle of the system!
@@plumberparts I hope not, but people do strange things.
I mean...there's vegans out there! (joking!) 😂
What about the old primeatic cylinder
You never mentioned Thermal Stores
I watched it for that too. I Will be getting one next year for Solar PV, Wood Burning Stove and Gas boiler backup. Only one I found that can do it is the Advance Appliances SFUTS. The Wood Burner I have in mind will be vented so the two systems are 'separated' with a Heat exchanger. MyEnergi Eddi will take care of the Solar Side.
@@highland-oldgit I have a indirect tank and thought that it might be useful to fit a DC 12V 300W Screw in 1 INCH BSP Solar Heating Element as a dump for solar panels. I have no idea what this threading is or how it can be coupled to the tank.
@@highland-oldgit Go to mcdonaldwaterstorage.com , they will make you a bespoke copper cylinder for your needs for a very reasonable price. Excellent service
I am doing a barn conversion at the moment, we're using a wood burning boiler stove and solar thermal for our heating system. I have had a NIGHTMARE with plumbers over this system. They seem very reluctant to design away from the standard systems they are used to installing.
where can i get the full version of that song i want to enjoy more of your beautiful singing
"shove it up your bum" Ha, cheers for all these vids James. They are invaluable and the humor is great! I've learned a lot from you and I'm not even a plumber!
Fortic tanks won't pass legionella inspections and you shouldn't be venting back into cold storage tank either mate. Decent vid tho 👍
Good morning Sir. Good video; as always. If you want any Tesla different immersion elements and stats give me a shout. Just if want to use them in one of your videos. Say hi to BIG G.
Ha ha just done a D2 yesterday at 290mm as another 10mm would of brought me out in the roof of the extension 😱, ooops, shoot me, and just for good measure I tee’d the 2 reliefs together and never increased to 28mm as it was only going about 2 ft , am I going to hell 😬, will the house fall down if both reliefs open at the same time ???
I'm actually a D2 safety inspector, can you please pass on your full details as I am going to send you and your family to prison..Thanks..
The diagram at the start looks wrong to me .you took the vent off the cold feed .should be from the top of the cylinder......mmmm
man dying in that dusty room to educate us for free :U
You take the tank supply and the could water supply form the low pressure side of a normal pressure reducing valve they are both equal pressure. What is a balancing valve all about ? Complicated way of doing a simple thing ?
😂
Do we even want to mention a boilermate? 😋
Don’t think that diagram is right at the start dude! 😬
🐸 still there 😂
james a really useful video and very simply explained in lay terms....talking of "bum head" really she looks like a beautiful girl !
Get a battered sausage and shut it up ya bum 😂😂you kill me
Bradley Cooper is a plumber 🤔
.....Bradley Walch voice.
I like leak proof pod no sewer or drain c connection it's disgusting
🤍🌸
now try and simply explain a primatic cylinder :)
1:30 still not talked about anything about what the video is about
Talking too fast
But very intelligent guy
Would appreciate if u explain things slightly slower
Thanks
I don't li e disgusting sewer