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How does a hot water tank work?

8 Answers

Answered by Plumblife

7th October 2019

Plumblife answered the question "How does a hot water tank work?"

The hot water cylinder work normally by using a boiler which heats water passing through a coil within the cylinder transferring heat to the cylinder, once the cylinder has reached 60/65 degrees the boiler then shuts off. The cylinder may also be heated by an immersion heater, this is normally when the property doesn’t have gas.

Answered by PG Plumbing

26th June 2019

PG Plumbing answered the question "How does a hot water tank work?"

A hot water tank works by heating a volume of stored cold water to a desired temp ( normally 60 degrees ) The method of heating the water and the type of tank vary You can have a tank that is heated via a coil connected to the boiler ( indirect) Or you can have a tank heated by electric via immersions ( direct ) You can also have tank fed ( vented) or mains water fed ( unvented) a survey of property and customer needs to be carried out to ascertain the most suitable

Answered by Gas On Sea

29th May 2019

Gas On Sea answered the question "How does a hot water tank work?"

A hot water tank or cylinder is a storage item for your hot water, there are various types available with regard to how they are heated, how they are fed (mains or gravity tank) and how the expansion works, pre checks to your property is highly recommended BoilerOne recommend you consult a verified plumber to advise you on options available

Answered by Garvey Plumbing & Heating LTD

7th March 2019

Garvey Plumbing & Heating LTD answered the question "How does a hot water tank work?"

There are various different methods of utilising a hot water cylinder The most common are 1) conventional direct Is a hot water cylinder which uses a tank as a replenishing source and heats the water via an immersion heater 2) conventional indirect A hot water cylinder which uses a cold water storage tank as it’s replenishing source and heats the water indirectly using the heating circuit to heat the water through a coil inside the cylinder from the boiler. The cylinder is essentially another radiator on the heating circuit but controlled using a zone valve and a cylinder stat 3) invented hot water cylinder which works using mains pressure to pressurise the hot water cylinder rather than feeder tanks and gravity. These cylinders are much better ventilated and do not require a pump to boost the pressure but you must have sufficient mains pressure and mains pipe volume to cope with the demand of the property/bathrooms 4) if the pressure is insufficient then a booster pump may be added to aid the water pressure to outlets and/or a breaker tank with a single impeller pump for unvented systems

Answered by A J Marsden Ltd

27th February 2019

A J Marsden Ltd answered the question "How does a hot water tank work?"

Firstly there is 3 main type of modern cylinder. 1 Unvented. 2 Direct. 3 conventional 1 - Unvented cylinders have cold mains pressure coming into them. The cold water enters via a combination valve which reduces pressure to 3.5 bar then this enters the cylinder. Your boiler then heats the water indirectly via a coil and leaves the top as mains pressure hot water. These require installation by someone who is G3 compliant as they can be dangerous. 2. Direct. Cold water as above enters the bottom under mains pressure but is heated via an electrical element rather than a boiler. 3. Conventional. A tank will either sit on top of the cylinder or a larger plastic tank in the loft. This fills the cylinder via gravity then leaves the top of the cylinder as hot water. It can be heated either directly or indirectly. This is a good solution for poor pressure areas as you can also pump the hot water.

Answered by A Royal Flush Plumbing

12th February 2019

A Royal Flush Plumbing answered the question "How does a hot water tank work?"

there are two types of hot water tanks (cylinders). the indirect and direct. Indirect is normally heated from your gas boiler via a coil inside the cylinder,.This cylinder also has an immersion element as a back up. A direct system usually has two immersion elements one towards the bottom which is usually economy seven powered, so comes on late at night when it is cheaper to heat up the water. the higher element is for a boost during the day if needed. these systems can either be vented or unvented. Vented have a cold water storage tank with an expansion tank in the loft feeding the cylinder. these are normally low pressure unless a pump has been fitted. Unvented cylinders (commonly refereed to as megaflo's) have no tank in loft. these are fed direct from the mains and have an expansion vessel fitted. these give a higher pressure of hot water throughout the house without the need for a pump

Answered by PipeDream Plumbing

11th February 2019

PipeDream Plumbing answered the question "How does a hot water tank work?"

Hot water tanks, or cylinders as we call them work either by being heated direct via an immersion element or via a heat source such as a gas boiler. A direct system usually has two immersion elements to heat the water with one normally supplied via an economy 7 meter. An indirect cylinder will have a coil that passes through it, this uses the boiler as its heat source and an immersion element fitted as a backup option.

Answered by A.D. Energy

9th February 2019

A.D. Energy answered the question "How does a hot water tank work?"

An indirect hot water tank is a tank that has a coil inside the cylinder and is heated by another heat source. This heat source could be a gas boiler or a renewable energy supply. The heat source heats the coil and the coil then heats the water around it. A direct hot water tank is a system that is heated directly at the tank. This could be a immersion heater or a gas fired hot water tank. This system has no coil to heat the water. Systems can be vented systems or pressurised (unvented). Vented systems are open to atmosphere and have tanks in the loft that feed the hot water tank and allow for hot water to expand. These are low pressure systems. Unvented systems do away with the tanks and work on mains water pressure. These then have expansion vessels to allow for expansion in the water.

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