BlueworX
North london Plumbers
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Unvented Cylinders
What is a unvented cylinder ?
An unvented cylinder is a cylinder that has no vent pipe open to the atmosphere. It is a stored water supply that is heated either directly by use of heating elements (immersion heater) or it can be indirectly heated by the use of a boiler. The standing and operating pressure of thease cylinders is usually in the range of 1.5 - 3 Bar. The water supplied to thease cylinders is directly from your mains supply, unlike the traditional hot water cylinders wich are supplied from an cold water storage cistern normally located in the loft space.
New installations of unvented cylinders need to be approved by your local building control officer, approximately 72hrs prior to installation .
The installation and servicing of unvented hot water cylinders needs to meet the requirements of Approved document G3 of the Building Regulations.
Advantages:
- High pressure operation: You recieve higher pressure and increased flow rates from all draw off points ie taps and showers. If the system is designed correctly you can also achieve a higher flow rate when multiple outlets are used at the same time.
- Balanced pressure at outlets: If the system is designed and installed correctly , you should recieve equall pressure from both the hot and cold supply outlets
- Reduced contamination Risks: The risks of water contamination is greatly reduced due to the fact that you dont have a cold water storage supply in your loft.
- Greater siting flexibility: Because you are not reliant on the water pressure being supplied from a storage tank in your loft, you are able to situate the cylinder almost anywhere within your property so long as you have a safe route for termination of the discharge pipes.
Disadvantages:
- No stored water supply: There will be no stored water in the event of a loss of supply from the water supplier ie: Thames water.
- Space requirements: Although there is less pipework to install , the cylinder will require more space for the installation, but the greater flexibility in the installation location will probably make up for the fact that it reqires a little more space.
- Purchase Price: The initial outlay costs are a little higher than that of a traditional vented system , but the increased pressure and higher flow rates definately makes this system the prefered method for new installations and sytem upgrades.
- Poor supply flow rate and pressure: This type of system doesnt perform correctly in areas where there is low pressure supply from the mains. This can be overcome by the use of a ballast tank and booster pump ( normally only used in larger properties).
Important information
Unvented Hot water Cylinders have a number of saftey features that need to be installed and commisioned correctly otherwise you could be left with a potentially dangerous installation. Thease cylinders hold anywhere between 100l to 500l depending on the size of property and hot water requirements.
The pressure as mentioned before is much higher than the traditional unvented cylinders .
The saftey features need to be serviced every year by a qualified unvented heating engineer.
Dont be misled into thinking that a qualified plumber is certified to install and service thease types of installations. A competent person as described by the Approved Document G3 of the Building regulations is quoted as being a person with : a current registered operative identity card for the installation of unvented domestic hot water systems.
Blueworx plumbing and heating hold unvented certifications with the LOGIC certification body , we will take care of all your unvented hot water installation and servicing needs , please feel free to ask our technicians for proof of thier current qualifications.