Tips On Choosing the Hot Water Cylinders

Hot water is one of the main requirements each household needs to possess. It doesn’t matter if you are building a new house or want to upgrade your current heating system you have to purchase a new hot water cylinder. Since there are many types and each has its own good and bad sides, in order to purchase the best one, you have a lot of things to consider. In the following text, we are going to give you some advice on how to make this decision.

The very first thing that you should know is that there are two types – unvented and vented hot water cylinders. The former one is a pressurized hot water system since it uses cold mains water pressure to deliver water to taps in your home. There are two ways to heat the water in this system – via solar energy or via the central heating system. You should definitely consider getting this cylinder if you are restricted when it comes to the available space since it doesn’t require a storage tank for cold water. Because it is a pressurized system you will need a number of safety mechanisms such as a twin thermostat, relief valves, and an expansion vessel. In addition, it can be installed anywhere in your home and you can simply connect it to the existing pipework. However, installing it is not an easy task which is why you should consider hiring a professional company like the cylinder guy.

On the other hand, you can opt for a vented cylinder. Unlike the unvented one, this uses cold water from a tank which is then warmed up by a source of heat. Again, this can happen in two ways – either via an immersion heater within the cylinder or via a heating boiler. Since the cold-water tank is essential, a vessel for dealing with trapped air is not necessary. This type of cylinder is cost-effective, fairly easy to install and maintain. However, it will take a lot of space since the water tank is required and also you will need an additional pump if the water pressure is low.

The next thing you have to consider is the size of the cylinder. You want something that is big enough to meet your family’s hot water needs, but on the other note, if you get one that is too big, you will be wasting energy and money. Since the capacity is measured in liters, and we cannot always say how much water we use during a shower or bath, you should try to determine the size you need by thinking about many taps you have in your home. If you just want to change an old cylinder, then it shouldn’t be difficult to determine which size to get. Just think if the previous one was good enough for your family or should you go with a bigger or smaller one.

Lastly, you should think about insulating the cylinder. This is a great way to lower the energy that is required for re-heating the water which is extremely significant during the cold months. Most modern hot water cylinders already have some type of insulation which is usually enough, but if you think that it isn’t, purchasing a cylinder jacket will save you a significant amount of money in the long run.