I'm about to install a new hot water cylinder. My only heating option currently is an immersion, but I was going to buy an indirect cylinder anyway so I can consider connecting to a boiler in the (distant) future.
I was wondering whether the heating coil in the cylinder limits the length of immersion that can be fitted? Can I still heat the entire tank with just the immersion?
Vaci
Yes, but get a side entry immersion, not a long top mounted one. The lower it is mounted, the more of the cylinder it will heat.
Christian.
Yes but... A low mounted side entry one will need to heat all of the water before the top water is hot. The top entry one will get hot water at the top quicker (and lower down slower, of course) than the low mounted side entry one. Fancy immersion cylinders have one at the top (fast for small amounts) and one at the bottom (or used to). Decide on your usage pattern and act accordingly.
If you don't have the immersion on a timer and forget to put it on and use small amounts of hot water, I would suggest a top mounting one is more appropriate. If it comes on before you get home and you like baths, Christian's suggestion is probably better.
Top mounted ones are also easier to change (with respect to draining the tank).
Even with a single immersion at the bottom, convection and subsequent stratification lead fairly rapidly to usable hot water at the top. It doesn't have to heat the entire cylinder up to 65C before you get hot water.
Top entry ones rarely manage to heat the entire cylinder at all and are pretty hopeless for anything other than top up heating. I wouldn't have one as my only heater.
If I had electric only heating, I'd probably have immersions at the bottom and halfway up, with electrical supply to allow both at once. The top one would be permanently on and and bottom one timed to come on from 07:00 to
23:00.Christian.
Other things being equal; if electricity was my only option for water-heating; I'd have Economy7 electricity supply and use Christian's suggested lower element to heat the water at half-rate during 00:00 ~ 07:00!
Your water usage may vary - but you _are_ on Economy& aren't you?
With clothes-washers, dish-washers, tumble-dryers fridges, and freezers all set to operate on Economy7 - you know it makes sense.
I'm not even on Economy 7... my flat appears to have been designed in some optimistic era when endless cheap electricity was just around the corner - two hot water cylinders (one in bathroom, one in kitchen, permanently switched on), and electric underfloor heating all round.
You don't want to see my electric bill :)
True - but I guess not in terms of trying to extract or insert a 3 ft immersion in my limited cupboard space!
Vaci
WHAT!!! Phone up leccy company, ask how much would it cost to have an E7 meter fitted and get it sorted tonight!!!. When are you normaly in the flat?
However, without storage heaters, it may still be more efficient on a standard tariff.
Christian.
It's not quite that bad - there's been a central heating system added since then. I'm going to upgrade it to a combi that can supply the kitchen hot water too, and get rid of at least one tank. But alas there's no easy way of running pipework from the boiler in the kitchen to the bathroom at the other end of the flat - it's all concrete walls in between! 60s apartment blocks are very inflexible...
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