replacing a 'direct' hot water cylinder with an 'indirect' one....

[Russ]

Direct cylinders are proving to be hard to come by.

Is there any consequences of replacing our knackered 'direct' one with a new 'indirect' one?

Guy at City Plumbing didn't seem to think there was....

[EricP]

When you say "direct" do you mean a primatic one?

[Russ]

"direct" as in it's got an immersion heater only

"indirect" being the tanks with the additional connections on the side and the coil inside, into which you'd feed water from the boiler.

All we've got is immersion heated water.

[meow2222]

then having a heat exchanger inside it will have no effect. You could use an insulated removed used one, which would not comply if heated indirectly.

NT

[Russ]

sorry, I don't understand what you mean?

[Rob Summers]

Santon do one, the PremierPlus.

Rob

[Russ]

but I/we may change our heating system in teh future, as the hot air heating system might be able to be modified such that it heats the water (like the Johnson Starley system we had in our previous house).

So, hence I am wondering now if I can use an indirect tank, thus allowing for future changes to the system.

[EricP]

You should be fine with an indirect cylinder then, you would simply ignore the extra plumbing for where the boiler coil would normally go. A new one should have the cold feed from the tank in the bottom, the top central pipe for the HW and expansion, and of course. the immersion heater boss on top as usual.

New cylinders are decently insulated and should save a bit on running costs.

[David Hansen]

On 5 Jan 2006 06:45:46 -0800 someone who may be "Russ" wrote this:-

That's a somewhat different angle to your original question. The answer is yes, the coil will simply remain unused.

If you are thinking ahead then how about installing a solar cylinder? These have an extra coil for solar water heating and better insulation levels.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

No harm in doing this and you've got the correct cylinder if you decide later to have central heating.

[Set Square]

In that case, the terms "direct" and "indirect" don't have any relevance to your situation. They both apply to situations where the water is heated by an external source rather than by an internal immersion heater.

With a direct cylinder - often used with back boilers behind coal fires - the water which circulates between the boiler and the cylinder is the *same* water as comes out of your hot taps. With an indirect cylinder, there is an internal coil/heat exchanger through which water from the boiler circulates, heating the water in the cylinder *indirectly* without mixing with it.

If you use an indirect cylinder, you will simply have an unused heater exchanger sitting inside it - it matters not one jot. In fact, it will provide a modicum of future-proofing in case you ever want to convert to an external water heating system.

[Russ]

Thanks Dave & Set Square

[Russ]

Lol!

THis is quite amusing.....

after all my worrying about direct or indirect tank, I've bought an indirect one - thinking our one at home here is Direct.....and it's not!

I've just checked it all roudn again now I'm at home, and sure enough, hidden away (very difficult to see, as the tank sits righ back in a cupboard it practically fills) are the 2 connections for the indirect heating!

Looks like the new tank I've got here has connections in EXACTLY the same points, which should hopefully make swapping the tanks over a bit easier!

Thanks for you help on here chaps, I like this forum!

[John Stumbles]

I think he means a skip-grade one (provided it's not leaking). You often find sound but aged cylinders removed where someone's up*graded to a combi or whatever. They're OK to use if they're foam-lagged but their heat echanger coils may not be up to current regs.

Another option with a direct cylinder might be to use it as a thermal store with a plate heat echanger, flow switch and pump to give hot water. It's something I've been plotting but not yet done.

• or 'down' if you're Dave P & co ;-)

[Christian McArdle]

(a) Direct cylinders are perfectly easy to come by. (b) Indirect ones can be used anyway.

If there is any possibility of connecting it up to a boiler in the future, get an indirect one.

Christian.