Physical location of hot water tank / boiler

Hello,

I have looked for my question before posting in the Wiki but could not find an answer.

My house currently has a gravity pumped system. I'm planning on doing a garage conversion and am thinking that a good way of freeing some space in a bedroom upstairs is, as part of the conversion to move the hot water tank downstairs. I think from a pressure point of view this is better than moving it to the loft. I'm not keen on switching to a combi boiler even though I will be replacing my existing boiler.

Currently, my hot water tank is directly below the cold water tank in the loft (and the boiler is directly below both). If I was to move the hot water tank downstairs I would not be able to place the tank directly below the cold water tank. I can't tell whether this matters - can the hot water tank be placed anywhere, as long as there is enough gradient on the pipework for the cold water to flow, or does it need to be directly below the cold water tank? How much does the relative boiler position matter?

I wouldn't be doing the work myself, but it is helpful to understand the limitations before speaking to the professionals...

Thanks in advance for your help,
Calvin

Google the difference between a gravity system and a pumped system and post back what you have.

I believe I have a pumped system based on this link: http://www.hounsfieldboilers.co.uk/heating-systems-explained/fully-pumped-open-vented-system

I have a hot water tank and a cold water tank, with what I believe to be a pump in the cupboard with the hot water tank. Apologies for the confusion but I had thought it was a gravity system with a pump, as I also have pumps on my showers suitable for a gravity system, rather than just being called 'pumped'.

Thanks,
Calvin

People sometimes get confused by the term 'gravity' in regards to plumbing. It refers to how the water is moved between the boiler and the cylinder coil. If it flows through a pump(s) and motorised valve(s) this is fully pumped, if it works by a thermosyphon (ie, convection) this is known as gravity.

Many people use the term 'gravity hot water' to refer to water that flows from a cold tank and through the hot water cylinder. But the correct term would be 'vented' or 'low pressure' hot water.

Provided the system is fully pumped you don't have to site the hot water cylinder above the boiler. But the vent pipe must be able to rise continuously until it 'ups and overs' the cold water tank.

Also, there are different grades of hot water cylinder, depending in the working head (ie, the difference in level between the bottom of the cylinder and the water level in the cold water tank. A standard grade 3 is good for 10m head of water.