Hot water cylinder

[NewhouseOldhouse]

Hi

I moved into house last autumn and heating & open fire back boiler was heating hot water cylinder great pipes pumping, few weeks ago I notice bot oil heating and open fire back bolier very slow at heating water, what could be up??

I have been reading about flushing system but radiators are hot. The cylinder is an old copper one with the red jacket on it maybe it needs replacing ?

Any ideas!??

 

[Nige F]

First thing to check is the feed cistern in the roof. Ballvalve might be stuck closed and the water evaporated away.

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

But the is water getting to the cylinder.

Nige F do y mean if fhe ball valve is stuck water may be trickling from roof feed to cylinder?

 

[oldbutnotdead]

There will be 2 tanks in the loft- big one for the water coming out of the taps, small one for the primary water circulating in the back boiler and oil boiler. Check the small one. It is even possible it was isolated by vendors/estate agents while house was empty

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

Will the small tank be beside the bigger tank?

 

[ianmcd]

Will the small tank be beside the bigger tank?

possibly but not necessarily

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

So let me get this right, the smaller tank is to fill the water cylinder and the larger tank is for the cold taps areound the house?

The hot taps are fed from the water cylinder?

There is an old Metal Tank in the loft which i think has been replaced with a large black plastic tank with foil blanket around it. Havent found the smaller tank yet.

Should there be a ball valve in the larger tank too?

 

[ianmcd]

No your hot water cylinder has two different types of water in it, the cylinder contains the water that comes out of your hot taps and this water is supplied by the larger tank in your attic, there is a coil of pipe that sits within this water that uses the same water that is inside your radiators , the two water never meet, they only transfer heat , the small tank supplies the water that is inside your radiators, all this is assuming that you have an indirect cylinder, there are older alternatives , called Primatic cylinders , some pics of your cylinder and the connections will allow us to identify what you have

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

So i take it the coil that suppplies the radiators with heat also heat the water in the cylinder for the hot water taps and showers?

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

I dotn have any pictures but what i can tell is, hot water cylinder in airing cupboard with water tank above it in loft. i have Open fire back boiler which heats water and radiators and oil fire central heating.

I also have an immersion heater on the cylinder which seems to be heating the water better than the oil or fire back boiler?

i have looked for a cylinder thermostat but can only see pipes and the immersion heater.

 

[ianmcd]

no the coil doesnt supply the radiators with heat, think of the coil as another radiator that is inside the HW Cylinder, and this "radiator" heats your water rather than a room

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

no the coil doesnt supply the radiators with heat, think of the coil as another radiator that is inside the HW Cylinder, and this "radiator" heats your water rather than a room

OK so this coil could be the issue with heating the water?? the immersion heats water fne.

I think it could be a Water cylinder replacement thats is needed!!

 

[ianmcd]

if the immersion heats the water fine , then replacing the water cylinder is unlikely to make a difference, I asked you to post some pics of your cylinder and all its connections, this is the first time you have mentioned an electrical immersion heater, we dont have crystal balls, we cant guess your set up

 

[NewhouseOldhouse]

Will do this later sorry

 

[oldbutnotdead]

The primary header tank you need to find should be metal (as should the large one) because of the open fire back boiler. The metal tank you mentioned, is there any pipework connected to it?