weir Hot water system-top cut off cyinder!!??

[londonboy123]

Has anyone heard of the following before, or is it dangerous?

My mate bought a house a month ago, it is approx. 25-30 years old. He has no cenral heating,just convetor heaters spread around it. It is only a small 1 bedroom.

He has in his wardobe, a HW cylinder, with the top cut of (it is a standard size, pre-lagged with a sacrifiial anode label attached) - the rising main is going into it, a warning pipe going out of it and out through the wall nearby. He has 2 immersion heaters, he said one goes on at a set time, but there is no time clock with it, just 2 switches on the wall next to them! One is switched on, so I believe is constantly running. The rising main tess off from the cylinder and runs through the wall to an electrishower in his bathroom.

Is this weird-he has no vent pipe and no tank in the loft!! I have never known anything like this before and wondered if anyone had!!??

 

[twgas]

is it a fortic or def a cylinder with top cut off. some pics would be good.

 

[londonboy123]

i haven't got any pics i'm afraid, but i was just wondering if it was actually safe!! surely the heat will escape? obviously he has an electric shower that is not fed from it, but still, very very weird. I am asuming their is obviously a ball valve inside it, where the rising main enters! very weird!!

another point was he said his immersion (one of them) came on at a set time per day, but there was no clock next to it, just the wall switch! do some immersion heaters have a clock built it, eg/ next to the thermostat setting under the cap??!!

 

[Razor900]

Don't panic, sounds very much like a combined or fortic cylinder and if there is no timeclock to be found his prob has a meter with a built in economy 7 timer

 

[londonboy123]

i think he does have an economy timer for his immersion (lower one). so this timer is actually next to where the immersion is connected to the fuse in the consumer unit?

 

[steved101]

all immersion heater timers are usually next to the fused connection unit i believe.

 

[steved101]

Don't panic, sounds very much like a combined or fortic cylinder and if there is no timeclock to be found his prob has a meter with a built in economy 7 timer

sorry my previous post may / is probs wrong.

i have never seen an economy 7 timer before - how do these work/where does the flex run to? is there a timeclock built into the heater cap? the immersion's i have seen/changed are top up types, installed vertically at the top of the cylinders.

 

[Rico99]

Steve,

Economy 7 cylinders usually have 2 emersions, both on the side top & bottom.

Either one or both are connected to a time clock and control panel, that can override the timer with a boost function if more hot water is needed during the day.

Rico

Economy 7 ( Maxistore ) cylinders and combination tanks are designed to take advantage of the various electricity companies' cheap rate, night-time tariffs.
During night time hours the water contained in the cylinder is fully heated using this cheap rate electricity as its power source.
Any additional demand during day time hours is met by the boost immersion heater situated near the top of the cylinder.
Manufactured to the relevant British Standard specification and meeting the demands of Part L of the Building Regulations both cylinders and combination units are supplied with two immersion connections, two cold feeds with dispersion baffles, and extra thick factory applied insulation giving improved performance on heat loss.

 

[steved101]

thanks for that info Rico-been really useful.

Where would the timeclock be situated - away from the cylinder?
You are right there was one near the top (higher up) than the other and both were side entries. One was switched on and the higher (topup) one off.

2 cold feed's to it? I think I only saw one but haven't been round again yet ... it did look very weird though! I am surprised the water stays hot as it has an open top (but as you said it has extra thick lagging to elp against this) and the expanded volume of water must just rise near the top of the cylinder (obviously below the wanring pipe)!! Seemed dangerous asthere was no vent pipe though ... these must be very rare and old school nowdays surely though??!!

 

[Rico99]

Steve,

It may appear to have an open top, but this should be the cold water supply for the cylinder. As hot water is drawn off it is replaced from the open tank at the top.

If you look closely there shoude be a this tube that connects the top section to the cylinder underneath.

Rico

 

[steved101]

Thanks Rico-I will look tomorrow - it is really strange-looks weird! Never seen anything like it before!!!! I will also try and find the timeclock for the Immersion Heater - in case it is accidently not on a timeclock and costing him a fortune!! Where is the Time Clock likely to be for the Economy 7 Heater - downstairs??