what type of cylinder do I need?

[TV]

Hopefully a very simple question:

I am hoping to remove an old combi boiler that is now only used to supply hot water to a few taps, and replace it with a simple hot water cylinder/immersion heater combination. As the tank will be lower than the taps it will supply, and I can't see a way of having a high feeder tank, I was hoping to run it all at mains pressure. Is this ok, and can I just use a simple foam lagged type tank that stored hot water systems use? Is this what is meant by a 'direct' cylinder?

Thanks in advance for any help

 

[Agile]

If you want to have a mains supplied cylinder you need an unvented and it costs from £600 and needs a fully qualified person to fit it !!!

Better to keep the combi as the cost of electricity is three times gas!

Tony

 

[Softus]

Is this ok, and can I just use a simple foam lagged type tank that stored hot water systems use?

No! No no no no no!

(Just in case you misinterpreted Agile's mildly negative answer).

Is this what is meant by a 'direct' cylinder?

Not quite. A direct cylinder is one where the water you use is the water in contact with the heat source. Whilst a cylinder heated by an immersion heater would be direct, you need much more than that, because you're proposing an unvented system.

 

[TV]

Ah, ok, not quite such a simple question after all.

Thanks for the replies - I was hoping it would be a lot easier to remove the combi boiler, but maybe a decent service would be the cheapest solution, especially if I'm looking at £600 just for the tank. It just seems such an overkill to have such a large boiler sitting there doing not much.

I'm just glad I asked before going ahead!!!