Hot Water Cylinders

Hot Water Cylinders Types

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Hot Water Cylinders

Hot Water Cylinders

Most modern cylinders come with foam lagging bonded on to the outside of the cylinder. This is an extremely efficient insulator and will keep the water hot for a long time. There are a lot of different shapes and sizes to suit the space available, but the capacity of the cylinder is important. There are lots of different types of cylinder available, all of which basically store and supply hot water, but in different ways. The 5 main types of cylinder are:

Direct Hot Water Cylinders

Direct which are only for use with Circulators because the water is heated directly.

Indirect Hot Water Cylinders

Which are for use with any type of central heating system. This is because the water from the central heating goes through a coil of pipe within the cylinder (giving its heat up to the water in the cylinder) but doesn't mix with the water in the cylinder. This type of cylinder usually has an air bleed on a pipe at the side, often the pump and motorised valves are located in the same cupboard

Primatic (self priming) Hot Water Cylinders

Primatic (self priming) - only for use with gravity systems because the water for the central heating is taken from within the cylinder, and is only separated by an air lock (system additives must not be used with this type of cylinder as this will come out through the hot taps)

Thermal Storage Hot Water Cylinders

Thermal Storage - a large type of cylinder were the main cold water is passed through a coil of pipe within the cylinder taking its heat from the thermal storage and supplying the hot taps. The central heating circuit is also taken from the cylinder.

Unvented Cylinder

This is the same as an indirect cylinder except there isn't a header tank, and it's connected directly to the main water supply giving mains water pressure to the hot taps and showers. This is probably the future standard because of the reliability and true mains water pressure. They come in various sizes and are ideal for the larger home.