| | |
|
|
|
Re: Hot water to the bath....? |
|---|
| message from The Natural Philosopher on 11 May 2004 |
ditch the combi. And get a hot water tank.
|
| Graham Wilson replied to The Natural Philosopher on 17 May 2004 |
If you are someone who likes to spend ages in the shower, then a hot
water tank is a pain. It's runs out of hot water. I also find that the
water pressure of a hot water tank tends to be quite low.
The only real advantage for a hot water tank is the ability to fit a
power shower. However, this empties the hot water fairly quickly.
Graham
|
| troubleinstore replied to Graham Wilson on 17 May 2004 |
If the hot water tank is in the loft below the header tank then the
pressure will be much better, but, like when I was living at home, the
hot water tank was in the bedroom and even filling a bath from the tap
was like watching paint dry.
Never had a power shower but I take your point.
|
| Graham Wilson replied to troubleinstore on 17 May 2004 |
My brother had a hot water tank and a power shower. The power shower
pump would pump the water from the tank at a very high pressure. It
was like having a shower under Niagra Falls.
However, even when the tank was very hot, it could only provide
sufficient hot water for around 10 minutes.
Graham
|
| troubleinstore replied to Graham Wilson on 17 May 2004 |
I never have a shower lasting more than 5 mins......
|
| The Natural Philosopher replied to troubleinstore on 17 May 2004 |
It makes no effing difference where teh tank is. What matters is the
pressure - thats defined by the header tank or the mains pressure
depending - and the bore of the pipe coming fromm it.
Th real adbvantage of a hopt 3water tank is it can deliver better peak
flows of hot water than any combi can ever hope to achieve. Pumped up to
mains pressure it can do it BLOODY quickly too.
I looked at the ghastliness and cost of a mains header tank, and pumps
everywhere, and a ghastly combi boiler that could only run one shower
barely at a time, and tehn looked at the cotst of a mains pressure
tanked system - and it was a complete no brainer. The tank is out of the
way in dead space in the loft,and holds enough water for two full to the
overflow baths, or about 40 minutes ofshowering, or about 40 minutes of
SWMBO leaving the hot kitchen tap running. :-)
IMHO the follwing staments are true about hot water systems.
(i) Unless you know you are in an area with an unrelaible manis supply,
there is no exceuse not to get rd of header tanks and go mains pressure.
(ii) Unless you live in a house with only one bathroom and shower, there
is no reason to waste good money on a crap combi boiler, unless you are
so pushed for space there is simply nowhere to put a hot water tank.
(iii) In short, the default heating system that PERFORMS rather than is
a poor compromise for budget operation, is to install a system boiler
and a pressurised hot water tank, large bore pipework, and luxuriate in
instant hot water, by the bath load, and simply never ever again have to
'wait for the tank to heat up' or 'wait till X has finished filling the
bath before washing your hands' or 'wait till everyone else stops
washing their hands so ou can have a shower that produces more than a
thin trickle of lukewarm water'.
The ONLY combi system I have actually experienced that in any way
matches what I have now, was in my sisters previous house in Germany,
where the boiler occupied the space of a small car in the basement. That
WAS capable of adequate peak outputs to drive two showers. And adequate
heat output to cope with regular -20C winter temperatures too. My guess
is somewhere in the 40-60KW output region.
|
| The Natural Philosopher replied to Graham Wilson on 17 May 2004 |
I have a mains pressure tank that is capable of delivering somnething
like 40 minuites of water.
Then use a bigger tank.
|
|
Archived message: Re: Hot water to the bath....? (UK D-I-Y House Improvement)
