Expansion vessel in a domestic house

[Steve weightman]

Any reason why this cold water expansion vessel would be found in a domestic house it's massive

 

[Welder]

What's it connected to? Need much more info.

 

[Steve weightman]

What's it connected to? Need much more info.

Just connected to a cold inlet the system is unvented with system boiler

 

[Welder]

Sounds like an accumulator then. Is pressure not too clever where you are?

Alternatively it could be simply what it says on the tin - a darn great pressure vessel in order to give good pressure without drop off until 'much' later...

 

[Steve weightman]

Sounds like an accumulator then. Is pressure not too clever where you are?

Do You think it's acting as cold water storage the thing is there's no outlet just cold water inlet connected

 

[Welder]

Do You think it's acting as cold water storage the thing is there's no outlet just cold water inlet connected

No then it won't be. That why I asked.
Sounds like it's simply as I said later on. A huge pressure vessel. The only way you'll know how it impacts performance, is to take it out of the supply or to let all the charge out of it. Hope you have a compressor cos if its a bike pump you're gonna end up like Stretch Armstrong

 

[kris]

At that size I'd imagine like said previously, it's an accumulator simply boosting the cold water pressure, it would only have the one connection ,

 

[ShaunCorbs]

accumulator will be connected to the water mains

 

[kris]

I thought he said it was???

 

[Steve weightman]

I'm back on Tuesday I can isolate It via a lever valve I'll see what happens just seems OTT for a semi detached

 

[Gasinspect]

I bet they get a good power shower out of it! May be historical, might have had water pressure problems in the past. That might have improved since, but never taken pressure vessel out.
Make sure it has the correct diverter in the supply connection into the vessel so that there is no static water in it that could breed bacteria. It should send some if the flow into the vessel and back out, but some filters don't know what it is and therefore don't fit it. From the outside looks like an ordinary tee, but it has a clever sort of scoop inside it.

 

[Steve weightman]

I bet they get a good power shower out of it! May be historical, might have had water pressure problems in the past. That might have improved since, but never taken pressure vessel out.
Make sure it has the correct diverter in the supply connection into the vessel so that there is no static water in it that could breed bacteria. It should send some if the flow into the vessel and back out, but some filters don't know what it is and therefore don't fit it. From the outside looks like an ordinary tee, but it has a clever sort of scoop inside it.

All I can see is a cold feed to it will a lever valve for isolation. The pressure drops slightly with the valve isolating the tank is off. I can't imagine how it's meant to increase the pressure as the pressure in the tank will only be the same as the incoming mains .

 

[brian ross]

There will be a check valve on the incoming main before the accumulator so the pressure is trapped in the property from the overnight increase in pressures that come from low use.

 

[chris watkins]

As above,
ie. the water flows in both directions along the pipe tee'd into the mains water pipe.
When water pressure is higher than the air charge in the vessel it flows into the vessel & is stored.
When the air pressure is greater it pushes the water back out into the system to boost the flow rate.

Question is how do you know what the air charge should be to achieve this ???

 

[brian ross]

Ive got a 300L one at home, the manual says to basically measure the static pressure of the incomer (2.3 Bar for me) then set the empty accumulator to 1 to 1.5 Bar below mains pressure (Minimum Accumulator pressure is 0.5 Bar to 0.8 Bar). Im sure other manufacturers have their own rules but that what my ColdStream said.

Mines set at 1.3 Bar and has worked very well to improve flow rates for me for the last couple of years. Very noticeable difference if I close the isolator off. Great bits of kit where you have space. Still considering a pump to get it up to 3 Bar to improve the showers, but thats another days game.