Hot water cylinder replacement

[brian_mk]

I need to replace a leaking hot water cyclinder.
So far I've contacted about 4 plumbers but none have got back to me, so I'm considering tackling the job myself.



I have bought a drop in replacement cylinder with connections in the exact same positions.
I'm hoping to re-use the existing immersion heater as it has never actually been used.

My question is...

Will there be enough 'give' in the pipework to allow me to remove the old cylinder without cutting pipes?
As far as I can see, it means lifting the hot water outlet pipe up by about 1" to pull it out of the compression fitting to allow the cylinder to be slid to the right to remove the pipes to the coil. The horizontal 22mm section of pipe is about 20" long and the fittings are soldered.

The cold feed to the right has a conex conector at the top of the photo just below a gate valve.
You can't easily get to the elbow fitting at the bottom right of the cyclinder.
I'm hoping there will be enough give in the pipework to pull the cold feed pipe down and out of the compression fitting.

 

[SimonG]

The bottom line is that there's no magic to changing a cylinder, if it goes ok, the magic or craft comes when it goes pear shaped and you can sort it without breaking a sweat.

 

[happyflyer]

still I always use bearers under copper cyls as taught by blokes with grey hair and only use ply under cwsc as per the regs.

Lame Ply wasn't invented then that's the only reason they didn't use it, that practice was never used up North, always flat on the floor, I think it more like the spread on chipboard floors and if it ever got flooded the cylinder would be in the lounge downstairs. Hell of a bad practice you look at the edge under a copper cylinder and 2 bits of 3 x 2 puts a load on a very small area. I have a mega flow proper feet, no need for crap bits of off cuts, anyway it looks a mess too, looks like a joiner got involved.

 

[lame plumber]

Lame Ply wasn't invented then that's the only reason they didn't use it, that practice was never used up North, always flat on the floor, I think it more like the spread on chipboard floors and if it ever got flooded the cylinder would be in the lounge downstairs. Hell of a bad practice you look at the edge under a copper cylinder and 2 bits of 3 x 2 puts a load on a very small area. I have a mega flow proper feet, no need for crap bits of off cuts, anyway it looks a mess too, looks like a joiner got involved.

time you northeners started to pop back to college for some retraining, or is Mr Blower wrong when he says "it is important to make provision for air movement under the storage vessel by standing it on battens. Failure to do so will result in the formation of condensation, causing damage to the wooden or chipboard flooring" page 196 para 2 book one of Plumbing mechanical services as used by those taking their city and guilds. millions of plumbers cant be wrong 🙂

 

[happyflyer]

When did a million plumbers ever take their City & Guilds, training at B&Q on Sunday morning maybe, I suppose if its in a textbook somewhere lame it must be right,
or in a building regulation somewhere, hell I give in, you got me bang to rights, does it tell you how far apart the 3 x 2 should be

 

[SimonG]

How out three strips of 3 x 2 with ply on top with holes drilled in it for ventilation?

 

[happyflyer]

Now that would look much better Simon, but Simon when and where would this so called condensation form

 

[lame plumber]

to spread the weight evenly according to my old mates, and if you can have them at 90 degrees to the joists even better. well if there are over 100,000 gas safe guys out there there must be 10 fold more pumbers past and present and I hope to god your the only one shopping at B & Q on a Sunday, as Ray wont be happy and wheres your pride gone 🙂

 

[happyflyer]

1. I've recently tried to find if a regulation exists for bearings for standard hot water cylinders, our local building control say there's nowt and cylinder manufacturers say the same but I have a quality control fella in our office asking why I havn't put all sorts of board and bearing configurations under, any help would be gratefully received !
   
   
   
   Lame the above just got off a website, what dust ya make of this
   
   Tony

 

[happyflyer]

• Hi all
  I am a newbuild home owner with 4 years to run on my nhbc warranty however this does not cover my leaking hot water tank.I believe that this tank may have been fitted incorrectly and that this has been the cause of the leak.The tank (900x450 indirect cylinder)is supported on 2 pieces of wood 40mm x 25mm and 230mm apart which does not support the whole base of the tank.The tank is raised by 25mm.Is this correct as I have been told the whole base needs to be fully supported??Now fighting with builder to make good on the repair.
  Thanks in advance.
  
  
  Lame mmmmmmm another one for thalbum
  
  Read on!!!
  
  
  http://community.NoLinkingToThis/th...er-tank-causing-it-too-leak.77741/#post-77741​

 

[lame plumber]

cmon, have some pride, you go on the screwfixforum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[tamz]

It is good practice to fit cylinders on a flat ply base rather than bearers so the cylinder is fully supported. The risk of condensation below on is virtualy non existent if the cylinder is in use.

Bearers are the cause of a high number of cylinders failing as the movement due to expansion and contraction eventually rubs through at the point of contact.
If the cylinder is fully supported the pressure is spread across the full rim.
Next time you remove one that has just been sat on a chipboard floor have a look at the ring that has been worn into the board due to thermal movement.

Years ago we used to mount the cylinder halfway up the kitchen wall sitting on a bit angle iron or 1" mi cut into the brickwork across a corner. All the old heads knew the cylinder would fail at the point of contact so would place a bit sheet lead on the bar to help extend the tanks life.

Just not so common sense really.

Btw pet cocks should be banned but thankfully up this way the standard practice for a cylinder drain off is a sludge cock piped to outside.

 

[happyflyer]

It is good practice to fit cylinders on a flat ply base rather than bearers so the cylinder is fully supported. The risk of condensation below on is virtualy non existent if the cylinder is in use.

Bearers are the cause of a high number of cylinders failing as the movement due to expansion and contraction eventually rubs through at the point of contact.
If the cylinder is fully supported the pressure is spread across the full rim.
Next time you remove one that has just been sat on a chipboard floor have a look at the ring that has been worn into the board due to thermal movement.

Years ago we used to mount the cylinder halfway up the kitchen wall sitting on a bit angle iron or 1" mi cut into the brickwork across a corner. All the old heads knew the cylinder would fail at the point of contact so would place a bit sheet lead on the bar to help extend the tanks life.

Just not so common sense really.

Btw pet cocks should be banned but thankfully up this way the standard practice for a cylinder drain off is a sludge cock piped to outside.

Hell Tamz I thought I was going mad thanks for the support and I apologise for everything we ever did to you and you kind in the past, you know Braveheart and all that, can't watch the end of that film ever again, anyway proper support sod the condensation balderdash


Tony

 

[happyflyer]

BTW we never asked this chap where the existing cylinder is leaking, hell I hope it's on one of the 3 x 2 I will sleep well tonight if it is...:60: he's probably fitted the new one whilst we are arguing the toss over condensation, BTW I surely can't have failed due to condensation, he's down the pub now laughing at us, how we made it sound so difficult to do.

 

[tamz]

Looks like it might be from the bottom seam Tony.

Apology accepted :lol:

 

[happyflyer]

Looks like it might be from the bottom seam Tony.

Apology accepted :lol:

Seams to me it might be :30:

OMG just thought Tamz he will be fitting it back on the 3 x 2., mind you I will be gone the next time it leaks, morte I mean.

 

[lame plumber]

must be the water down here but never had a corroded out cyl on bearers only on the ones flat on the floor. It's great to see tamz and I can still disagree again 🙂

 

[tamz]

They don't corrode on the bearers they rub through due to movement through expansion and contaction.
The seam on a grade 3 is a welt of 1.2 and 0.7mm copper brazed at the seam. If you know how a welted joint is made you will know that the thickness of the part to rub through is the 0.7mm.

Yu know me Jon. I can cause an argument in an emtpy shop too :lol:

 

[oily face]

a square paving slab cover with some 10 mm ply makes a good platform for a cylinder

 

[lame plumber]

If I could guarentee tamz or croppie was my secret santa it would be single malts in the box, but who else could I trust on here 🙂

 

[tamz]

If I could guarentee tamz or croppie was my secret santa it would be single malts in the box, but who else could I trust on here 🙂

Posted north i hope :smile: