Hot water cylinder help

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Kickinbac

427 posts

Ultimate Geek

#237920 24-Jun-2018 17:42

It would appear our low pressure hot water cylinder is leaking, possibly the shower. I’ll get a plumber in to check it out tomorrow. The cylinder is a 180 litre dated 1984 so has done well. Its 510mm diameter and only 560mm width in current cupboard so this limits cylinder choice. I could relocate the cylinder downstairs to under stairs in the garage.
So the question is, if it needs replacing should I go mains pressure? I’d like ability to add solar or hot water heat pump in future. Water pressure / showers are fine with the low pressure cylinder. We are currently renovating the ensuite so changing to a mains pressure mixer is easy. Upstairs shower not so easy to change but its next on the renovation list. No other mixers in the rest of the house.

gzt

17159 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2043229 24-Jun-2018 17:56

Imo they rarely leak. Like a pipe join or similar and easily repaired.

scuwp

3886 posts

Uber Geek

#2043238 24-Jun-2018 18:30

Go gas instant if you can. Also takes up much less space.

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andrewNZ

2487 posts

Uber Geek
Inactive user

#2043247 24-Jun-2018 18:47

I've had gas instant hot water, I wouldn't choose it ever. It would put me off buying if a house has it.

It costs a bloody fortune to run, especially if you have people in the house who don't care enough to manage their use.
It will run out when you are using it, and it doesn't go cold slowly.
Low flow rates can be troublesome, causing it to not heat.

Kickinbac

427 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2043273 24-Jun-2018 19:16

I’m not interested in gas as don’t have it and not wanting to get it piped in or have bottles and its a fossil fuel. Electricity is mostly renewable and then I can reduce consumption using solar or hwhp.

Edit = trouble inserting a link

mattwnz

20166 posts

Uber Geek

#2043278 24-Jun-2018 19:53

andrewNZ: I've had gas instant hot water, I wouldn't choose it ever. It would put me off buying if a house has it.

It costs a bloody fortune to run, especially if you have people in the house who don't care enough to manage their use.
It will run out when you are using it, and it doesn't go cold slowly.
Low flow rates can be troublesome, causing it to not heat.

We have a gas HWC, and it is good. I heard they are cheaper to run an electricity if you have piped mains gas (not bottle gas), but stand to be corrected. Instant HM heaters have a far shorter life, so that should be factored in. I know a retirement complex that have had to have all there ones replaced recently due to age.

Aredwood

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#2043376 25-Jun-2018 08:50

Definitely mains pressure. And get the Rheem stainless steel cylinder. As that has the right supplementary connections for a heatpump water heater to be connected

Kickinbac

427 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2047021 1-Jul-2018 20:24

An update. The problem was a leaking elbow in the wall not the hot water cylinder. I got home from work one night last week and cut a hole in the wall with a gib saw to investigate and found the leaking elbow. It would drip about every ten seconds and was then tracking through the wall to around the hot water cylinder. I got a plumber in the next day and all sorted. I’m still planning to replace the cylinder but not urgent now.

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Bung

6498 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2047042 1-Jul-2018 21:02

1984 cylinder. What did the leaking elbow like like? If it was black plastic with black pipe look up Dux Qest ( often misspelled as Quest) although the plumber surely would have said something.

Kickinbac

427 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2047082 1-Jul-2018 22:50

Black pipe, plastic elbow and copper crimps.... the dreaded dux! In my house the cold water is run in pvc pressure pipe and the hot water in done in mainly buteline (grey) but with a couple of sections in the black pipe. I know this as we gutted our ensuite and can see the plumbing exposed in our garage so can see 95% of the hot and cold water pipework in the house. It’s two storey.

mattwnz

20166 posts

Uber Geek

#2047117 2-Jul-2018 02:03

Kickinbac: An update. The problem was a leaking elbow in the wall not the hot water cylinder. I got home from work one night last week and cut a hole in the wall with a gib saw to investigate and found the leaking elbow. It would drip about every ten seconds and was then tracking through the wall to around the hot water cylinder. I got a plumber in the next day and all sorted. I’m still planning to replace the cylinder but not urgent now.

That is a worry. If you have the black piping installed in the 80's, it may be a matter of time before other junctions start leaking, and it can cause a lot of damage if it leaks undetected. We recently replaced all of our black plumbing as a result of these types of leaks. You can also get pinprick holes in the piping itself.

Bung

6498 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

#2047119 2-Jul-2018 05:42

Kickinbac: Black pipe, plastic elbow and copper crimps.... the dreaded dux! In my house the cold water is run in pvc pressure pipe and the hot water in done in mainly buteline (grey) but with a couple of sections in the black pipe. I know this as we gutted our ensuite and can see the plumbing exposed in our garage so can see 95% of the hot and cold water pipework in the house. It’s two storey.

I wouldn't be surprised if the cold water wasn't originally Dux and they decided to replace the high pressure side with PVC. You should replace any remaining sections of Dux especially before going mains pressure hot water.

Kickinbac

427 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2047892 2-Jul-2018 21:34

Bung:
Kickinbac: Black pipe, plastic elbow and copper crimps.... the dreaded dux! In my house the cold water is run in pvc pressure pipe and the hot water in done in mainly buteline (grey) but with a couple of sections in the black pipe. I know this as we gutted our ensuite and can see the plumbing exposed in our garage so can see 95% of the hot and cold water pipework in the house. It’s two storey.

I wouldn't be surprised if the cold water wasn't originally Dux and they decided to replace the high pressure side with PVC. You should replace any remaining sections of Dux especially before going mains pressure hot water.

Was talking to the plumber and he said the pvc pipes not unusual for the era and definately original. I’m going to replace all the hot water pipe.