Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.
Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek


#288478 2-Jul-2021 15:16
Send private message

I need to replace our non mains pressure HWC, it's about 30 years old and has started leaking.  It's built in and going to be hard to get out, and the space available may mean it's tricky to put the "ideal" size mains pressure cylinder in the space available.

 

Is there a reason why I shouldn't put a mains pressure cylinder in the basement below?  There's tons of headroom, all the plumbing is under the floor and should be easy to connect to, cabling is already there, and it would free up space and give us a large storage cupboard in the laundry. I guess there'd be some loss of pressure, but the mains pressure seems to be quite high, dropping the cylinder ~ <3m should be less than 0.5 bar loss.   Asking before I call a plumber who'll no doubt have the right answer, so I can think about stuff I'll need to do to make the job as small a mission as possible.

 

Apart from one shower mixer (venturi type), all the tapware can be converted from unequal to equal pressure easily where needed, and all the pipework is copper in good condition / good quality.  I've already got a booster pump in line to a shower which works far better than I expected, though it's quite a big pump (300w motor IIRC) - not the little ones sold on TM etc, and the noise it makes is okay as it's in the basement. 


View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic
 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
  #2737983 2-Jul-2021 15:37
Send private message

Sounds like a plan.


Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek


  #2738002 2-Jul-2021 16:03
Send private message

SomeoneSomewhere:

 

Sounds like a plan.

 

 

I've had many of those - but then the 80:20 rule kicked in and most of them were futile.

 

I'm thinking that if it can be done, first step might be to put in a concrete pad (with drainage if required) to sit the cylinder on. Plumber could then install the new cylinder, and I could remove the old cylinder at my leisure - which will involve carefully disassembling part of a cupboard.  If I needed to do it in a hurry, the chance of careful reassembly drops.


Dingbatt
6755 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

  #2738005 2-Jul-2021 16:25
Send private message

Its a number of years since we converted our low pressure system to mains. The following is what I remember from ours.

 

Your low pressure system possibly has a standpipe (not sure if that is the correct term) that sticks out of the roof, the height of which is the head the cylinder is set to?

 

A mains pressure cylinder will have a pressure relief valve that must flow (drip) to a drain, or at least a drainage area away from the house.

 

The plumber may want to use butylene, I insisted on copper to keep it standard with the rest of the house. He said more expensive. I said yes.

 

I wish we had taken the opportunity at the time to move the cylinder as you plan to because our house lacks storage. However, the old cylinder had failed and with small children in the house, the fix had to be done quickly. Our showers also had in-line flow restrictors to cut back the cold pressure that required removal.





“We’ve arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. Carl Sagan 1996


Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek


  #2738504 3-Jul-2021 18:03
Send private message

Thanks.  There won't be much extra copper pipe needed - existing hot and cold run pretty much exactly where I want to put the cylinder.  We've been in the house 30 years, all alterations to plumbing I've used copper.  I'll need to drill a hole in a concrete wall to run drainage downhill to a stormwater sump, but that should be no problem.


Bung
6477 posts

Uber Geek

Subscriber

  #2738515 3-Jul-2021 19:05
Send private message

30 years ago you could buy copper without a 2nd thought. More recently there have been a few cases including Wgtn Hospital where copper pipe has developed pin holes and this Stuff item from 2016

"Home Owners and Buyers Association president John Gray said he was aware of six cases where imported copper pipe put into a wall had become like "pumice".

"Very, very fine holes would appear and under pressure water would come out as a mist and soak the timber framing," he said"

neb

neb
11294 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #2738742 4-Jul-2021 19:54
Send private message

Bung: [...] imported copper pipe [...]

 

 

CCA? CCS? CCC?

DjShadow
4085 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted

  #2738743 4-Jul-2021 19:55
Send private message

Would installing a Infinity Hot Water system connected to LPG or Natural Gas be an option? The heater is outside so that could free up some space.


  #2738984 5-Jul-2021 06:04
Send private message

Don't forget to install the largest cylinder that will fit...

 

 

 

why?

 

The price of a larger cylinders if only marginally more than that a smaller one. Larger cylinders hold more hot water. But the cost of installation is the same.

 

Should you ever install solar panels (or change your power supply to Electric Kiwi with the 'Hour of Power' promotion) then you can burn the excess power in heating water.

 

 

 

We had solar panels and a huge cylinder at our previous home (and EK here) and always have plenty of free hot water.


decibel
315 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #2739020 5-Jul-2021 09:27
Send private message

really think you should look at an Infinity system like DJshadow suggested above.

 

Then put a low-wattage wardrobe heater in the space where the old cylinder was, a few shelves and all is good.


Tockly
346 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #2739022 5-Jul-2021 09:38
Send private message

+1 for a Infinity solution. 

Magic if you have teenagers or people who like 40 minute showers.

 

In our new build we deleted the tank and went with an Infinity and installed a cupboard heater where the tank was meant to go. Heaps of extra storage now.





 


phrozenpenguin
840 posts

Ultimate Geek


  #2740190 6-Jul-2021 22:08
Send private message

Not wanting to sidetrack, but isn't replacing an internal HWC with an external Infinity solution significant work e.g. running pipes etc. Or are there internal Infinity systems that "drop in"?


Fred99

13684 posts

Uber Geek


  #2740193 6-Jul-2021 22:34
Send private message

There's no reticulated gas here (Chch), and I'd rather reduce our CO2 footprint where possible. I'll investigate options for solar. 

 

Any teenager who takes a 40 minute shower heated with gas should be tied to a tree along with their daft parents and hosed down with cold water until they all come to their senses.


Handle9
11386 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #2740256 6-Jul-2021 23:52
Send private message

phrozenpenguin:

 

Not wanting to sidetrack, but isn't replacing an internal HWC with an external Infinity solution significant work e.g. running pipes etc. Or are there internal Infinity systems that "drop in"?

 

 

Simple answer is it depends. If it's a house on piles with decent underfloor access it's often a case of capping off the HWC feeds under the house and running them to an external wall. The gas feed is a bigger problem. If it's bottles, which are expensive to run, that's not such a big deal.

 

 


mattwnz
20143 posts

Uber Geek


  #2740262 7-Jul-2021 00:22
Send private message

rogercruse:

 

Don't forget to install the largest cylinder that will fit...

 

 

 

why?

 

The price of a larger cylinders if only marginally more than that a smaller one. Larger cylinders hold more hot water. But the cost of installation is the same.

 

Should you ever install solar panels (or change your power supply to Electric Kiwi with the 'Hour of Power' promotion) then you can burn the excess power in heating water.

 

 

 

We had solar panels and a huge cylinder at our previous home (and EK here) and always have plenty of free hot water.

 

 

 

 

Did you take showers etc just before the free hour starts? Or did you have your water heater on a timer?


  #2740278 7-Jul-2021 06:58
Send private message

mattwnz:...Did you take showers etc just before the free hour starts? Or did you have your water heater on a timer?...

 

 

 

Yes. a fancy home automation system where any function can be setup with its own schedule, even copes with the twice yearly clock changes.

 

 


 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
View this topic in a long page with up to 500 replies per page Create new topic



News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15



Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.