Hot water cylinder wrap

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knoydart

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Topic # 32627 21-Apr-2009 20:13

Hi,

we installed a Pink Batts cylinder insulation blanket on our (electric) hot water cylinder this afternoon. Apart from the minor itch with a small bit of exposed skin, all went quite well. However the insulation at this moment seems rather warm to the touch compared to what the cylinder would usually be in the early evening and so does the cupboard that it lives in. Now the heater was off for an hour or so while we wrapped it in its new coat but was switched on soon after the job was finished. So it should bring the water back up to temperature in a few hours. Has anyone who has has insulation installed on their cylinder noticed how warm or not as the case may be after installation? Do I need to turn the thermostat down for the element (I'm not sure there is one, but the landlord claims there is one...!) with the extra insulation installed? Any pointers are most welcome.

thanks

Knoydart

kingjj

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Reply # 208428 21-Apr-2009 20:38

How much was the insulation that you got? I'd be interested in hearing about how it works out for you.

Bung

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Reply # 208429 21-Apr-2009 20:41

How old is the cylinder? Newish cylinders already have decent insulation and feel cool to touch. The better the existing insulation the longer it takes to break even on adding more.

There will be a thermostat mounted in the same area as the element. It controls water temp and won't need adjusting because you've added insulation. The only thing that should have changed is how much heat is lost through the outside of the tank.

Are the outlet pipes also insulated?

knoydart

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Reply # 208442 21-Apr-2009 21:13

kingjj: How much was the insulation that you got?

$75 for the insulation + $10 for foil tape from Mitre 10 here in Wellington.

Bung: How old is the cylinder? Newish cylinders already have decent insulation and feel cool to touch. The better the existing insulation the longer it takes to break even on adding more.

There will be a thermostat mounted in the same area as the element. It controls water temp and won't need adjusting because you've added insulation. The only thing that should have changed is how much heat is lost through the outside of the tank.

Are the outlet pipes also insulated?

Not sure how old it is, I didn't make a note of date of manufacture before we wrapped it!

All I can see on the Electrical side is a mains switch mounted inside the cupboard, then a direct lead to the Element section of the cylinder. I'll have another look but I leave in a month.

Outlet pipes are not insulated, I can only get at them for maybe a meter or so before they head into the walls. This is the 1st piece of insulation installed the flat full stop so it's a start.

Bung

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Reply # 208444 21-Apr-2009 21:32

knoydart:
Not sure how old it is, I didn't make a note of date of manufacture before we wrapped it!

All I can see on the Electrical side is a mains switch mounted inside the cupboard, then a direct lead to the Element section of the cylinder. I'll have another look but I leave in a month.

Outlet pipes are not insulated, I can only get at them for maybe a meter or so before they head into the walls. This is the 1st piece of insulation installed the flat full stop so it's a start.

The thermostat will be in series with the element inside that section. It is a probe that slides into a pipe in the side of the tank.

The 1st metre or so of the outlet pipe is the most important.

knoydart

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Reply # 208482 22-Apr-2009 09:24

Bung: The thermostat will be in series with the element inside that section. It is a probe that slides into a pipe in the side of the tank.

I'll go and have a look in that area of the tank, thanks.

The 1st metre or so of the outlet pipe is the most important.

Is there a particular reason the 1st meter is most important? I'm guessing the pipes are so close to the tank that it is effectively part of the the tank at that distance? Might go shopping for some in the next days for some pipe insulation...

n00dy

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Reply # 208512 22-Apr-2009 11:31

Having the output pipe (hot) insulated is just as important if not more important than the cylinder itself. An uninsulated copper or pcv pipe will lose heat, some council building requirements require all Hot pipes to be insulated. One of the biggest savings can be made by having the water temp set correctly I think energywise recommend 54 degrees, anything more is a waste. Also having the right sized cylinder, when we had a young family I had a 210 lt cyinder as we were always using hot water however now there is only 2 of us at home heating 210 ltires is a waste of energy, we pulled it out and put an infinity unit in, heat only as it is used, already I have seen my bill drop by $20 month

wellygary

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Reply # 208547 22-Apr-2009 13:45

n00dy: One of the biggest savings can be made by having the water temp set correctly I think energywise recommend 54 degrees, anything more is a waste.

The building code required that hot water cyclinders are set at 60C or higher in order to prevent the growth of legionella bacteria, the recommended tap pemperature is 55C, so you should not set your hot water cycliner to less than 60.

bazzer

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Reply # 208570 22-Apr-2009 15:32

n00dy: ...we pulled it out and put an infinity unit in, heat only as it is used, already I have seen my bill drop by $20 month

How much did the infinity unit cost you, out of interest?