| It is possible to improve the performance of a cylinder
by upgrading the properties of the heat exchanger, adding a second heat
exchanger and/or increasing the amount of insulation around the cylinder.
By putting a high performance heat exchanger into a
cylinder you could greatly reduce the amount of time the cylinder takes to
reheat from cold - the recovery time. This can be particularly useful
if hot water usage is high but you cannot, or do not wish to have a huge
amount of hot water stored. A smaller cylinder with a high recovery heat
exchanger can often produce as much hot water per hour as a larger standard
cylinder. A smaller cylinder with high recovery can solve a problem where
space is premium. This is not always a solution, but is most certainly an
option.
A high recovery heat exchanger can also prove economical
to run. As more heat is imparted to the cylinder more effectively, a boiler
can operate more efficiently and may need to cycle less often and for shorter
periods.
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This
has obvious benefits. By reducing heat
loss your stored water remains hotter for longer - reducing the need for
reheat and boiler activity. Whenever you consider additional insulation
remember to check the overall cylinder dimensions (including insulation) if
you intend to install into a confined space.
Click here for more information on cylinder insulation
For more information on high performance heat exchangers see these sections:
Improving the performance of a cylinder will add
modest cost, but over the life of the unit should represent a significant
saving on running costs.
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