Direct and Indirect horizontal hot water cylinders can be
built to your specification. Supplied as direct or indirect patterns
and complete with cradles.
So what's the difference?
Horizontal cylinders differ slightly
from their vertical counterparts. For example, a vertical cylinder
has a convex top and a concave base. When you manufacture a cylinder
to lay on it's side it is manufactured with two convex ends.
Orientation of tappings
(connections) on horizontal cylinders.
There is the location of the cold
water 'in' and the hot water 'out' to consider. Vertical cylinders
tend to have the cold water feed on the side at the bottom with the
hot water draw off in the middle of the dome at the very top.
Because a horizontal cylinder has domes at either end the position
of these tappings also needs to be modified. |
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The cold inlet on a horizontal cylinder
is normally positioned on the bottom of the vessel at one end.
The hot water draw-off is usually on
the top of the vessel at the opposite end to the cold feed.
A horizontal cylinder requires a cradle.
The cylinder cannot just lay on the floor, it requires support. For this
reason, all horizontal cylinders are supplied with a steel cradle. The
cradle offers support and stops the cylinder from moving - a full cylinder
becomes very heavy! The cradle holds the cylinder approximately 100mm above
the surface upon which it is supported, so remember to factor this into any
measurements. (i.e. Cylinder diameter + insulation thickness + 100mm cradle
height)
A slight slope
On the cylinder
favouring the hot water outlet at the higher end prevents the build-up of
air pockets by providing somewhere for bubbles to vent. This is often the
natural point at which to run a vent pipe to the feed and expansion tank.
Boiler connections (for the boiler
coil/Indirect Cylinder) tend to be fitted 180 degrees opposite the hot and
cold tappings. This is to say, the boiler flow is sited on the top of the
cylinder body opposite the cold water inlet (which is underneath) and the
boiler return is sited at the other end of the cylinder at the bottom
(opposite the hot water draw-off). This configuration gives the most
effective heat dissipation throughout the relatively shallow strata within
the cylinder.
A tapping for a drain is often
considered a good idea and can be incorporated on the lower side (bottom) of
the cylinder body.
Immersion heaters can be located either
in the domed ends or in the body of the cylinder as per your preference.
Dedicated shower take-offs
can be
fitted at no additional charge. Their purpose is to draw hot water from a
level just below the top of the cylinder. In doing so air bubbles (which
naturally rise to the top) are prevented in the main from entering this
dedicated take-off to a shower booster pump and negate problems one might
experience without such a fitting. (Such a job is ordinarily done by
installing a 'Surrey Flange' at extra cost.)
Horizontal cylinders fed by an 'unpumped'
heat source.
It is possible to heat a horizontal cylinder with an
unpumped heat source such as a wood burning stove or an AGA. Unlike the heat
achieved in a typical household system in which hot water from a normal gas
or oil boiler is moved by a small circulating pump, unpumped heat sources
(as their name suggests) do not utilise a pump in order to circulate water
on their route to dump heat, instead they rely on what's known as a gravity
flow and simple principles of physics. But how?
The action of unpumped circulation relies on
the principle of hot water rising and cooler water falling. Water newly
heated by the appliance (AGA or woodburner) is hotter than water returning
from the cylinder, so when pipework is configured correctly water will rise
to the cylinder, give up its energy, then return to the heating appliance
for the cycle to repeat itself - a circulating flow being created. This is
an 'age old' and very simple principle which is quite effective. You will
however need a larger bore heat exchanger in the cylinder to ensure a good
flow of water for this gravity principle to work well.
A gravity boiler coil.
Horizontal cylinders
can be made with a gravity coil (for an unpumped heat source), but you must
specify your requirement. Failure to do so will result in you receiving a
standard cylinder suitable for use on a pumped system. A gravity boiler coil
is a little more expensive than a pumped coil for the simple reason it is
larger. Please refer to price tables.
Options for fittings. We can supply
your cylinder with various types of connections depending on your
requirement and preference. We can also configure your cylinder with the
tappings (connections) in positions that best suit your installation. If you
have special requirement you are welcome to discuss your installation before
making purchase to ensure we arrive at the best possible solution. |
