G
Gingerbread Man
Fitted an Albion unvented cylinder for a friend around one and a half years ago now. It's been nothing but a pain, made even worse that it's in a friends house!
Firstly I fitted it as an indirect cylinder which he ran off the immersion via economy seven as there was no boiler. This was stage one as it were.
A few weeks in and the immersion is playing up. Can't overly remember the fault but I think it only ever heated to lukewarm or it went piping hot. Anyhow, the immersion stat at the duff. Had a new immersion sent out, which turns out to be a different type to the version currently fitted. Must be a problem with the type fitted, but anyhow it solved the issue.
A month or so later I am called out to a house to look at their unvented cylinder, water temps playing up. Recently been installed by a 3rd party during a house refurb. Same cylinder as my friends, another Albion. Similar situation, gas had to be redirected to boiler or somesuch, so they were running off the immersion only. Give it a few weeks and the immersion went faulty. That was an easy diagnosis.
Fast forward to today. I have fitted a central heating system and boiler to my friends house as 'stage two'. The cylinder now has a boiler to power it. While coring the condensate into the house, which exits in the same region as the unvented cylinders discharge pipe, I notice it seems to have a small wet patch under it.
I finish the boiler, run it all up to test. Go upstairs to check the airing cupboard pipes and I hear a drip, I see a wet patch on the floor. I'm thinking what everyone thinks, 'bugger, I'm going to have to drain it down'.
Upon whipping the phone out to shine a light on the situation, I notice it's not my pipework (makes a change then!), but the tundish discharge going drip drip drip. The wet patch on the floor is from the expansion vessel's flange. It's then dripping off one of the flange bolts and onto the floor.
Water is being heated by the boiler at this point, although upon originally discovering the signs of the cylinders discharge pipe being in use, it had only been run on the immersion.
Now the water seems hot, didn't get a charge to measure how hot, but quite hot hot. The (recently wired in) cylinder stat is set to ~60 degrees, but it clicks out still as if it's reading a different temperature to what's being stored. It was tested to make sure the wiring was sound, clicks out,valve shuts, etc. So that's fine.
So now it appears that I need a new expansion vessel (no charge left in it. Have recharged to the set pressure). The cylinder stat seems suspect.
Now, he says every morning, that upon opening the first hot tap, shower or tap, you get a surge of pressure which then dissipates to the normal running pressure. Similar to air in the system spurting out like it does. The combination valve (pressure reducing aspect I would suspect) sounds like it's chattering for a brief moment while this happens. All is then well for the day. So this morning slow release of the built up surge has become a tradition.
Could this be an expansion vessel issue? A build up of air happening? Too much pressure building up which is being shown up by the opening of the taps.
Has really annoyed me due to the issues that seem to have come with this cylinder. All recommended by myself to a friend, so abit of a kick in the teeth. Anyone else had any problems with them?
Firstly I fitted it as an indirect cylinder which he ran off the immersion via economy seven as there was no boiler. This was stage one as it were.
A few weeks in and the immersion is playing up. Can't overly remember the fault but I think it only ever heated to lukewarm or it went piping hot. Anyhow, the immersion stat at the duff. Had a new immersion sent out, which turns out to be a different type to the version currently fitted. Must be a problem with the type fitted, but anyhow it solved the issue.
A month or so later I am called out to a house to look at their unvented cylinder, water temps playing up. Recently been installed by a 3rd party during a house refurb. Same cylinder as my friends, another Albion. Similar situation, gas had to be redirected to boiler or somesuch, so they were running off the immersion only. Give it a few weeks and the immersion went faulty. That was an easy diagnosis.
Fast forward to today. I have fitted a central heating system and boiler to my friends house as 'stage two'. The cylinder now has a boiler to power it. While coring the condensate into the house, which exits in the same region as the unvented cylinders discharge pipe, I notice it seems to have a small wet patch under it.
I finish the boiler, run it all up to test. Go upstairs to check the airing cupboard pipes and I hear a drip, I see a wet patch on the floor. I'm thinking what everyone thinks, 'bugger, I'm going to have to drain it down'.
Upon whipping the phone out to shine a light on the situation, I notice it's not my pipework (makes a change then!), but the tundish discharge going drip drip drip. The wet patch on the floor is from the expansion vessel's flange. It's then dripping off one of the flange bolts and onto the floor.
Water is being heated by the boiler at this point, although upon originally discovering the signs of the cylinders discharge pipe being in use, it had only been run on the immersion.
Now the water seems hot, didn't get a charge to measure how hot, but quite hot hot. The (recently wired in) cylinder stat is set to ~60 degrees, but it clicks out still as if it's reading a different temperature to what's being stored. It was tested to make sure the wiring was sound, clicks out,valve shuts, etc. So that's fine.
So now it appears that I need a new expansion vessel (no charge left in it. Have recharged to the set pressure). The cylinder stat seems suspect.
Now, he says every morning, that upon opening the first hot tap, shower or tap, you get a surge of pressure which then dissipates to the normal running pressure. Similar to air in the system spurting out like it does. The combination valve (pressure reducing aspect I would suspect) sounds like it's chattering for a brief moment while this happens. All is then well for the day. So this morning slow release of the built up surge has become a tradition.
Could this be an expansion vessel issue? A build up of air happening? Too much pressure building up which is being shown up by the opening of the taps.
Has really annoyed me due to the issues that seem to have come with this cylinder. All recommended by myself to a friend, so abit of a kick in the teeth. Anyone else had any problems with them?
