I seem to be losing heat from my hot water cylinder

[MrChips]

Being a bank clerk, I am not too conversant with heating matters, but have a question which I hope is OK to ask.

May I paint a picture before asking the question? I would attach a system diagram, but that feature is not enabled at my level of registration on this forum.

I have a hot water cylinder on my landing which, instead on being fed with fresh water from the rising main, is fed from a hot water storage cylinder in my roof-space. This upper cylinder is heated by thermal solar panels on the roof.

I have two water pumps, one which operates form the collector to the upper solar cylinder.
The other operates to provide water from the upper cylinder to a coil in the landing cylinder. (If the temperature difference is appropriate).

I give a one hour burst in the morning from my gas boiler to heat up the landing cylinder to provide hot baths etc. After that I can rely on the solar to keep the water warm enough during the day.

At 18:00 hrs the water in the landing cylinder is usually about 63 centigrade.
During the night the temp drops to approx. 52 cent.
The cylinder is a modern one with integral foam installation sprayed on the outside to about 1" depth.
The solar controller is a Worcester Boche TDS 300 - (In case that info helps!

My question is this:
Is this amount of temperature drop to be expected? or may there be some sort of water movement going on that is leaching heat from the landing cylinder into the solar collector, and dispersing the heat into the atmosphere?
Could there be a faulty non-return valve (or something), that may be faulty?

 

[BLOD]

Hi Mr Chips,
I couldn't really commenbt on your system without seeing it but 1" foam insulation on the cylinder could be the problem.
Most new cylinders have double that.
Buy a jacket to wrap round the cylinder and see what your readings are then ?

 

[PETE 123]

Is pipework lagged around cylinder ? May have heat loss there.

 

[wattsie1987]

Do you have a yellow\gold/bronze colour pump?

 

[efficiencyman]

Can you confirm if there is any hot flow from one cylinder to the other even when pumps are off ? Thermo convection is a possible reason for the loss, if the pipes are as hot as the cylinder after an hour or so, that could be stopped with a 2 port M/V & the wiring altered so that when opened by the controller, the pump only runs via the built in micro switch.
Make sure all pipes insulated really well, an overnight 11 degs loss, it should be able to cut this temp drop quite a bit.

 

[Ermintrude]

The solar will be dumping all the heat

 

[SimonG]

Is it a commercially available system? Or something cobbled together on a whim?

 

[efficiencyman]

Is it a commercially available system? Or something cobbled together on a whim?

You know where we would be if the whims of the inspired had never cobbled things together ! The end of inventiveness, no modern tech ? No radar or radio, No industrial revelation ? No curiosity ? Would have us back in the stone age perhaps without a fire or Wheels ?
Give us a break Simon it does not have to be commercially available to be worthwhile !
Could the OP let us know more details ? please.

I will at least try to be positive, any system can usually be improved.
Effective insulation is vital.
Convection can be stopped with a motorised valve or perhaps a non-return valve.

 

[SimonG]

Leg or neck.

 

[efficiencyman]

Simon try to be positive & answer the tread please !
Mr chips where are you ? Some of us like to help.

 

[SimonG]

Dont be a bell, again.

It was a straight forward question. Is it a system thats been chucked together, or is it a system thats been bought off the shelf. The answer to this would dictate a response.

I know you are a cobbler, which is all well and good for yourself.

So perhaps if we can have a few more details we may be able to assist.

 

[SimonG]

To the op.

Is it a new system? How old?
If not, is this something its always done? Or is it something thats just started to happen? Or is it something you have just noticed?

 

[Ermintrude]

Solar syphon going on . I've got a few books will send u ISbN. They are diy solar guides from back in the day.

 

[Ermintrude]

 

[dancinplumba]

Lol I have that book, met Chris Laughton at CAT

 

[gassafe]

Iv seen a faulty check valve on a solar system cause the hot water from the cylinder to gravitate up onto the solar panels at night!!

On the Bosch TDS you can read the panel temperatures, it should display the outside temperature on a cold night, if its warm then the heat from your cylinder is going out to the roof!!!

 

[basildog]

You know where we would be if the whims of the inspired had never cobbled things together ! The end of inventiveness, no modern tech ? No radar or radio, No industrial revelation ? No curiosity ? Would have us back in the stone age perhaps without a fire or Wheels ?
Give us a break Simon it does not have to be commercially available to be worthwhile !
Could the OP let us know more details ? please.

I will at least try to be positive, any system can usually be improved.
Effective insulation is vital.
Convection can be stopped with a motorised valve or perhaps a non-return valve.

Yes like your thinking and without my childhood neighbour there would have been no concorde he made the spitfire go faster then from doing that pushed concorde through to completion mind he did get a Knighthood for it !

 

[Ermintrude]

Lol I have that book, met Chris Laughton at CAT

The diy collectors are awesome. Reminded me of the St Michael gardening books!!