leaking hot water cylinder

[apcdave]

Hi chaps,

Just a quick one on a leaking hot water cylinder - once a connection starts to leak , is the only option to replace the cylinder? See attached shot - the connection runs from the base of the cylinder to the bottom of the external immersion heater. As you can see it is well corroded with a build up of crusty sludge around the edge. The cylinder is 25 years old and is a Hercal with a coil running thro it.

Also if it not possible to get a replacement the same height is there much work adjusting pipes etc? Never done one before......

cheers fellas,

dave

 

[Robtheplumb]

new cylinder, not worth wasting time trying to repair a cylinder that old

 

[tackleburger]

New cylinder for sure. You will get one the same size I am sure, pipe work adjustments are usually the coil connections the feed and the outlet you can usually match up. Not a job for a novice but if you have done a bit of plumbing you may well manage it. To get a cylinder supplied and fitted you are looking at around £425 ex vat for a standard 450x900 indirect.

 

[justlead1]

Hi. Personally i would drain down remove fitting and bush, clean area up and look for any corrosion on boss. If its intact and not gone pink in colour. Buy yourself a union type fitting Yorkshire 68/69 and or 70/71 This type allows you to tighten correctly into the cylinder and give a good joint. Compression bent C to irons are a bad choise for this application as the point of tightening is unlikly to corrospond with the direction you want the fitting to point. As a result they are under tightened or over tightened in general, causing just what you are experianceing now in the long term. Good Luck

 

[Robtheplumb]

Hi. Personally i would drain down remove fitting and bush, clean area up and look for any corrosion on boss. If its intact and not gone pink in colour. Buy yourself a union type fitting Yorkshire 68/69 and or 70/71 This type allows you to tighten correctly into the cylinder and give a good joint. Compression bent C to irons are a bad choise for this application as the point of tightening is unlikly to corrospond with the direction you want the fitting to point. As a result they are under tightened or over tightened in general, causing just what you are experianceing now in the long term. Good Luck

Yes but on a cylinder that is 25 years old it is likely to be as thin as a *** paper and when you start messing about with it then more than likely leak worse than ever. Most 900x450 cylinders are a straight swop so should be a piece of cake to do.


Plus you get a nice bit of scrap!!!

 

[justlead1]

Hi Rod, you may well be right. If the guy has time on his side and small budget, all will be revealed if the fittings changed and the problem still arises. Its not clear if its own home or a punter. It also gave me the oppertunity to express my pet hate of the compression bent copper to iron fittings which seem the norm on both cylinders and boilers now days. Good Luck

 

[Robtheplumb]

Hi Rod, you may well be right. If the guy has time on his side and small budget, all will be revealed if the fittings changed and the problem still arises. Its not clear if its own home or a punter. It also gave me the oppertunity to express my pet hate of the compression bent copper to iron fittings which seem the norm on both cylinders and boilers now days. Good Luck

Them there compression bent copper to iron fittings are a right pain in the chuff, I only come across these in older installs and I try not to use them myself, never line up where you want them to, nearly as bad as a street elbow in a straight compression to iron fitting!!

 

[willing2learn]

What area are you in?