newbie needs new trick

[1smokinace]

first of all im mark a newbie, i need some advice from you plumbers or heating engineers as you like to be known as. can anyone tell me any quick ways to empty a hot water cylinder? i cannot access the pipework as it is tucked in the rear of a cupboard and there is no drain off cock!! the cylinder is a two immersion type (e7). i need to change the bottom imersion but drainin tank could take a while. any help would be nice. obviously i need to turn off the cold water feed, i thought maybe after that removin the hot outlet and syphon the water out via hosepipe but that will take ages. help me out guys.

 

[leakylea]

take the highest outlet of the cylinder off (hot water outlet) and put in syphon, if you can get it in use 15mm pipe within the cylinder and make a made bend at the top wher it comes out ,then attach a hose and Suck! should only take 20mins to drain

 

[Carl86]

Yea syphoning is an excellent method I tend to use it over drain off valves when we are doing work on old systems, on the last job I was on some of the Drain off valves either didnt work or were totaly inadequate and taking forever to drain off the tank.

So like leakylea says use long piece of copper with a bend so it can reach the base of the tank as much as possible and drains the bulk of the tanks capacity. When you suck to create a syphon effect make sure you are either outside near a drain or near the toilet so the tank water has somewhere to drain.

 

[uug197h]

welcome to the forum

 

[NickH]

When you put the pipe into the cylinder keep it a couple of inches of the bottom. There is usually a load of scale and crud in the bottom which will slow it down, thats the reason the drain cocks are so slow.

 

[1smokinace]

thanks for the advice boys, drained down the system ok but could not shift the immersion heater, (stuck fast for 20 years)! any help would be great as im trying not to have to change the tank as the old dear im doin the job for doesnt have a lot of cash, thanks again boys.

 

[sonray ltd]

don't try removing a immersion from a empty cylinder you'll twist it.

if it won't budge by using immersion spanner.
you can heat them.

i useally go for just drilling them out takes 15 mins and can all be done in under the hour.

 

[Mike Jackson]

Refill the cylinder, put a decent immersion spanner on the heater and give it a gentle tap with a hammer. This normally breaks the seal and you can then drain down again and get it out. An old boy taught me this trick years ago and it seldom fails.

Mike

 

[Carl86]

Firstly i would spray some Penetrating oil(Example WD-40) around the nut and leave that for as long as possible, i wouldnt bother doing anything more unntill the oil is working through. Then with an immesion heater spanner you can see if it eases off, if its still too hard to shift tap(not thump) the spanner/tommy bar(for the box spanner type) with a small hammer. Be careful though and use caution if you welly it you risk bending and buckling the cylinder. You could also try a larger stilson to offer your that bit of extra grip but again try and use caution as the twisting immersion heat may bend and buckle the tank.

Im sure some of the older pros have more ideas.


EDIT: Yes id go with Sonray and Mikes adivce, much quicker and possibly more effective than waiting for the oil to do its job(thats saying it even does)

 

[1smokinace]

don't try removing a immersion from a empty cylinder you'll twist it.

If it won't budge by using immersion spanner.
You can heat them.

I useally go for just drilling them out takes 15 mins and can all be done in under the hour.

how would you drill it out?

 

[Mike Jackson]

Also helps if you've got a really good immersion spanner.

Photo Information on the Box Ring Immersion Heater Spanner (361T) from Plumbworld

Mike

 

[REDSAW]

yeh?
id like to know too,
i usually go for the clunk n thump which has allways worked for me, but just incase - how and where do you drill the male thread out?.
cheers.

 

[1smokinace]

got the box spanner type, c,mon guys help an old lady with "ME" save a few quid. need to get this imersion heater out soon, oh its the bottom heater in an e7 tank, direct vented type.

 

[jpm]

don't try removing a immersion from a empty cylinder you'll twist it.

if it won't budge by using immersion spanner.
you can heat them.

i useally go for just drilling them out takes 15 mins and can all be done in under the hour.

It won't twist or split if you hit the spanner hard enough.Give it a good whack with your lump hammer and you'll sort it.

 

[emergencyman]

Well you learn something every day, I have been changing these for 25 years and never thought about drilling.
Also I spanner the cylinder when its empty in case it splits. Why is it better to spanner it when full?

 

[traineedrip]

the water gives the tank its strength... stops it twisting.

 

[REDSAW]

or bursting hmmm?, some choice?

 

[Mike Jackson]

In all the years I've been clouting immersions with a hammer I've never burst a cylinder. Before I was taught the trick I twisted quite a few.

 

[traineedrip]

that "crack it" freezing aerosol might work as an alternative?