Small hole in immersion tank. What's the best way to seal it?

[petercj]

If Gledhill would supply me with a ten year warranty that they would honour and supply them at the same cost as the ten year guarantee stainless steel cylinders that they supply I would gladly fit them. When I can pick up a stainless steel cylinder with fittings for around £40 less than a copper one I would be a fool to price myself out of work.

In that respect you have a good point, i.e. in a competitive market people will go with the flow (if you'll pardon the pun) to stay in business.

And a well made SS cylinder is obviously better than a copper tank that is not fit for purpose.

But I still maintain that a good quality copper cylinder is better than a SS one, particularly when giving regard to the customer's gas bill.

The reason I asked if you work for BG is that I was told by someone in the know that they fit SS as standard now when servicing their Home Care contracts. It seems that the customer's preference doesn't come into it. They just say that SS is the better choice, which for them is probably the case, but, I would argue, not for the customer.

 

[Howsie]

The material the coil is made out of isn't the only consideration though, the surface area plays an equally important role.

The sum total of the factors weigh up differently for the individual. Ref your knives example, I think Shun are better knives but I have a set of Global because they look better.

 

[petercj]

The material the coil is made out of isn't the only consideration though, the surface area plays an equally important role.

The sum total of the factors weigh up differently for the individual. Ref your knives example, I think Shun are better knives but I have a set of Global because they look better.

Agree about the surface area of the coil being relevant, which can be increased to compensate for the difference in thermal properties when using SS, but the loss of efficiency will show in the eventual gas bill. Playing around with the parameters won't change the basics of thermodynamics.

The manufacturers of SS cylinders also tend to corrugate the coil to increase the surface area, and in hard water areas this will inevitably lead to a greater build up of scale.

The point I made re the knives was that SS as an alloy is optimised to produce certain outcomes, the example re Global being that priority has been given to hardness and maintenance of edge, but at a cost to durability if dropped.

The fact that you think Shun knives are better, but you prefer the look of global, is a subjective issue, which is a different matter.

 

[Howsie]

Not at all.

I fit SS cylinders because I believe they are better than copper for a variety of reasons.

 

[petercj]

Not at all.

I fit SS cylinders because I believe they are better than copper for a variety of reasons.

Based on like-for-like quality, a copper cylinder will always be the better buy for the end user.

A decent quality copper cylinder will cost more than SS to buy, but over a period of years, that cost will be more than recovered due to lower running costs due to greater efficiency.

The durability of the competitively priced SS cylinders now being pushed by their manufacturers remains to be seen.

Anyone who understands metals and is involved in the manufacture of cylinders will tell you that copper is the better material for a domestic hot-water cylinder. They also know that to keep their profit margins up they need to switch to SS, and that to sell them they will need to make SS an attractive package, which is where their marketing people take over.

Kia offer long warranties on their cars, and they have recently won a Which Magazine award - ask an engineer which is the better made car out of the Kia and a VW Golf, and you won't find many that say that it's not the VW.

But if Ms Jones says she's looked at all the pros and cons of the two cars, and has decided that the Kia fits her needs best, then fair enough, who can argue with that!

But if Ms Jones argues that the Kia is a better made car, those who understand cars will know that she doesn't really know what she is talking about, and that she is confusing the subjective with the objective.

 

[petercj]

And to back up with some evidence of what I have just posted:-

Hot water cylinders | Indirect hot water cylinders | Gledhill cylinders | Pressurised hot water cylinders | Domestic hot water cylinders

 

[East coast serv]

Buy a new tank it's probably going to leak more

 

[petercj]

Buy a new tank it's probably going to leak more

That is the most likely outcome imo.

If there are ceilings below, patching it can be an expensive risk to take.

Taking the expense of a new cylinder on the chin can be the cheaper option in the long run.

 

[Mike Jackson]

And to back up with some evidence of what I have just posted:-

Hot water cylinders | Indirect hot water cylinders | Gledhill cylinders | Pressurised hot water cylinders | Domestic hot water cylinders

That's very useful if I want a bespoke cylinder but in over thirty years of plumbing I've only used one bespoke cylinder. The rest of the time one off the shelf has suited.

 

[petercj]

That's very useful if I want a bespoke cylinder but in over thirty years of plumbing I've only used one bespoke cylinder. The rest of the time one off the shelf has suited.

They do all the standard sizes off the shelf, Copper, SS, etc.

Gledhill Cylinder – Gledhill Stainless Lite Cylinders

 

[Mike Jackson]

I know they do. I use Gledhill cylinders normally because that's what my merchant stocks but the link you posted was to a news article advocating copper for bespoke cylinders.

 

[petercj]

I know they do. I use Gledhill cylinders normally because that's what my merchant stocks but the link you posted was to a news article advocating copper for bespoke cylinders.

More evidence here of the benefits of copper over SS ...

[DLMURL="http://www.newarkcoppercylinder.co.uk/cylinders/information/benefits-of-copper.php"]Benefits of Copper | Newark Copper Cylinders[/DLMURL]

 

[Mike Jackson]

You're really giving google a thrashing tonight.

 

[petercj]

You're really giving google a thrashing tonight.

Only for your benefit Mr Jackson.

I was making tanks and cylinders when you were still struggling with your school homework.