horizontal calorifier

[Stilllearning]

I am probably going to regret asking this, but here goes.

Can one really not use a vertical calorifier in a horizontal position, and vice versa?

 

[Robbo]

A vertical has the hot water outlet usually in the centre at the top (and cold water at the bottom of the cylinder). A horizontal would normally be off centre to be at the top of the cylinder.

 

They will both work in the other direction, but no where near as efficient.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Robbo

[nicknorman]

You could but it would work very badly. Amongst other things, the cold water inlet should be at the bottom and the hot water outlet at the top. So if you have the wrong orientation, chances are the the cold inlet and hot outlet will end up at the same height. So when you run off a bit of hot water, the cold coming in will mix with it straight away giving you cool water. And all that lovely hot water at the top of the calorifier will be unavailable.

Edited January 3, 2014 by nicknorman

[Robbo]

nicknorman explained it much better than I !

[Stilllearning]

Thanks, you both explained it well, that is roughly what I suspected. It's just annoying to have a nice big vertical cylinder available on our old boat and a very small horizontal one on the boat we have just bought. A simple swap would be so much cheaper!

[Robbo]

Thanks, you both explained it well, that is roughly what I suspected. It's just annoying to have a nice big vertical cylinder available on our old boat and a very small horizontal one on the boat we have just bought. A simple swap would be so much cheaper!

 

If you google for essex or surrey flange then you can make your own inlets/outlets to where you want em.

[nicknorman]

If you google for essex or surrey flange then you can make your own inlets/outlets to where you want em.

You can, but a few issues with that: you have to cut away the foam (PITA) and normally, especially for a horizontal, the cold inlet is along a diffuser pipe inside, not just a straightforward orifice - the latter will cause much more hot:cold mixing vs the stratification you want.

 

Are the heating coils the same for horizontal vs vertical? Not sure.

[Stilllearning]

You can, but a few issues with that: you have to cut away the foam (PITA) and normally, especially for a horizontal, the cold inlet is along a diffuser pipe inside, not just a straightforward orifice - the latter will cause much more hot:cold mixing vs the stratification you want.

 

Are the heating coils the same for horizontal vs vertical? Not sure.

About the coils, I sort of assume that they lie on different axes, that was partly why i asked the question originally.

[Tony Brooks]

About the coils, I sort of assume that they lie on different axes, that was partly why i asked the question originally.

 

Having cut a vertical one open (to prove to the scrappy it was all copper and not a load of scale) I fond that it had a horizontal coil inside it. If the calorifier were mounted horizontally the could would be vertical and be ideal for trapping air with no way to get it out. It may work but I see all sorts of potential grief so don't do it.

[Stilllearning]

The possibility of air getting trapped was one of my concerns. It was just curiosity about why the different types are not interchangeable that got me wondering.

[dor]

My (SS) calorifier is designed to be used as a horizontal one. However it came with a piece of pipe that was designed so that the calorifier could be used vertically. All the connections would be on the bottom, but the piece of pipe fitted inside the HW outlet and went, internally, to the top of the calorifier so that the water was drawn from the top.

[Stilllearning]

My (SS) calorifier is designed to be used as a horizontal one. However it came with a piece of pipe that was designed so that the calorifier could be used vertically. All the connections would be on the bottom, but the piece of pipe fitted inside the HW outlet and went, internally, to the top of the calorifier so that the water was drawn from the top.

Now if only I had one like that, but the other way round!

[dor]

Now if only I had one like that, but the other way round!

I guess you could mount it with all the fittings at the top, and use the pipe on the cold fill side rather than the hot take off.