Calorifier connections

[Onewheeler]

Just looking at our calorifier with a view to adjusting the pipework. Vertical cylinder type, about 45 cm high. Realised that the cold feed and drain points are both about 18 cm up. Are they likely to be connected to dip tubes going to the bottom of the tank? Why do it that way?

 

Martin/

[Chewbacka]

58 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

Just looking at our calorifier with a view to adjusting the pipework. Vertical cylinder type, about 45 cm high. Realised that the cold feed and drain points are both about 18 cm up. Are they likely to be connected to dip tubes going to the bottom of the tank? Why do it that way?

 

Martin/

I would hope the cold feed dips down and the hot take off 'dips' up, if a pipe can dip up.

An interesting question for you, are you sure it is a 'vertical tank' and not a tank designed for horizontal mounting which has been fitted vertically???  Unfortunately that sounds a better explanation.........

[Onewheeler]

Nope, hot comes out of the top where it's supposed to. Heating coil also about the same height as the cold feed. Seems odd to have a dip tube (if there is one). It would make it harder to drain (although I haven't done that in 22 years) and seems generally pointless.

[Boater Sam]

I would guess that it is a direct heated cylinder with one coil instead of two and that those connections are for the direct circs. Never seen one with a drain connected to a dip tube, not logical.

Any make or model number? where is it from?

Common for there not to be a drain point but the cold feed has to be at the bottom.

[Onewheeler]

21 minutes ago, Boater Sam said:

I would guess that it is a direct heated cylinder with one coil instead of two and that those connections are for the direct circs. Never seen one with a drain connected to a dip tube, not logical.

Any make or model number? where is it from?

Common for there not to be a drain point but the cold feed has to be at the bottom.

Maybe it was intended for direct heat. It's from the past. I've only seen inside once, many years ago when I took the immersion flange off to fit a salamander coil. Didn't notice what the internals were like.

[Sea Dog]

A photo wouldn't half make a difference to the veracity of the answers...

[Onewheeler]

11 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

A photo wouldn't half make a difference to the veracity of the answers...

Ooh, you are high maintenance!

 

There's a faint line on the insulation about 18 cm up which is where the connections are. You can see the coil connections to rhs of second photo and the cw inlet is just visible at bottom of first.

[Sea Dog]

12 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

A photo wouldn't half make a difference to the veracity of the answers...

 

When I said that, I wasn't expecting photos of an old Sea mine! 

[Chewbacka]

It looks to me like it was a single coil calorifier modifed to twin coil by putting a second coil in the immersion heater hole.

 

The hot water take off together with the Pressure Release Valve and drain comes off the top.

Presumably the engine coolant passes through the original coils. 

Edited June 13, 2018 by Chewbacka

[Onewheeler]

2 hours ago, Chewbacka said:

It looks to me like it was a single coil calorifier modifed to twin coil by putting a second coil in the immersion heater hole.

 

The hot water take off together with the Pressure Release Valve and drain comes off the top.

Presumably the engine coolant passes through the original coils. 

Yes, I fitted the salamander about fifteen years ago for the Webasto. I've only just realised though that the secondary side penetrations for cw feed and drain are unexpectedly high.

[Tony Brooks]

Having downloaded and lightened the photo so I could actually see the loser connection.

 

That looks like one of the dumpy domestic indirect cylinders (grade ? - not the easily available ones) to some of the hire fleet. From memory the bottom is concave and well dished so add any wrap around the bottom of the insulation and I suspect the point in question is not far from the bottom of the actual cylinder but leaving a bit of space for sediment and fallen scale to be trapped.

[Onewheeler]

Thanks Tony. That makes sense. I'll have to drain it if I decide to fit an external immersion which is tempting me, the internal arrangements will become apparent then.

 

Funny how oddities like that only become apparent when thinking about changing things.

 

Martin/

[Machpoint005]

19 hours ago, Onewheeler said:

Maybe it was intended for direct heat. It's from the past.

Can you get one from the future? It's likely to be much cheaper to run...

[WotEver]

1 hour ago, Machpoint005 said:

Can you get one from the future? It's likely to be much cheaper to run...

And for all the other fans of time travel I’ll be holding a meeting last Thursday.  

[Onewheeler]

26 minutes ago, WotEver said:

And for all the other fans of time travel I’ll be holding a meeting last Thursday.  

Missed it, but I was at next week's.

[WotEver]

2 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

Missed it, but I was at next week's.

I’m not holding last Thursday’s meeting until this coming Saturday so you’ll still make it. 

[David Mack]

32 minutes ago, WotEver said:

And for all the other fans of time travel I’ll be holding a meeting last Thursday.  

Yesterday, courtesy of Northern's new 'time travel' timetable, I turned up at the station just in time for my usual train, caught the service two trains earlier, then was whisked into Leeds non-stop, arriving about 20 minutes earlier than planned!