David wrote:
On Mon, 12 Mar 2018 10:54:05 +0000, Dan S. MacAbre wrote:

Now that the weather is warming up, I'm considering replacing our HW
storage tank (it's about 30 years old, and is getting a bit crusty
around some of the pipe connectors). Before I do, I suppose I ought to
ask if (in everyone's opinion) I should just replace it like-for-like?
Or is there some other direction I ought to be heading in, like
mains-pressure hot water, or just using instant hot-water taps
everywhere instead? Or something else?

Does it do what you want?


It does. I just wonder if I should be 'keeping up with the times',
that's all.

AFAIK the main reason to have a tank/heat store is if your demand for hot
water is greater than easily supplied by the mains flow. Often a
compromise with a combi boiler.

How old is your boiler? People normally consider changes like this when
changing the boiler. If the rest of the system is working well then just
fitting a new (possibly slightly larger?) cylinder may be the easiest
option.

Other reasons are to free off space used by the cold water storage and
remove worries about freezing pipes in the winter.

I still can't decide if I did the right thing in switching to a combi.


The boiler is a 30 year old Thorn Apollo. As long as I replace the
thermocouple and top socket every five or so years, it just keeps going.
I don't want to replace it with something less reliable that I can't
easily fix myself.

A previous house with a big hot water tank and a shower pump served two
showers simultaneously with lashings of hot water.

The current house has a combi sized to supply two showers simultaneously
but doesn't in any way match the flow rate.

So worth checking the maximum flow rate of the cold mains before you move
away from a cold water storage tank. Noting also that if your mains water
is cut off then a storage tank in the loft can be an unexpected bonus.

Hard or soft water area?


Soft.

If you are in a hard water area with unsoftened water then your tank may
have more crust on the inside than the outside.

Cheers


Dave R