On 25 Jun 2004 06:27:57 -0700, (Matt Beard) wrote:

Sometimes when a "professional" says that something needs to be
"specially made" for your system it turns out that they wait a long
time then sell you an off-the-shelf item at an inflated price. I
would be tempted to get another plumber in to quote for replacing the
cylinder - and ask nonchalantly if it is a standard part he will be
using (he will probably say that it is a normal "direct" cylinder as
this is what you almost certainly need).

If the cylinder is off-the shelf and not much needs changing to make
it fit then you are probably looking at no more than about £100 for
parts and a few hours labour. There is a good chance that a couple of
the pipes might need moving a little to make the new cylinder fit, so
if you are not into plumbing it may not be a DIY job - and probably
not the best one to start a hobby with!


A belated thanks to those who offered advice.

In fact the plumber who eventually did the job just got a 'stock' tank
to fit the space available and altered the pipework to suit.

With draining down and refilling etc. it took him just three hours,
(including only one coffe break of 15 mins