Domestic Hot Water & Water Softeners

Historically a domestic hot water storage system used in the UK consisted of a cooper cylinder and cold water storage tank situated in the loft. The cylinder was required to have an open vent pipe that ran from the cylinder back to the cold storage tank and predominantly out of the loft as an overflow pipe. This brought with it a number of disadvantages, Poor shower performance, possible water contamination and noisy cistern filling along with the potential freezing hazard and likelihood of unbalanced hot and cold water supplies.

So what is an unvented cylinder?
Unvented cylinders or mains pressure cylinders as they are sometimes referred to are increasingly the preferred choice for many Developers and end users when it comes to hot water cylinders. Since the early 1980s when unvented cylinders where specified and installed in the UK the market has increased along with demand year on year, and there are over 30 different manufacturers now offering various different models of cylinder.

A mains pressure unvented hot water storage system is a hot water cylinder, where the water contained within it is held at some pressure above atmospheric. It is normally supplied direct from the mains and the system is sealed to the atmosphere. This type of system does not require a cold water storage tank, thus saving space and due to working at higher pressures the cylinders are designed to higher standards. Unvented cylinders have many benefits over traditional systems as the hot and cold water supply to all outlets will be a higher pressure which allows for greater system design and flexibility, offering a wider choice of taps and mixers. Cylinders can be sited almost anywhere and provide High performance showers without the need for booster pumps.

With so many different types of cylinder now available how can you make that important decision and chose the right model for the right application at Artizan heating we pride ourselves on offering expert advice on the systems we promote and with many years experience we only promote systems that we know will suit our customers applications and offer the best aftercare support. With the installation of multi-bathroom dwellings, customers are demanding a system that meets their individual requirements. So more than ever it is essential to obtain both pressure and flow readings before promoting the use of such systems. It is true to say that mains fed systems such as unvented cylinders will only be as good as the main supply that feeds them, and with pressures in certain areas of the UK being reduced, it is vital that the mains supply is tested before incorporating an unvented cylinder into any design.

So what can you do when the main supply will not support a mains fed system! Or the property has several hot and cold outlets to feed and requires a greater supply! Renewing the main or installing break-tanks are some options. The other option could be the Dualstream system.

The Dualstream system utilises an accumulator, which has a controlled butyl diaphragm that stores cold mains water at mains pressure and a stainless steel unvented cylinder. When a tap or shower is turned on the accumulator enhances the main supply and helps maintain the pressure to all hot and cold outlets regardless of the flow rate on the incoming main supply. There is an air charge in the top of the accumulator to help force the water from the vessel into the hot and cold supplies, sized correctly the system will run more than one outlet at the same time stabilising pressures and increasing flow rates at taps, showers and baths. The systems are ideal for properties with poor mains supplies or multi-bathroom outlets. With sizes from 125 litres to 500 litres, and twin coil cylinders for use with solar, systems can be designed to suit most applications.

The difference between standard unvented cylinders and the Dualstream system is the use of the accumulator, which has been designed to increase flow rates at mains pressure. This patent product has many benefits and can be used in many applications to do with flow rate issues. The Coldstream range of Accumulators from GAH Heating Products can be installed on mains fed systems to provide increased flow rates and stabilize pressure problems on existing mains fed appliances. And can even be installed on a main supply feeding a Combination Boiler. The accumulator can be installed anywhere on the main supply entering the property, basement, utility, loft and Artizan heating work closely with GAH to provide you with expert advice.

Indirectly heated cylinders are designed to be run in conjuction with an external heat source, gas, oil central heating boiler. They are often supplied with an immersion heater as back-up.

Directly Heated cylinders are generally heated by electric immersion heater supplied with two or more immersion heaters and can take advantage of "economy tariff" electricity.

Cylinder Size
Both direct and indirect mains pressure cylinders are available in various sizes for most applications, from 100 litres to 500 litres.

Controls
Unvented systems have a number of controls built into their design to prevent an uncontrolled supply of heat to the stored water and are generally sold as a package with the controls required.

Maintenance
All manufacturers will provide an initial guarantee for their products. At Artizan Heating we recommend at regular intervals the system should be checked to ensure the correct operation of valves and filters and as part of the benchmark warranty conditions.

We install a full range of boilers including those from:-

           

Domestic Hot Water - What is a Water Softener

What is a water softener?

In the UK there are two types of water supplied to houses, soft and hard. As you know, all our water comes from rain. Although where it falls determines whether it stays natural (soft) or becomes contaminated by impurities (hard).

Geographic location is all important. Soft or pure water drops onto hard rock and drains into the ground or rivers. Hard water filters through soft rocks (like chalk and limestone), dissolves and collects minerals such as calcium and magnesium. The more minerals picked up, the greater the hardness of the water.

So what does hard water mean to our everyday lives?
First, the good news. Hard water is NOT hazardous to your health. People drink it, use it to cook, wash themselves and their clothes and heat their houses. BUT in reality, hard water is a real nuisance, for everyone in the family, the home they share and the money in their pockets. And that is real bad news.

Why?
Hard water contains dissolved minerals that settle elsewhere when water is heated or evaporated, leaving telltale visible and hidden trademark signs all around the house. Householders and their families, notice the effects of hard water on themselves and the clothes they wear. Hair and skin never really feel clean. Not surprising as those calcium and chalk deposits from the water are transferred to their bodies and hair. Likewise, clothes will never be totally fresh or dirt-free.

The effect on homes
The most obvious indications of hard water deposits can be viewed by lifting the lid off a simple domestic kettle. Lime scale inside a kettle is mirrored elsewhere in the home in any appliance where water is either heated or evaporated. On baths, sinks, toilet bowls and taps. And less obviously but an equally negative impart, pipes, boilers and water heaters.

The effect on energy and household bills
Hard facts and figures speak volumes for the problems associated with hard water.

A 1.6mm build-up of scale (the hard deposits of minerals left behind by hard water) causes a 12% loss in heating efficiency in pipes. Scale will also form around the heating coil and fill the hot water cylinder. In both cases extra energy will have to compensate for the lack of performance. You will be paying for this increased inefficiency with larger energy bills. Scale will prematurely damage hot water pipes, immersion heaters, showers, washing machines and water heaters. That means higher repair and replacement costs.

British Water estimates that the average four person family in a hard water area spends £200 more on washing powders, detergents, soaps, shampoos and conditioners than a similar family with a water softener fitted. Essentially because hard water lessens the amount of lather these products produce. Let's try and put this into perspective. It is estimated that the annual amount of hard water sesd by an average family of four contains a whopping 70kgof scale.

10 reasons why you should fit a water softener.

1. Water softeners extend the life of domestic appliances in hard water areas and reduce maintenance and replacement costs
2. Water softeners filter out minerals so they no longer stain baths, shower enclosures, sinks and kettles or clog up pipe work and household appliances
3. Water softeners help produce more lather when you wash yourself or your clothes, saving up to 50% on detergents, washing powders and shampoos
4. Water softeners improve efficiency, reducing heating bills by at least 10%
5. Water softeners have been found to lessen the impact of eczema and other dry skin complaints
6. Water softeners save you time as cleaning is easier with soft water

7. Water softeners make your skin and hair feel better by removing impurities from the water you use to bathe, wash and shave
8. Water softeners are kind to your clothes, ensuring they stay brighter and cleaner
9. Water softeners can pay for themselves within 2-4 years
10. Water softeners are a necessity not a luxury-ask anyone who has one!

How do we soften hard water?
Water softeners work in reverse to nature. Instead of soft rainwater collecting impurities as it filters through rock, we reverse the process by washing the water through a resin bed to take out the calcium and magnesium (hardness salts) deposits. Let's take a closer look at the chemical procedure so you can understand the process.

Softening water - or removing contaminants - revolves around an ion exchange. The problematic calcium and magnesium ions are replaced by trouble-free sodium ions.

Hard water enters a water softener and passes through a bed of tiny resin beads which are charged with sodium ions. The hardness salts are exchanged with the sodium, in a process called ion exchange. Once the beads are covered with calcium and magnesium, a brine solution is used to wash them away and reintroduce sodium ions. This is called recharge.

How do water softeners work?
Now we know the chemistry. Let's examine the mechanics of a water softener where contaminated hard water is passed through a cylinder containing resin consisting of millions of tiny ion-exchange beads.

As explained in the previous section, these beads attract and remove the hardness from the water by dislodging the calcium and magnesium. The result is pure, fresh, clean soft water pumped into your home.

The resin bed now contains the impurities left behind by the hard water. But not for long. The recharge process has a small amount of brine (common salt or sodium chloride dissolved in water) rinsed through the resin bed. The sodium replaces the calcium and magnesium with the used contaminated brine flushed away into a drain.

It is a very simple but highly effective process.

There is a Water Softener to suit your home.

                    

We install a full range of water softeners including those from:-