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Unvented Hot Water
Seeing as this is a relatively new and quite unknown system, a small explanation of the basic working may be handy.
The installation of an unvented hot water system must be installed by a properly qualified plumber, who has an unvented hot water certificate.
Unvented Hot Water Cylinder Installation
These systems can give very good high water-flow rates to hot water outlets; the main appliance to advantage from this is a thermostatic shower.
The water in the unvented system is stored within the system itself, at mains water pressure. Because the system is not open to atmospheric pressure, hence the unvented, it works at a higher pressure than conventional systems.
The water being stored at high pressure means a range of safety devices are needed to ensure safe running of the system.
The pros and cons of the unvented system are to follow, starting with the pros. The unvented system as said has a high-pressure operation which enables high water-flow, great for keeping the hot water pressure up when multiple outlets are being used.
This high water-flow also gives balanced pressure at hot and cold outlets; this means the hot and cold water coming out of the taps is at around the same pressure, also ideal for making shower supplies safer.
In some cases the pipe runs can be reduced in pipe size, sometimes saving money, space and heat loss.
The actual unvented cylinder itself is a lot faster to install, especially if it comes in a package, already made up. This reduces installation time and cost.
Also the unvented cylinder is a lot easier to site within a house, with only the safety discharges to limit where the cylinder should go.
Now the cons; if your house is supplied with a water main that has poor pressure and water-flow it will not perform correctly.
This can be overcome, but this depends on personal finances!
There is no back-up water to fill the cistern once emptied if the water main fails. The space an unvented system and its components take up is larger than what a conventional cylinder will take up.
Lastly, the initial installation cost of the unvented cylinder is larger than a conventional system.
You just have to look at both sides of the arguments and see what you feel is right for you. The performance comes at a cost, but with most unvented cylinders, they come with a large guarantee.
Thermostatic Shower, Ideal for Unvented Hot Water
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