Neil Mattock, Vokèra’s Marketing Director, talks through the benefits of unvented hot water storage cylinders.

There has been a boom in home extensions in recent years, especially loft conversions, which bring homeowners additional space and, in many cases, extra en-suite bath or shower rooms, washrooms and utility areas. For these newly enlarged properties, it’s common that families overlap in their demand for hot water and, in these cases, the best solution is stored hot water via an unvented cylinder.

A crucial advantage to installing an unvented cylinder is that it can provide optimum comfort and convenience, which makes it the ideal solution for a busy family lifestyle. With this system in place, householders can be assured of optimum hot water delivery and performance, even if there is a long draw off.

One of the benefits of an unvented cylinder is that there is also no need for a cold water storage tank in the loft space. Instead the sealed hot water cylinder is fed directly by the cold water mains and since it will be operating at mains pressure, it offers better flow rates and will improve the performance on the shower or bath. It also removes the danger of the cold water storage tank freezing up during the winter months. Finally, since it is a sealed system, the cold water is not at risk from breeding the legionella bacteria or contamination in any other way.

An unvented system also creates much less operating noise as there is no water filling a cold water storage tank. What’s more, not having a cold water tank frees up space and eliminates having to rely on gravity to move hot water around the property. This means that an unvented cylinder can be positioned virtually anywhere in the home.

Unvented cylinders are also a great way for a homeowner to make their properties more energy efficient. There are various types of indirect unvented cylinder, most commonly single coil and twin coil. Single coil versions are usually heated via an external heat source, such as a gas or oil boiler. However, with solar thermal, the cylinder has to become a twin coil version to allow connection to the renewable technology and the boiler or additional external heat source. For heat pumps a larger single coil cylinder (for increased surface area) is required due to the lower primary circuit temperatures that heat pumps operate to.

There are many benefits to using unvented cylinders and stored hot water in a home. When it comes to families opting for hot water performance or those keen to adopt renewable and low carbon technologies, it seems likely that there will be a rise in the popularity of unvented cylinders. The key is to use the right solution for a project and ensuring that installers can provide their customers with the best heating system for their needs.

For more information, visit www.vokera.co.uk or follow Vokèra on: Facebook  | Twitter  | LinkedIn.