Advice on a couple of Plumbing jobs please

[mutley racers]

Hey chaps, I am wondering what people use to descale cross plate heat exchangers?

Also, I have a cylinder change on Thursday, and the old cylinder has a warix flange from the side for the shower pump. Which is on the floor next to the cylinder. Now, To be honest with you, I am not wanting to even attempt to cut a hole in a new cylinder. So, will an S flange in the top be alright?

One more thing, I went to a job a couple of months back where the client was not getting any hot water from her taps. So i presumed she had an air lock or blockage. So, i put the mains on it and it cleared it for a couple of days. So then she calls me back, and i ask her to take me to the loft so i can check the pipework to make sure its all falling from tank and so on. Basically, it is a council flat and the loft is on the veranda which only the council have the key to. She then tells me that the council renewed all the water tanks up there just before christmas and that this was when the problem started. So i said she should get them back to solve the problem.

Well, the council have came back and said that the problem is not upstairs, but with the cylinder.

My question is, what could be wrong with the cylinder?

Sorry that it;s quite long winded. I just cannot see apart from a blockage, what would be causing this problem. The gate valve is not stuck. And, i cannot get into the loft!!!

All help appreciated

Thanks

Lee

 

[goz666]

Firstly mate I have never had any long term benefit with descaling so i just replace PHE and have done with it, secondly it's an easy job to cut a hole in a cylinder, basic plumbing to fit a flange into a cylinder so get a holesaw kit and give it a try and thirdly, if it's a council flat then it's a council problem and you shouldn't have touched the DHW at all, that said just because a gate valve turns doesn't mean it's open fully.

 

[mutley racers]

Thanks for the advice Goz. The girl owns the flat, but only what's in the flat, not in the roof space

 

[cr0ft]

Hi mate. Fitting a essex flange isn't that bad to be honest. The cylinder wall is surprisingly thick (around 3mm) just use a normal wood/metal holesaw of the right size. Put it through on a high speed so it's less likely to snag and job is done. If you hang off a pair of stilsons you can buckle a cylinder quite easily but a holesaw will have a hard time doing anything other than cutting a nice hole in one.

I must admit the first one I did was on an old cylinder and it was a bum-clenching moment but it worked a treat, much better solution for preventing aeration of the pump than the sussex flange. Just remember to use a 'crow's foot' dip pipe inside the flange so you're not pulling water from the edge of the cylinder otherwise it will be no better than the Sussex flange.

 

[jtsplumbing]

Why not just buy the cylinder with the secondry tapping on it ? even brtter buy a S/Steel cylinder ! cheeper than copper , has all fittings, and has got a 25 year warranty, Get mine from City Plumbing. www.cityplumbing.co.uk

 

[mutley racers]

thanks guys. I shall take your word for it. Croft, what is a crows foot dip pipe? I cannot see any info for it online!

Thanks for the link JTS. I shall remember this for next time

 

[Best]

I wouldn't bother fitting an Essex flange as the rubber washers go rock hard & they can & will leak badly eventually. Especially if the pipe attached to it gets touched. As said, prefered choice is a new cylinder with extra tapping.
Grade 3 cylinders are 0.7 mm on sides (same as copper pipe)

 

[mutley racers]

cheers best