Troubleshooting Your Thermal Store Cylinder

Thermal store water cylinders offer several benefits, particularly over old-style vented water cylinders. They’re efficient, fast, and can be installed almost anywhere in the home. They also deliver mains pressure water to every tap in the home. However, like any other water cylinder, problems can develop. In this post, we will discuss some of the common troubleshooting steps to take based on common symptoms you might experience.

When you open the hot tap, you expect hot water to come out. If it doesn’t, it’s a good sign that there’s something wrong with your thermal store cylinder. There are a couple of steps to take here.

First, check that the thermometer on your cylinder shows between 75 and 80 degrees C. If it is lower than this, make sure that the boiler is working properly, and then allow the cylinder enough time to warm up completely. If the temperature is showing between 75 and 80 degrees C, you’ll need to check the thermostatic mixing valve. It should be set to hot.

If the valve is set to hot, check that the flow rate at any tap in the home is no higher than 20 litres per minute. Any taps with a higher flow rate should be adjusted down.

If this does not fix the problem, there may be a blockage in the thermostatic mixing valve. Contact a qualified technician to diagnose and repair the problem.

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If your thermal store cylinder is at the right temperature but you notice that the pressure at your taps drops quickly, it could be a sign that there is sludge developing around the heat exchanger coil. Ideally, inhibitor should be added to the system regularly to prevent sludge from forming.

If sludge is not the problem, it is also possible that problems with the mains flow are causing the fluctuations. You can test this by drawing off the same flow rate after turning off the heating. If the flow fluctuates or drops quickly with the heating off, the issue most likely lies with the mains supply itself.

Ideally, you’ll get clear hot water from the taps in your home. However, if you open the hot tap and notice that the water has a brown tinge, it’s a sign that the heat exchanger coil could be leaking inside the cylinder. Note that this is not something that homeowners can assess on their own. A qualified service person will need to test it.

Homeowners can look for other signs that support this issue. For instance, if the expansion tank is overflowing continually, it is a good sign that the coil is leaking, and you’ll need to have the cylinder repaired by a professional.

Do you own a thermal store cylinder? Are you experiencing any of the problems mentioned above? If so, contact us at EasyFlow to schedule your service. Our professional technicians have considerable experience installing and repairing thermal store cylinders and can help get your system back to normal.