Why do I have water tanks in my attic? How does my immersion heater work and feed into the system? Is it true that the cold water from downstairs comes from the mains, and is therefore clean, while cold water from upstairs taps comes from the tank in the attic and probably has bits of pigeon or bat in it?
Thanks very much!
In: Engineering
Houses in the UK generally have one of two water systems. Some have a tank somewhere high up storing cold water so that you get good pressure throughout the house, plus a very well insulated tank with an immersion element for hot water. This is an older style, and was intended to compensate for low pressure inbound systems by having it all gravity fed, and isn’t really needed anymore since inbound pressure tends to be better since the introduction of more powerful centralised pumping stations.
Since the development of more efficient insulation and _much_ faster heating systems, a lot of properties now have combined boilers, which heat water to 55-80 degrees (depending on settings) as it flows through them. Modern ones are very good, and give you unlimited hot water- I have a 35kW boiler which can provide hot water to the kitchen and two showers at the same time. Between that and better pressure from the mains supply, the older style is becoming less common.
And yes, the tanks can be gross – many are more modern and enclosed plastic, but y’know, a big old rusty tank with a loose lid isn’t going to be _clean_…
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