I have a question about British houses

propertyman

If its an old galvanised tank you are in for a shock. :eek:

They do rust, are prone to scale, and can leak without warning and are hard to repair. This muck also provides a nice home for bacteria which in most cases you fight off, but might be a risk to someone in poor health.

Tanks need to be covered and insulated, the overflow covered with a mesh to stop insects getting in, and periodically drained especially in hard water areas to remove the build up of scale in the bottom.

You need to take a quick look and see what the tank is and what state it is in.

jonewer

I'm very glad I found this thread.

I have long been baffled by the need for a water tank in the loft. The only place you generally find these in other areas is where the mains water pressure is very low.

I wish I had to money to rip out ALL of the plumbing in my house and do it properly.

RenovationMan

jonewer wrote: »

I'm very glad I found this thread.

I have long been baffled by the need for a water tank in the loft. The only place you generally find these in other areas is where the mains water pressure is very low.

I wish I had to money to rip out ALL of the plumbing in my house and do it properly.

We virtually did when we installed the heatbank. We still needed a tank in the loft because the alternative is to have a combi boiler (but I wouldn't consider one of these in a family home) or an unvented (pressurised) hot water tank (these pose an explosion risk if not installed and maintained annually by a qualified heating engineer).

thistledome

DizzyDasher wrote: »

I never realised these systems were not standard all over Europe growing up. Now I have lots of friends from other countries they are all amazed by how stone age our plumbing systems are in the UK ...

Those friend's Victorian ancestors would have been amazed by how modern our plumbing was, compared to their stone age arrangements...

From pioneers of the industrial age to laughing stock of the world in just over 100 years :mad:

Sorry OP , just having a quick rant.

We've got a modern combi boiler and CH but didn't bother having the tank taken out and it just provides cold water to the bathroom sink. You don't have to remove it if you don't want to.

Slinky

Ellie83 wrote: »

I imagine it would be a bad idea to add insulation to the loft given that the space where the tank is based would be made even colder?

Picking up on your point about insulation, you want to insulate your loft well but don't go putting it under your cold water tank so heat from the house will help stop the tank freezing in extreme weather. You also need to make sure all your pipes and the tank itself are well lagged.

We used to occasionally leave the loft hatch open a little if the forecast was really bad to allow some of the heat from the house to protect the tank.

geoffky

DizzyDasher wrote: »

I never realised these systems were not standard all over Europe growing up. Now I have lots of friends from other countries they are all amazed by how stone age our plumbing systems are in the UK ... but there you go. It is pretty standard, so if you rule out houses on this basis you will be ruling out a lot of houses! We've also been advised that a combi is not really suitable for more than one bathroom or more than 2 floors, so in many old tall/thin Victorian houses you don't have much choice.

One website that I've found very useful in understanding all the different systems is this one. It's not beautifully presented, but the explanations are also pretty clear (and the guy is a boiler engineer so he sees all the pros and cons of all the different systems!)

http://www.miketheboilerman.com/how.htm

We have three bathrooms and have a combi that has not caused a problem with demand...We did take out the old boiler that was a rolls royce but running on mini type pipes,,it was designed for pubs and care homes.

googler

Open question to all those who don't have a water tank, and rely entirely on mains water supplied under pressure from the local Water Board......

If, due to some mishap at the Water Board, you don't have a water supply, how long will it be before you're unable to flush your toilet(s) and/or wash your hands?

With one cistern of water, you'll get one flush, then what? Hold it in until the Water Board restores your supply? Spend a penny outside in the flowerbeds, or in the cat litter tray?

My house was built in the early 1990s, isn't 'vintage' by any means, and has a combi boiler, and cold water tank in the attic space.

I was always taught the logic behind having a water tank was to ensure that the house had a reserve supply in order to maintain sanitary conditions...... any plumbers have a view on this?

Ellie83

propertyman wrote: »

If its an old galvanised tank you are in for a shock. :eek:

It's a plastic one. The house was built early 2000.

thistledome wrote: »

Those friend's Victorian ancestors would have been amazed by how modern our plumbing was, compared to their stone age arrangements...

From pioneers of the industrial age to laughing stock of the world in just over 100 years :mad:

Sorry OP , just having a quick rant.

Haha, that did make me giggle because it is so true! Although I don't think your plumbing facilities are nearly as antiquated as your train lines (this is to be taken in jest, I don't to offend anyone )

Slinky wrote: »

Picking up on your point about insulation, you want to insulate your loft well but don't go putting it under your cold water tank so heat from the house will help stop the tank freezing in extreme weather. You also need to make sure all your pipes and the tank itself are well lagged.

We used to occasionally leave the loft hatch open a little if the forecast was really bad to allow some of the heat from the house to protect the tank.

Good idea! I also saw some advice on the Wicks website about loft insulation and feeder tank.

ruggedtoast

Ellie83 wrote: »

It's a plastic one. The house was built early 2000.



Haha, that did make me giggle because it is so true! Although I don't think your plumbing facilities are nearly as antiquated as your train lines (this is to be taken in jest, I don't to offend anyone )



Good idea! I also saw some advice on the Wicks website about loft insulation and feeder tank.

You're not from Holland are you? I had a friend over from Holland recently and he was laughing about the exact same things:

1) Hot water tanks
2) Train lines having a live rail
and also
3) TV aerials

:mad:

Ellie83

ruggedtoast wrote: »

You're not from Holland are you? I had a friend over from Holland recently and he was laughing about the exact same things:

1) Hot water tanks
2) Train lines having a live rail
and also
3) TV aerials

:mad:

Haha, no ruggedtoast, I am not from Holland. Although my current president is called Hollande... It is all in a jest, each country has its pros and cons But it is true that I was quite baffled by the water tank in the loft :rotfl:

What is wrong with TV aerials in the UK? They look normal to me!