When it comes to hot water cylinders, there are many different types, sizes and brands – and it can be somewhat confusing if you don’t have much prior knowledge about cylinders and how they work.
At Cylinder Direct, we aim to share as much useful information with you as possible so you can feel confident around your home maintenance issues and make sound decisions. In this article we’re going to focus on one type – the mains pressure hot water cylinder.
Why is it called a mains pressure hot water cylinder?
This refers to the water pressure you have in your home. You’re either on a low pressure hot water system or mains pressure. The difference is the water pressure coming out of your hot water cylinder.
Generally, a low pressure water heater system provides water pressure at approximately 75 kpa. In contrast, mains pressure hot water cylinders will provide up to 500 kpa.
This is a significant difference if you like a good shower, or you don’t want to have your water running for a long time when washing up.
How to check if you’re on mains pressure?
If your house was built in the 1990s or later, chances are you’re on mains pressure. There are a couple of things you can do to check:
- Look for a sticker on your hot water cylinder that says either “low” or “mains”.
- Turn your hot water on for few seconds, then turn it off. Turn your cold water on for a few seconds, then turn it off. If your cold water has more pressure than the hot, then you’re on a low pressure water system.
- Look for a copper pipe sticking out of your roof, probably above the cylinder. If you can see one, you may be on low pressure, as this usually gets removed once you switch to mains pressure.
Can you switch from a low pressure to a mains pressure hot water cylinder?
Absolutely! And we’d love to help.
If you’ve got an old low pressure hot water cylinder system and you’re ready to upgrade to mains pressure, Cylinder Direct can help select the best cylinder for your lifestyle and budget.
Upgrading to mains pressure makes sense if you want stronger hot water pressure in your home. You’ll immediately notice the difference, increasing your hot water pressure from around 75kpa to up to 500kpa of pressure.
Your showers will feel better – and you’ll probably be able to shorten shower times (which is great if you have teenagers in the house!).
If you’re renovating a bathroom or kitchen, it’s almost essential that you swap over from low pressure to mains. Modern tapware and mixers won’t work properly if you keep the low pressure hot water cylinder system, and it’s becoming harder to find specific lower pressure mixers. Using mains pressure mixers on a lower pressure system actually makes the flow worse.
When the Cylinder Direct comes out to switch out your old low pressure hot water cylinder for a new mains pressure one, we’ll take care of all of the disconnecting, removal work, installation and connections, from start to finish.
We’ll disassemble the old hot water cylinder, pipework and all other unnecessary materials – and we’ll take away for recycling as much of the old materials as possible, including the hot water cylinder itself.
We’ll supply, install and connect all the new components along with the mains pressure cylinder.
Don’t forget, Cylinder Direct does not use contractors – all of our team are New Zealand trained, qualified and employed by us. When you call Cylinder Direct for help with your hot water system, you talk to one of our team and have one of us come out to see you.
No subbies, no surprises!
What type of hot water cylinders are available?
Cylinder Direct offers a range of mains pressure cylinders, varying in size and features, from our trusted brands Rheem and Rinnai.
We are experienced and reliable suppliers and installers of hot water cylinders for electric and gas hot water systems.
Sizes available include:
- Mains Pressure Stainless Steel hot water cylinders – 135 to 300 litres
- Mains Pressure Vitreous Enamel hot water cylinders – 25 to 300 litres
The knowledgeable team at Cylinder Direct can advise on what type and size are best for your property and water use. Feel free to have a look at the brochures here for Rheem and Rinnai.
Contact us to find out more about the Rinnai Smart Cylinder™ – a great way to save money on your water bills.
We already have a mains pressure hot water heater – should we upgrade it?
If your hot water cylinder is quite old or needs replacing, upgrade it to mains pressure we can swap it out for you. Hot water cylinders should last at least 10 years – usually longer (most manufacturers’ warranties are valid for 10 years). If you think there are issues with your current cylinder – for example, you’re running out of hot water too quickly, or you hear strange sounds or banging coming from it – we can have a look at it and see what parts need replacing.
But if the cylinder itself is damaged or leaking, or if it’s close to 20 years old, it’s probably time to replace it.
Give us a call and we can have a quick chat about your options.
