[juliem]

I have a large solar copper tank in my bathroom for my domestic hot water .
It's also linked to woodburner.It's about 12 yrs old and had a little leak 3 yrs ago which we managed to have repaired.I have had a new tank made which has been in my shed for 3 yrs..do you think I should replace if now.We are in a hard water area.
It's such a large tank...could cause a lot of damage if it leaks again.
My ideal would be to have a house with no storage tanks at all....gas central heating..in my dreams

[chrismahon]

I certainly would replace it Juliem- immediately. It's not the size of the tank that determines the amount of water leaked, but it is the rate that the tank is refilled from the header tank above.


Difficult job I know, having replaced many. The pipe work positions may need adjusting but the two important things are the condition of the floor beneath the tank and the sealing of the fittings to the tank. The latter will only be known to be OK when the whole tank is refilled. Best to use the gas grade PTFE tape (which is thicker than standard) on the treads of the fittings to the tank which should all be new anyway.

[landroverroy]

Think logically Julie:-
 Your tank has leaked once so you know it's on borrowed time.
 You have a new one to replace it with.
 You will therefore have to replace it sometime. So why wait until it becomes a crisis?
 If gas central heating is at present only a dream, then it sounds unlikely that it will happen before your old storage tank leaks again and becomes a nightmare!
 

[juliem]

 :asked my plumber and he reckoned needs to be done on a cloudy day....he seemed to be concerned about the liquid in the vessel....I assumed this would not be affected because there are those little cut off valves all over the place.
I had hoped it could be a project for the summer...but perhaps not

[juliem]

Can anyone recommend any tradesperson in Shropshire area who likes this type of work.

[landroverroy]

I'd look for someone local in your local freeads/newspapers. Obviously you don't need someone with all gas safe qualifications. But any experienced plumber should find it straightforward.

[cloddopper]

Steer clear of the cowboy who can, Do it tomorrow " or " On Monday " & doe not give a written quote  incases like yours being a VAT refgistered company is perhaps a safer route for if anything goes wrong & it's not satisfactorily & safely sorted you can alway take it through the  county court & get the Sheriff's  to enforce the judgement instead of the bailiffs.
 The speedy solution guy will not normally have enough assetts < like as not have no public liability insurance  ..
.

Usually a company that has premises that has a few months work in hand is a better bet , You can also check for county court judgments & see how ling the have been trading .

 I know it means a painful plus VAT  bill but bitter experience has taught me in long run it's the best result .

[juliem]

Did put the job on "my builder" and didn't get any response.Plumbing is getting such a specialised job.The chap who originally installed it has moved onto lecturing on the subject.