Evening!

So, doing a complete refurb of the house, electrics replaced, some walls down, plastering started, new boiler next!

However, even with a new 32mm water main we've laid from the meter the water flow is 15lt/min which is too low for the Megaflo I'd planned and potentially too low for a Combi such as this: Bosch 30Si

The Gas Safe plumber we've been talking to about fitting the boiler has suggested I fit an accumulator such as from:

TWS

or

GAH


Has anyone else used one or know much about them?

Thanks!
James

[Edited on 19/7/14 by James]

[Edited on 19/7/14 by James]

Basically they are a big air spring the steel cylinder contains an air bag much like car inner tube.
Water as it enters the accumulator the rising water level compresses the bag until the pressure in the accumulator balances the maximum pressure the water supply can produce.

This gives the same effect as having tank in the loft in that it gives a reserve supply at a sufficient "head" (supply pressure) which enables the boiler to be fed with a greater flow rate at a greater pressure than the mains water supply for a short period.

As the internal workings are the same as an inner tube all that can really go wrong is loss of pressure in the pressure bag.



[Edited on 19/7/14 by britishtrident]

Thanks.

Are they effective? Are there better or equivalent ways of doing this for the money?

Are some manufacturers better than others?

Cheers,
James

I know they work fine in pumped hot or cold water water systems, my experience of them was on ships with 40 odd crew where a surprisingly small accumulator was fitted on the domestic water systems to even out the pressure and stop the pump cutting in and out constantly. Only problem I ever encounter was a pin hole in an air bag, the design used then was a bit different from the modern types in that they used a bag rather than a diaphragm.