Whether you're troubleshooting water pressure issues, ensuring compatibility with your next shower system, or simply looking to understand how different water sources affect performance, having the right knowledge can make all the difference. This brief guide will walk you through key considerations related to ‘Thermal Store’ water supplies, helping you identify potential problems and find solutions that keep your shower working at its best.
You will know you have this system if you have one tank that has both the hot and cold water. The top of the tank usually has cold water and, the hot water is created using a heat exchanger in the main part of the tank.
In a domestic setting, heated water is usually stored in a large well-insulated cylinder often called a buffer or accumulator tank.
How do I turn the hot water off?
To turn off the hot water, you need to locate the isolation valve that will be on the pipe from the tank to the shower.
How do I turn the cold water off?
To turn off the cold water, you need to locate the isolation valve that will be on the pipe from the tank to the shower.
The diagram below is a representation of a mains pressurised instantaneous hot water shower, heated from a thermal store.
This type of system uses a tempering valve to control the temperature of water to hot water outlets. This type of water system can be used, with most thermostatic Mira showers.
A drop-tight pressure reducing valve must be fitted if the supply pressures exceed 5 bar maintained.
An expansion valve must be fitted (and regularly maintained) as shown in the diagram to ensure excess pressures do not damage the product. This may already be fitted externally or internally within the thermal store (check with thermal store manufacturer).
The layout and sizing of pipework MUST be such that nominally equal inlet supply pressures are achieved and the effects of other draw-offs are minimised.
