Cylinders & Hot Water Heaters

What is a hot water cylinder?

A hot water cylinder is a vertical or horizontal tank that stores hot water after being heated. The cylinder is well insulated to maintain the temperature of the water within the hot water cylinder. There are multiple ways in which the water within the tank can he heated which includes, solar, air and ground source heat pumps, electric as well as being connected to oil and gas boilers.

Within hot water cylinders, there are specially designed coils that heats the water for ready to use hot water whether this is for running a bath, doing the washing up or other day to day household activities. Storing and maintaining hot water this way means the heating system isn’t required to constantly run which offers the homeowner cost saving capabilities depending on their hot water requirements.

What size hot water cylinder do I need?

The size of a hot water cylinder all depends on the size of the house. If an incorrect size cylinder is installed there are one or 2 two problems which may occur:

1. If the cylinder size is too small, then you will run out of hot water and will need to wait for more water to heat up

1. If the cylinder is too big, then this will result in the household bills to increase as the water within the cylinder isn’t used up and will require additional energy to keep heating it up.

There is no set rule for the size of cylinder required for the household, this is because hot water demand differs widely from household to household. For general guidelines, the below hot water cylinder installation chart is used:

1 Bedroom Property with 1 bathroom = 90L – 120L Cylinder

2 Bedroom Property with 1 bathroom = 120L – 150L Cylinder

3 Bedroom Property with 1 bathroom = 150L – 180L Cylinder

3 Bedroom Property with 2 bathrooms = 180L – 210L Cylinder

4 Bedroom Property with 2 bathrooms = 210L – 250L Cylinder

5 Bedroom Property with 2 bathrooms = 210 – 250L Cylinder

6 Bedroom Property with 3 bathrooms = 300L – 400L Cylinder

The Atlantic Direct hot water cylinder is available in the size of 90L – 300L and has been designed to be fitted into most households. Engineered to use electricity the Atlantic Direct hot water cylinder is capable of utilising photovoltaic panels to heat and provide hot water or be connected to the electrical mains with economy electricity tariffs to maximise the cylinder's overall efficiency and cost saving capabilities.

What are the benefits of an Atlantic hot water cylinder?

There are a wide range of electric hot water cylinders which include:

• Efficiency
• Cost
• Reduced Maintenace

• Easier Installation

The Atlantic Direct hot water cylinder has been designed to provide a wide range of benefits to both the installer but also to the homeowner. Designed with efficiency in mind, the Atlantic Direct cylinder uses electrical energy from the mains (households on economy traffics) or energy from photovoltaic panels. Combine this with specially designed corrugated solar coil to increase surface temperate contact with the water to increase heat up times.

As the Atlantic range of cylinders are well insulated which maintains the hot water temperature for longer and reduces the number of times the water has to be heated means the savings generated are directly supplied to the homeowner.

Electric Hot Water Heater:

What is an Electric hot water heater?

An electric hot water heater is known by various names like Point of use (POU), On Demand Point of Use (ODP), Point of Service water heater (POS) and POS Water Heater but all do the same thing, heat and provide hot water when required.

Installed near the required hot water outlet like a kitchen sink, bathroom basin, bath or shower, hot water heaters are designed to provide hot water instantly when needed. Depending on the specifications of the hot water heater unit, they can be installed above the sink or under the sink like our Atlantic Nanto Lite and Nanto Plus to provide space saving efficiency and complete versatility for the desired room of installation.

There are a wide range of hot water heaters available including:

• Conventional Water Heaters
• Tankless (On-Demand) Water Heaters

• Point-of-Use Water Heaters
• Solar-Powered Hot Water Systems
• Heat Pump (Hybrid) Water Heaters
• Condensing Water Heaters

All of these units provide hot water but depending on your needs, requirements and hot water usage some heater units will be better suited for the household needs than others. If you are looking for a hot water heater that will provide hot water to the full household then the Atlantic Calypso Heat Pump Water Heater is what you are looking for, but on the other hand if you are looking to provide hot water to a centralised room of the house like a kitchen or bathroom then the Atlantic Nanto Lite or Nanto Plus are the units you are looking for.

How does an Electric hot water heater work?

Installed near to the hot water outlet, the Atlantic point of use electric water heater is connected directly to the mains. Cold water enters the Nanto hot water heater and fills it’s 10L or 15L internal tank (depending on which model is chosen). There is a heating element which is directly in contact with the cold water and is heated using electricity. As this heating element heats up, the heat is transferred from the element and into the water generating hot water and when the water temperature has reached the temperature set on the control panel the heating elements turn off.

When the water within the tank cools and drops below the desired temperature which has been set, the heating elements will turn back on and heat the water back up to the set temperature.

There are models on the market that can use natural gas, liquid propane or oil but typically powered by electricity to heat heating elements within the unit which then transfers that heat to the water within the unit.

What is a Heat Pump Hybrid Hot Water Heater?

Unlike traditional hot water cylinders which connect to a boiler to generate hot water or a solar hot water cylinder which utilises solar energy to generate hot water. A heat pump water heater combined a heat pump with a hot water heater which generates hot water for the whole household.

How does a Heat Pump Water Heater Work?

The heat pump which sits on top of the hot water cylinder uses the same heat pump technology as the heat pumps you find outside, the only difference is that the heat pump on top of the hot water tank is designed to heat hot water rather than providing hot water and heat for the central heating system.

The heat pump unit sits on top of the hot water cylinder and works by drawing in ambient air from the surrounding environment. This warm air is then passed through to a compressor when turns the air into a gas which cycles around the cylinder. As this gas begins to reach the bottom of the tank and cools, it turns back into a liquid which is then draw by into the heat pump system to begin the heating process again.

7 simple steps on how a heat pump water heater works:

1. Surrounding Ambiant air is drawn in by a fan

1. Air is passed to the compressor

1. Compressor warms up building pressure and transforms air into a hot gas

1. The hot gas travels around the hot water tank through coil and heat transfers to the cold water and heats it up

1. Hot gas begins to transform back into a liquid as it cools and travels to the bottom of the hot water cylinder

1. Cool liquid is then drawn by up into the heat pump system

1. The heating cylinder process repeats

What are the benefits of an Electric hot water heater and a heat pump water heater?

The benefits of having an electric water heater installed:

• Low Running Costs

• Space Saving Units
• Reduces utility and water bills
• Energy Efficient
• Environmentally Friendly
• Easy to install

• Low Maintenace
• Long Lifespan
• Less Waiting Times
• Near instant hot water

Hot Water Heater:

The idea of an electric water heater is to t they are to provide hot water to a single room like a kitchen or bathroom so as a result have been designed to be as compact and efficient as possible. The Atlantic Nanto Lite and Plus are square in design and this is so they can be installed easy under the kitchen sink or above the bathroom basin while maintaining an aesthetic look that is versatile and can complement any home deco interior design.

In addition as electric water heaters are installed near to the required hot water outlet this helps reduce water wastage and waiting times for hot water to be supplied through the taps which overall could help reduce water and energy bills.

Heat Pump Hot Water Heater:

There are a substantial number of benefits to an electric water heater whether you are looking for a heat pump hybrid system like the Atlantic Calypso or looking for something smaller and more localised like the Atlantic Nanto Lite or Nanto Plus.

A heat pump hybrid water heater like the Atlantic Calypso uses a small amount of energy to power the heat pump system itself none of this energy is required to heat the water within the tank unless there is an increased demand for hot water within the household, but this shouldn’t be the case as your heat pump water heater should have been sized correctly for the household. As a result, of not require using natural gas or energy to directly heat and generate hot water. With a heat pump water heater, there would be improvements in running costs as well as overall energy efficiency along with being environmentally friendly and can even help reduce your water and energy bills.