tank taking too long to heat

[adam mayhead]

i've got a new tank made for us from a company we don't normally use but wanted a custom upright one made.

tanks great, but it takes forever to heat up compared to our others.

as it's in the upright position, the tank holds far less water than a normal tank, so you'd think an element would heat this one up far quicker than normal, however it's more like 3 times the amount of time to get it to a good temperature which is too long.

any way we can check why this might be? unsure if the element is the reason, the fact the tank is plastic and not insulated, or perhaps an issue with upright design.

the element shows as 11" 3kw 240v, compared to our other old tanks with 12" 2.5kw 240v, so figured it'd be stronger and faster.

any ideas?

 

[Jamie Biles]

I'd imagine it would def stay hotter for longer having smaller surface area of liquid for heat transfer. Not sure if same theory would apply to heating up in first place

 

[Chris Birkett]

Heating wise, you'd think it should take the same time to heat the same volume of water as a shallow tank. However the shape of the tank might impact the convection current of the water, making the hot water rise through a thicker layer of cold water might actually be why it's slower.

Or your heating elements might just be fudge.

 

[David Lynch]

The stat on the element might be faulty.

 

[Luke Lewis]

Is the element only in the bottom? Or does it have one further up near the middle/top?

My limited knowledge here, is my immersion boiler at home. The element is in the bottom which heats the bottom half. But the water isn’t moving around so it takes a long time for the heat to make its way to the top water. It has another element closer to the top to heat that end and get the whole tank hot quicker.

 

[Alastair Shields]

Physics ...

Hot Water Recovery Time Calculator – MyBoiler.com

 

[Dave Atkins]

if your tank is not insulated it'll lose heat nearly as fast as you can heat it. good insulation should make a massive difference.

 

[Neil Wilde]

First thing I would try before exploring anything would be element & thermostat change.

 

[Jacob Ward]

Do you have any good pictures of the tank ?

Immersion heater would be the first point.

When you say it takes 3 times as long to heat,
To what temp ?
How much liquid does the tank hold .?

J

 

[Steven Johnson]

There is me using my portable gas burner tank and still earning £1k plus a week. All sounds a lot of hassle

 

[Matthew Bell]

Can’t help with heating etc, but we have removed the stay on ours to reach a slightly higher temperature.
Can I ask though who you got to build you one if you don’t mind? We’ve been looking to add another but they just seem to have gone ridiculously expensive.

we currently use plastic and would like to keep the same again

matt

 

[Luke Lewis]

There is me using my portable gas burner tank and still earning £1k plus a week. All sounds a lot of hassle

Do you not find this takes ages filling up and tipping out at each job? And do you not go through a lot more chemical?

 

[Steven Johnson]

Do you not find this takes ages filling up and tipping out at each job? And do you not go through a lot more chemical?

Not after 15 years No I have a routine that works. The product I use in the tank in cheap and its not dishwasher tablets..

 

[Steven Johnson]

Do you not find this takes ages filling up and tipping out at each job? And do you not go through a lot more chemical?

Also seen tons of posts in here with people taking forever to clean a cooker even though they have tanks in the back of the van.

More to this job than having a set up that costs a fortune in the back of your van.

I certainly don't work long hours and earn more than some people that have degrees and qualifications.

Never seen anyone on here mention the product I use its my secret weapon and far cheaper than what you all pay

 

[David Bolingbroke]

Steve....I reckon I use the same method as you...or pretty close.....and what is this "empty tank every job" lol...I empty and replace once every 3 months approx...prob should do it more often but it actually works better when it's not new!

I actually replaced this evening....I have been lazy as been so busy but I knew it needed doing as was solid when cold!!

Each replace/refill costs me £6....plus whatever the water costs.

I do have to top up around every 2 weeks, (using rinse water), due to evaporation and I stick in another £2 worth of what I use maybe every 6 weeks...