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In a quest to reduce oil usage for hot water and heating Ive seen I have unused roof space ideal for a Solar thermal array (to work with my solar PV) short term my current grant boiler can be adapted to operate as a system boiler for heating alone or fed by mixer pre warmed water in winter.
How ever the only space I really have for a heatstore is where the old cold water header used to Sit. It's not tall enough for a vertical heatstore. I just found out horizontal units exist....
I'm aware of the stratification issues of the limited height.but has anyone actually used one in real life. How does it actually impact real world.
No experience if those I'm afraid, but have you got enough strength up there for 300+kgs water plus the tank?
Another possibility for reduced space is to use a heat store with a phase change material in. More compact per unit energy stored. I think there are a couple on the market now.
E.g. https://www.smallsolar.co.uk/heatstores/
It's not a 75mm CLS timber kit house.
But reinforcing if required wouldn't be the worst job in the world. Access is good but as it's directly ontop of load bearing walls and steels it's like they put the old cold water tank there for a reason. - the joists are also 8 inches deep as the house is a store and a half - those joists form the floor of the upper floor also. - space in question is in the eaves over the front door recess.
Will look further into that later.
My concern is that like many things - these things exist because there's a market not because it should exist.
The old logic behind why heat stores were good kinda goes out the window if you have limited stratification so I'm sceptic....
Strange topic to post on a cycling forum.
It’s not just a cycling forum! It’s the font of all knowledge - and some rabbit holes of despair!!
And some very nice people too…