Insulation

[Phil Pascoe]

I have a new immersion heater fitted in the loft - it is obviously already insulated, but is it worth putting an additional jacket on it? I'm thinking yes? The one I had was insulated but still lost quite a bit of heat to the cupboard.

 

[sunnybob]

you can never have enough insulation.
Especially in an unheated cornish loft!

If the tank is resting on the joists, remove the insulation from underneath so that some warmth comes up from the room below, and use that insualtion around the edges.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

It's a hot tank, so it doesn't really need frostproofing.

 

[Rorschach]

Extra insulation is never a bad thing.

 

[MikeG.]

It isn't a question of protecting the tank from frost, but of benefiting from the "waste" heat it produces. Ideally, you want all of the heat sources associated with your dwelling to be located within the insulated envelope of the building so that their valuable heat isn't lost immediately to the outside air. A hot water tank is a major source of such heat (if not the major source). You've paid for the heat, so it only seems sensible to benefit from it. As has been said, remove the insulation from underneath it, and added as much as you can to the top and sides, and you'll have done your best to conserve the valuable warmth.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Thanks Mike. I'm aware I'm not protecting it from frost - it's a hot tank, after all. I know how much heat was lost from the old one but as it was in a heavily used airing cupboard it didn't matter. What's the purpose of not having insulation under a hot tank? (It's irrelevant anyway as the tank is on a solid base.)
I'm going to insulate it anyway, but I wondered if anyone would come up with any figures about the potential energy wastage.

 

[sunnybob]

heat radiates down as well as up and out.

Heat from the tank will percolate back into the room below, and as and when the hot tank is off (or broken) the heat from the room will stop it freezing.

 

[Mark Begbie]

Presumably the tank will be hotter than the house, at least most of the time. In which case, the heat will flow the other way.

you can never have enough insulation.
Especially in an unheated cornish loft!

If the tank is resting on the joists, remove the insulation from underneath so that some warmth comes up from the room below, and use that insualtion around the edges.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes. It's in the roof - I have no desire to heat the universe.