Chauffe eau - do they get hot?

[Toodlepips]

well, on the outside I mean!

I'm building one into a cupboard prior to electrics being installed for the property and wanted to know if they get hot on the outside, as in the UK.  Or do they stay cool to the touch on the outside, as I know they have a lot of insulation on the inside.

This will influence how much space I give it when boxing it in.

 

Thanks

[Anton Redman]

Pipes from them get warm/hot cylinder itself stays cools. Make sure you give your self enough space to get a replacement in or out at some stage in the future.  

[Toodlepips]

 I was hoping that was the case

thanks for the advice

[tigerfeet]

depends on the age/make , our previous one used to get very hot , now I have replaced  it the new one stays cool to touch.

[Gyn_Paul]

Actually they can get hot. They comprise a copper cylinder (like in the UK), coated in about an inch or so of high-density foam insulation, then the outer steel casing. In free air the outside feels cold (well, room temperature actually), however if you insulate it - as you would  a UK non-insulated tank - with a jacket, then the casing will get warm. Sometimes quite warm, proving that it is losing some heat, but it never really gets more than hand-hot. So in an enclosed space expect the casing to feel a little warm, and the cupboard interior to feel hot.

Is there any chance you could build the cupboard in such a way that you could dismantle it if needed? Having had to replace one in a corner with a cupboard hard up against the other side I can tell you it's not easy getting the hanging bolts at the back undone without decent access.

p

[Chancer]

Having cut one in two to lift it up from the cave I can confirm that the inner cylinder is neither copper, nor like a UK one.

It was a 6mm thick coated (not well enough) steel pressure vessel with vermiculite insulation in the cavity between it and the outer casing, which itself was thicker than a UK copper cylinder.

How I wish the inner one was 6mm copper, I could have got more for it at the scrapyard than the new one cost!