It came as quite a shock to us that many cylinders from another manufacturer are failing. Alarm bells started ringing when we discovered that the same issue occurs on many cylinders in an 8 storey apartment block in Leeds. Also, the warranty on these fault unvented cylinders expired, therefore excluding themselves from home and contents insurance. To make matters even worse, the building management companies are passing on the costs of the faulty invented cylinder directly to the owner as wear and tear costs.
As compassionate heating engineers, we thought we should share with you the cylinders in question, what to look out for, and our advice on what to do next.
What to look out for
The manufacturer of the faulty unvented cylinder in question is Oso. The issue is with the cylinder core corroding and failing. This is due to the cylinders not receiving correct maintenance each year. In the apartment block in Leeds, the leak happens where connections create a seal on the core of the Oso cylinders. When they fail, they cause a massive flood to the owner’s property and the properties below. The cylinders have not received correct maintenance throughout their lifetime. Check to see if your cylinder has had a regular inspection. If you notice any corrosion on the cylinder, call a reputable installer of invented cylinders as soon as possible.
In a separate issue in 2019, two homeowners in Jersey are seeking compensation for the damage caused by the failure of their Oso hot water cylinders. In these cases, there seems to be an issue with the connections used for draining the cylinder. After further research, this issue isn’t covered by the cylinder warranty. The failure is with a component and not the cylinder. This leaves any failure open to exclusion from home and contents insurance, even if the cylinder has been inspected regularly.
Is it best to just replace the faulty unvented cylinder?
There are concerns if you have an old Oso cylinder. If you have a cylinder mentioned above, do a close inspection. We are always happy to give professional advice about this matter, so call us on 0113 225 0793.
Our replacement Megaflo unvented cylinder, pictured below, in one of the aforementioned apartments. We were very pleased to hear that the management company passed our installation straight away. All other replacement cylinders required the installers to return to rectify installation defects.
At Parkstone Yorkshire customers ask for our opinion on what is best to fit in property regarding hot water. Many want the right system that gets the most out of their shower. We recommend installing unvented hot water because this supplies hot and cold water at the same pressure. Also, there are several reasons for choosing unvented hot water, including the long guarantee which accompany the cylinder. Our preferred manufacturers are Gledhill and Megaflo, both of which come with a 25 year/lifetime Guarantee.
For peace of mind and you can afford to replace it we suggest you do. Because the risk of leaving it any longer could end up being costly. For more information or a quote for this work, please get in touch.