finally the exams are out fo the way and i can focus on a little bit of tinkering instead.
this is an accumulator tank. it’s small but it has a secret hidden inside: a bladder filled with air. the tank fills until the pressure is equalized. conversely when a tap is opened the bladder empties the tank first and the pump only kicks in when the pressure drops significantly.
sounds uninteresting? i agree, but the pump in the hot water / external water supply is quite powerful and when the tap isn’t opened fully it constantly kicks in / cuts out which draws a lot of power and sounds nasty. that’s gone now.
looking at the photo above the two blue valves need relocating, too. and those speaker cables need to be tucked away.
i also replaced this rather unsightly and long grey water outlet with a nicer one that tucks in so much better.
that does look so much better. i should really build a bash plate for the hose next.
and i almost forgot: the factory installed 250 newton struts here – way too heavy. this resulted in the unwary user almost getting knocked out by the force of the lid. ian thought 150 n would do. he was right, it’s much better this way.