Ergomax Vs. Super Stor Ultra

Andrew Hagen (ALH)

The tank-within-a-tank water heaters have the inherant disadvantage of having the high temperature boiler fluid on the outside where the heat loss occurs. This results in more standby loss, especially if the tank is poorly insulated.

-Andrew

Henry Feingersh

Ergomax Vs. Super Stor Ultra

I have a 4 year old gas heating system in my house and my Weil Mclain indirect hot water heater has a leak between the inner and outer tanks. This is causing excess pressure back to the boiler causing the overflow valve to release water once the pressure builds up to near 30 lbs. The Weil Mclain rep acknowledged that the chlorine content in the water is eating away at the welds thus causing this condition. My builder is planning to replace the indirect hot water heater and I have been told that both the Ergomax and the Super Stor Ultra are very good units. My question is which of these two units is better? In addition, if you know of another unit that is even better than these, what is the name of it?

Thank you very much.
Henry Feingersh

Joe Brix

The super stor

is also stainless steel, so you might have the same problem. ErgoMax runs your domestic HW through a copper coil with a steel tank holding the boiler water around it. Thermo2000's Turbomax and the Laar's Duraflow tank use a similar concept. TFI-Everhot is all copper.

Another option might be the Vaughn TopPerformer, It's a cement lined steel tank. One heavy tank.

hr

Better correct the water

condition first! If the levels are that high another brand will suffer the same fate.

Not to mention what those levels are doing to your body

A water treatment expert should be able to filter, or condition you water to acceptable levels for stainless steel indirect use.

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kk_2

Is that normal???

Would the normal amount of chlorine in a city water supply do that to a stainless steel tank, or does that have to be an excessively large amount?

I'm hoping it's the latter.

Uni R

Henry...

Was your tank a stainless steel tank? Everyone's assuming it was but you never did say.

ALH_4

Of those two

I would recommend the Super Stor. They are insulated much better than the Ergomax.

If your water is particularly harsh, Viessmann Vitocell 300 tanks are probably the most corrosion resistant out there.

Crown Mega-Stor (aka Burnham Alliance) tanks are stainless steel and have a lifetime warranty should you ever have to replace it again.

4 years is a short time. I suspect a weld was not perfect. Municipal water should not eat stainless steel.

-Andrew

Darin Cook_3

Weil Mclain/Triangle Tube Phase III

Same tank. Stainless tank on the potable side. It is a great IDWH. Whoever the original installer was did not account for those extremely high levels of chlorine. The install instructions/warranty are very specific about addressing those type of conditions and lack of warranty for type conditions/abuse. Correct the water issues or suffer the same fate with another tank.






Darin

hr

Looks like all the stainless tanks havey

warning labels regarding chloride levels. I suspect there are more than one or two issues with leaks caused by high levels.

Zinc Chloride solder flux, when used excessively or not flushed can cause problems with stainless also.

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Henry Feingersh

Original Tank was a Weil Mclain Gold Plus

I was told that the welds were leaking, not the stainless steel tank itself. The Weil Mclain rep said that they have been experiencing this problem on Long Island and will be /have come out with a new tank specifically for this problem.

hr

Looks like all the stainless tanks have

warning labels regarding chloride levels. I suspect there are more than one or two issues with leaks caused by high levels.

Zinc Chloride solder flux, when used excessively or not flushed can cause problems with stainless also.

Ph 6-8, Chloride ppm under 80 according to the Crown manual and label.

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Ron Schroeder

Hi Andrew,

I have also heard about the minimal insulation on the ergomax tanks. How do the other "inside out" indirects compare?

Ron

Joe Brix

I think they all have

3" of fiberglass or spray foam insulation. What difference does it make if the heat loss is from the domestic water or the boiler water? Final outcome the DHW losses heat to the environment or to the surounding boiler water. My Phase III's outer jacket is always cold to the touch. They all usually list 1 degree per hour loss.

Big advantages to the revesre indirects are no stagnant DHW and they can be used as a buffer tank. Probably better teamed up with a low mass boiler though.

Ron Schroeder

Hi Joe,

In the summer, heat loss from the boiler is waste anyway so the insulation on the DHW tank is the most important.

Heat loss from the boiler water that is in the tank surrounding the DHW tank for a Tank -in-tank indirect would not be much more than a regular indirect since the boiler water in the outside tank would soon become the same temperature as the domestic water.

ANY indirect DHW system would benefit from having low thermal mass in the boiler compared to the thermal mass in the DHW tank, especially with intermittant DHW demands.

Ron

Darin Cook_3

Keep in Mind

The only treatment done to municipal water is to kill the things that would kill you. Some of our water districts have extremely hard water. Anything above 15 ppm's is very hard. Address water conditions up front and avoid lots of hassles that are not you fault. If you do not they will be YOUR problem.








Darin