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hot water storage piping

Dan_48
Dan_48 Member Posts: 12
in THE MAIN WALL
In a hot water heating system I am adding 3 hot water storage tanks. Because of space limitations there has to be three tanks of different sizes. Should these tanks be piped in series or parallel?

Comments

  • Brad White
    Brad White Member Posts: 2,399
    What is your intent?

    Dan, if your intent is to store hot water for domestic use and draw off them all at once, I would say "parallel" and pipe them either reverse-return or by tees such that the piping is the same length to each. The tank pressure drops should not be appreciably different and the goal is to have them charge all at once.

    If you are using these as a heating buffer tank on a ModCon setup to prolong condensing, or as mass storage then I would pipe them in series.

    If you are using series piping for domestic hot water, you will have to wait a while for your shower to arrive.
    "If you do not know the answer, say, "I do not know the answer", and you will be correct!"



    -Ernie White, my Dad
  • Dan_48
    Dan_48 Member Posts: 12


    This is for storage between a wood fired boiler and the house oil fired boiler. Thanks
  • ALH_4
    ALH_4 Member Posts: 1,790
    A-ha

    Assuming these are tanks without coils, I would pipe them in series with counterflow between the wood boiler and the oil boiler. ie the flow from the wood boiler enters tank 1 and leaves tank 3, and the flow from the heat exchanger/oil boiler enters tank 3 and leaves tank 1. Hopefully this is a wood gasification boiler.
  • Dan_48
    Dan_48 Member Posts: 12


    Thanks Andrew, Yes I am using an Olan gasification wood boiler. My thoughts were the same on the piping, good to get confirmation. I am not using a heat exchanger, piping things together. Question: Do you think 16gpm is to much for 1" pex with ID of 1.03?
  • Dan_48
    Dan_48 Member Posts: 12


    Thanks Andrew, Yes I am using an Olan gasification wood boiler. My thoughts were the same on the piping, good to get confirmation. I am not using a heat exchanger, piping things together. Question: Do you think 16gpm is to much for 1" pex with ID of 1.03?
  • Dan_48
    Dan_48 Member Posts: 12


    Thanks Andrew, Yes I am using an Olan gasification wood boiler. My thoughts were the same on the piping, good to get confirmation. I am not using a heat exchanger, piping things together. Question: Do you think 16gpm is to much for 1" pex with ID of 1.03?
  • ALH_4
    ALH_4 Member Posts: 1,790
    Pipe size

    The velocity is ok, but take the head loss into account for pump sizing. I don't know the distance or glycol concentration.
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