Oil fired hot water heater

Irv

Fellas,
My boch 32e has started leaking slowly from the bottom.
What is a good replacement for this 32 gallon oil fired hot water heater?
Thanks.............

Norm Harvey

Im guessing you have a warm air system?

If you don't Id strongly advise replacing it with an indirect using your boiler.

If you do have warm air, Just about any oil fired DHW heater is as good as another.

They are not my favorite things though, Id prefer a NG or propane DHW heater over oil. Flues are hard to clean, and as the years go by they run with more and more back pressure. Ive never seen them with a Riello, I wonder how that would run.

Irv

I have a steam system in the house one pipe.
I use the hot water heater year round.
Thanks

Norm Harvey

Id consider an indirect off the steam boiler.

You can use a taco single zone relay with some normally open AND normally closed dry contacts to power the indirect on a high limit priority

So that when the indirect calls it opens the thermostat for the space heating and closes a low voltage thermostat that has a high limit in line.

Heres an article about some piping

http://www.heatinghelp.com/newsletter.cfm?Id=29



What that mumbo jumbo means is that you can have a cold start boiler in the summer without sending steam through the house (saving fuel instead of having a low limit)

And in the winter when the indirect calls the high limit will shut the boiler off and keep the water inside under 180.


Id be more than happy to provide a schematic if you wanted.

Jamie Hall

There are a number of good units

on the market. Your plumber should be able to find one he likes to install -- and that's half the battle.

I have a vapour steam system; I can't recommend using an indirect off the boiler, unlike some of the other posts. Winter time, maybe. Summer time? The boiler burns 3.25 gallons per hour. The water heater (80 gallons) burns 0.25 gallons per hour. Go figure...

Irv

Interesting.
However wouldn't the hot water requirement use more oil coming from the boiler than a seperate stand alone water heater. Would I have to switch to an automatic water feeder for the boiler?

Norm Harvey

Heres my take,...

You can factor in stack losses etc, as the draf through the flue cools the water inside which doesnt exist with an indirect, but my main concern with direct fired oil DHW is the maintenance,.. thats another burner that your paying to clean and maintain each year, along with the possibilities of parts failing on that burner.

In my travels I see Direct fired oil DHW running terribly.

Would you ultimately burn more oil with the indirect on your steam system after every thing is factored in? I wouldn't argue too heavily either way. But If you would burn more How much, and does it offset the costs of the annual maintenance, and possible service calls?

From a guy that does service 24/7 I would do the indirect if it were my own home.

kpc

ow about this....

http://www.toyotomiusa.com/products/waterheaters/OM-148.php
just another option...kpc

chapchap70_2

Where do you get your 0.25 gph nozzles?

Norm Harvey

Thats the first Ive seen that product KPC,.. have you installed many, and what are your opinions?

kevin coppinger_4

I have not....

installed any but I have a customer(plumbing) that has had a couple installed. Pretty nice units. They are happy w/ them. Oil fired version of a noritz,rinnai,takagi...kpc

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