aquabooster efficiency

Robert O'Brien

the standby loss is too great

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mark schofield

aqua booster efficiency

Would an aqua booster working off a tankless coil (scale free) in a well maintained boiler provide the same efficiency for DHW as would a new indirect running as it's own zone. The stand by heat loss of the aqua booster tank could be considered similar to a good quality indirect. The circulation piping from the tankless coil is 3/4". The boiler stays on year round to provide DHW and to minimize leaks and sludge. Thanks for any thoughts. Mark S.

Bob Bona_4

they

had their day...in the '70's. Indirect trumps big time.

With the booster, you still have to maintain temp on the boiler 24/7/365, and the booster is only as good as the coil's condition.

I personally would not even entertain the thought of one.

Robert O'Brien

I

agree,At almost $5/gallon they have outlived their usefulness

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bill_97

Actually

We've installed a few boiler / aquabooster combos and set up the boiler as " warm start " ( the lowest setting on an 8124 aquastat ). We wired the aquabooster circulator for priority in a multizone relay . Haven't heard of an issue with them so far . But I'd guess recovery would take longer than a good quality indirect . How much longer is the big question ............ My educated guess ? Not much longer .

bill_97

Stanby loss

Are you saying the standby loss for an aquabooster is considerable , compared to an indirect ? I don't think I agree .

Bob Bona_4

boiler

standby loss goes up when the boiler maintains any temp.

probably reasonable to expect more standby loss on a booster w/ the typical 1/2" of batt insulation, with the typical tankless boiler keeping it 150 or more vs. the 2"+ foam insulation usually found in a good indirect @140.

bill_97

Yes

Standby loss does go up if the boiler will maintain a high temp .

But my point is you can cold start a boiler even if you use a coil and aquabooster .

We use Bradford White electric heaters for aquaboosters . They have a nice thickness of foam insulation - more insulation than some bargain basement indirects with fiberglass batting . I'm thinking the stanby issue might be a wash unless you use a top o' the line indirect .

Bob Bona_4

do

you guys leave the elements in/all stock so the thing can be used as sole electric if the HO ever wanted to wire it as a back up Ron? I like that idea.

bill_97

Yep

If there's 2 elements , we use the lower surface mount aquastat to control the tank temp . Wiring the upper element for a backup would be pretty easy .