W-M indirect

tom p.

Hi  I need some opinions on the Weil-McLain indirect water heaters. Are they ok with hard water and do they have good warranties?Also could you give pros and cons on other manufacturers models ?

Thanks

Tom P.

Slim

Check anode rod

As far as I am aware, ALL hot water storage tanks do not hold up so well to anything but optimal water conditions. I'm not super familiar with WM's heater, but make sure that the anode rod is easy enough to get at, remove and inspect. Also make sure you get a full port ball valve drain on the bottom so you can flush it. As long as you can get to the anode rod, and flush out sediment, they're really all the same. I mean, all water tanks are built to the same industry standards after all..

CMadatMe

Weil Indirect

Weil doesn't make the indirect. It is made for them by Triangle Tube. An indirect is pretty much an indirect. Some may give you a little bit better recovery than others but all the warranties are pretty much the same. My advice on this would be to make sure you are adding a priority zone control in addition to the indirect.

Jean-David Beyer

W-M Indirect Fired Water Heater

I have a W-M Indirect Fired Water Heater, an Ultra Plus 40. It is a tank within a tank model. The inner tank with the domestic water in it is stainless steel (36 gallons for this model). The outer tank is steel and contains boiler water (6 gallons for this model). The only water requirements they say are less than 80 mg/l for chloride and pH between 6 and 8. They say nothing about hardness.



The only drain valve at the bottom is for the outer tank. As far as I can tell, there is no anode rod. I saw the contractor install the thing. There is a spare tap at the top that could be used for a recirculating system, but is normally used for draining, by attaching a long enough hose to siphon the water out. It has a plastic dip tube that reaches almost to the bottom of the inner tank.



Here is a link to a 4-page advertising brochure about it that has some interesting pictures, ratings, and claims. Sorry the link is so long.



http://www.weil-mclain.com/en/multimedia-library/pdf/weil-mclain-pdf/products/water-heaters/indirect-fired-water-heater/indirec_fired_water_heater_series_3_lus_indirect_fired_water_heater_lit.pdf

Charlie from wmass

Condition your water

They stand behind their warranty very well. The issue is if your water condition is bad you will need to use the warranty. Not all indirects are the same as with every product made in a factory. I like them but if the water is hard and the customer does not want to condition the water I make sure the indirect goes in with isolation valves and unions at all connections.

EricAune

W-M Indirect

This particular indirect is made by Triangle Tube, the tank is made of stainless steel and has no anode rod.  It is a tank with-in a tank, this type of construction is very efficient and tends to rid the problem of scaling which can be a major problem with tube bundle heat exchangers. 



If you have hard water this is probably the best type of construction to go with.  Treating your water would always be a smart choice in regards to the tanks life expectancy.  Read the manufacturers warranty before buying.



Isolation via ball valves and unions is recommended.  I go as far as installing boiler drains on the boiler side for easy flushing that can & should be done at yearly maintenance intervals.  A few dollars now (ball valves/drain valves) and regular maintenance makes a lot of sense especially given the high cost of replacement due to failure that may be preventable.



One other thing to consider is this tank does not have a double wall heat exchanger. Check your local codes to make sure this is not required.  

Jean-David Beyer

Flushing W-M indirect hot water heaters?

Weil-McLain do not specifically recommend flushing the boiler side of these hot water heaters. I am not disagreeing with your recommendation, but I have questions. (Mine does not claim to be made by Triangle Tube, but it is made in Belgium.) It would be easy for me to do because a drain valve was put in there by my contractor. It seems it would make more sense to flush the domestic hot water side of the heater, and that is more difficult because the water would have to be siphoned out; I do not know if the dip tube they put in goes close enough to the bottom of the tank to get the crud, such as it may be, out.



1.) Why is it necessary or desirable to flush the boiler side of the heater? I ask, because each time I do it, I would be adding a little over 6 gallons of city water to the system. And this would go straight into the boiler next time the water heater called for heat. From a system standpoint, would this not be equivalent to a 6 gallon/year leak, with all the problems related to that (other than flooding where the hypothetical leak was)? Is a 6 gallon/year leak considered too small to matter?



1a.) Do you know if the dip tube is long enough to get the crud out of the tank?



2.) If it is necessary, it would seem a similar argument could be made for flushing the boiler too, and that seems to be recommended against because of mineral build-up reasons.