should i change hot water source

iweld

I have a Utica boiler with the hot water option, @ 12 years old and the water is in a tank with coils in it. it is just my wife and I in the house now. Would it be a large enough savings to convert the water to a Propane on demand system since I have propane in the house already and no gas?

All we use hot water for is dis washer and showers



Thanks,



Ken

Robert_25

Maybe...

Hi Ken - Does your Utica boiler burn fuel oil or propane? Do you know how much you burn during the summer for hot water?



Lastly, how much do you pay for propane in your area?

STEVEusaPA

well....it depends

It does depend on a number of factors.

Are you currently happy with your domestic hot water now, or is there some kind of problem? When you say  "the water is in a tank with coils in it", do you mean you have a coil in the boiler that makes your domestic hot water, or do you have a separate indirect tank.  Would it be correct to assume you burn oil, and don't like keeping the boiler running all summer, for the few times a day you need hot water?

I would explore 2 options.  Your option can be a good one.  Get all the information on cost for equipment and installation, and operating cost based on the amount of hot water you need.

A second option, if you have a coil in the boiler for domestic hot water,  would be to eliminate the coil, add a 40 gallon indirect storage tank.  With a fairly standard control package for this system, you may find this to be a better option initially, and cheaper from an operational standpoint. I have an indirect for my oil fired boiler, and most likely the same kind of usage.  In the summer, (wife showers am, I shower pm), the boiler only fires twice a day for about 10 minutes.  Which means, for me, I'm only using about a quarter of a gallon of oil, or about $1, plus electricity.