Hot water storage tanks with heat exchanger

Parachute

I'm looking for a stainless steel hot water storage tank with electrical backup and internal heat exchanger. These suckers are real hard to find. So far the only manufacturer I've seen are Heat-Flo Heating Products. Any others? I'm going to power the unit with a boiler in the winter and use electric in the summer.

Rich_49

http://www.ecrinternational.com/secure/upload/document/3795.pdf

hot_rod

Are you sold on stainless. There seem to eat lot more choices with glass lined steel.

Unless you plan on running some extreme temperatures, a quality glass lined tank should last a good long time.

Remember an indirect is much different than a gas fired steel tank where the burner against the steel generally leads to failure.

I do like that HeatFlo tank, if you go stainless. It is sold under various names if you are price shopping

Parachute

Thanks very much Rich.

JUGHNE

I'm curious as to why you don't use the boiler in the summer?

Also with an internal heat exchanger the failure of it (HX) or the tank means you lose both items.

Parachute

Using a boiler in the summer? My a/c unit would really be complaining with the heat a boiler throws off. Plus eventually, I'm going to install a couple of solar panels to power the Hot water electric backup. I've had very good experience with the two indirect water heaters I've used over the last 30 years. I've never even heard of a failure, although I guess with some combination of very hard water or some other corrosive imbalance, the pipes in the heat exchanger could fail.

Rich_49

What type of boiler do you speak parachute ? Cast iron would be my guess ? What fuel does the boiler utilize ?

Parachute

I use a Triangle Tube natural gas mod/con but it still throws off a fair amount of heat in the utility room. Not to mention the noise.

hot_rod

Are you considering a DC element powered directly from a PV module, for solar input?

Parachute

Hot Rod, as you know, this whole area is very much influx both price-wise and product-wise. I currently have an evacuated tub on the roof feeding a closed loop solar water heater along with a small 40 gallon indirect fired by my boiler. I figured when you add up the electricity needed for the pump and the differential controller--not to mention periodic anti-freeze and air purging maintenance--I could do better in my old age with a hot water storage tank with electric backup that works all year around and could eventually be powered by solar panels. Some articles online have recommended doing this with a stand-alone high efficiency, heat pump water heater. But I already have a boiler and those high efficiency units don't yet seem ready for prime time.

hot_rod

Not a bad plan. Electric backup with a timer is a common way to use dual fuel. If and when the tank need replacing a dual coil, boiler bottom, solar top, and an electric element would be sweet.

I agree on the heat pump WHs, it has to be the right application to reap the benefits.