Is this a reasonable way?

Dave Faust

Maby this dosn't make sense, but could one use a tank for floor radiant heating and use any heat source to raise its temperature, puting a heatexchanger inbetween them? (example: use a domestic waterheater, or woodburner, or HW boiler to "generate" the heat, pump its heated water output through a coil contained in a large insulated storage tank where the heat could be transfered to the second batch of service water and circulated through a radiant pannel. Domestic Hot Water could come directly from one of the heat sources).The two waters would not mix.
Has this already been done? I don't want to try to reinvent the wheel. Is this what is known as primary/secondary pumping?
My goal is to build this system a little at a time.
Thanks.
Dave

Bill Clinton

On the cheap??

Careful, you're gonna get some glares around here.

What you ask about can be done, although I'm reluctant to advise it: The temperatures you need to be assured of enough heat in a suspended tube system are a bit high. By the time you take a temperature drop through the heat exchanger, you are forced to run the water heater hotter than I think is a good idea.

Still, if you're determined, it can be done. Use a very generously sized stainless steel flat plate heat exchanger to do it.

As you sound like a novice, I strongly suggest you hook up with a pro: there's lots of pitfalls involved and they're likely to getcha.

Bill