garage heat

Terry Larsell

I'm a builder and I like floor heat, it's a hard sell though unless they come in wanting it. I do small slab jobs on my own and am getting better at it after following this site and reading dans books.

I am building a garage for a customer and I have the tube in the slab with all the r-10 foam surrounding it. the heatloss is under 15,000 btu as per the wirsbo program. I have propane to the site and am wondering what to use for heat.
I am planning on using an AO smith 40 gallon sealed shot water heater with a three way temp valve.

The homeowner is only going to heat to 50 or 60 deg for snowmelt (off the parked cars) and mechanic work.

Is there a small propane boiler that would be cost effective in this case?

I know waterheaters are not as efficient but they can handle cold return and cost a 1000 less, am I way off base?

Your suggestions appreciated.

PS If I were an engineer I would think twice about posting but being a builder I figure I won't get slammed to hard.

Terry

ed wallace

garage heat

last week on oilheattalk.com this same type of posting came up it is illegal to use a water heater for what your doing it must be a boiler water heaters do not have a astm rating burnham or weil mclain might have something or munchkin

ScottMP

illegal ?

Gee I hope not Ed. I did one last winter and HR's been putting them in for year ( HR on americas most wanted).

I beleive the problem is with open or dual systems, where the domestic water is used for heat source also.

I have come around to the idea that for small loads, where there is no other source of hot water, that a HWH is not a bad solution. Also tacking a tip from the gas co's once they got the warm floor, they may switch over the whole house when that decision comes up.

Tells us what was found to be illegal ??

Scott " breakin the law, breakin the law " Milne

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ed wallace

waterheaters

if you go to oiltech talk.com and scroll through the arcives on october 25th 2002 there is a discussion about useing waterheaters in stead of a boiler the big thing is waterheaters are not rated as pressure vessels under asme you should check it out