Can I heat a small home with a water heater?

Don Baker

I have a small house 20'x20'(2 story)that currently has a furnace that takes up way to much space.

My thinking was to get rid of it by replacing the water heater with something bigger and use a heat exchanger in the existing plenums.

As an electrician the controls should be easy, so am I way outside of the box? If not anyone care to make some recomandations or steer me to where I can educate myself a little more.

Thanks
Don

Don Baker

Is it possible to heat a home with a water heater?

I have a small house 20'x20'(2 story) that currently has a furnace that takes up way to much space.

My thinking was to get rid of it by replacing the water heater with something bigger and use a heat exchanger in the existing plenums.

As an electrician the controls should be easy, so am I way outside of the box? If not anyone care to make some recomandations or steer me to where I can educate myself a little more.

Thanks
Don

Don Baker

Is it possible to heat a home with a water heater?

I have a small house 20'x20' (2 story) that currently has a furnace that takes up way to much space.

My thinking was to get rid of it by replacing the water heater with something bigger and use a heat exchanger in the existing plenums.

As an electrician the controls should be easy, so am I way outside of the box? If not anyone care to make some recomandations or steer me to where I can educate myself a little more.

Thanks
Don

Empire_2

Hot water tank, Heating?

First off Don the domestic water tanks are not set up to deliver water any hotter than say 120*f. The recovery time would also be "outside the box". Domestic tanks for the most part are mad to heat, (say a pot of water) standing water. Once you put a pump or circulator on it, it would not be able to keep up. There are also many other factors that would make this idea a not such a good idea.

Firedragon_4

The biggest one being

that if it's not an 'approved space heating pressure vessel' it may not be allowed by code, FACT!

Joe_13

If you have nat gas /LP

Get yourself a small wall hung boiler to feed the hydro-coil. If you don't need a ton of hot water all at once get a combo unit or a straight boiler unit with an indirect HW tank. Baxi Luna's my favorite, not high priced like Viessmann, Munchkin, etc.

www.wallhungboilers.com

www.baxiluna.com

www.mzboiler.com

Doug Wagoner

No trade off space wise

to make your heat source hot water if you keep the duct work and blower to move the warm air; unless you have one of those huge gravety flow warm air systems? I am having a hard time picturing your current system that will allow you to gain space just by changing to hot water as the source of heat and keeping your duct distribution system. Is there a blower involved in your current system?

Joe_13

new options

He might try putting the air handler in the attic or a horIzontal ceiling hung unit in the basement might buy him some floor space, assuming he doesn't go buy a boiler for the floor. (Probably smaller then an old monster furnace) With a combo wall hung unit, you could ditch the old HW heater also.

Don Baker

Thanks for the input so far, let me try to straighten out some issues.

I assumed... seeing that I already have to give up floor space to a water heater that I could upgrade it to something that could handle domestic water and home heat, I though there were some water heaters just made for this purpose.

If such a beast was avalaible the fan and heat exchanger could go in the crawl space to free up that all important space. If need be I will go to a boiler and build a small bumpout on the front of the building to house it, but had hoped for another route.

Unfortunatly with a flat roof no attic space is available.

Thanks again
Don

jackchips_2

Don,

I installed a direct fired, 240,000 BTU, gas water heater (Takagi) that hangs on the wall. I tied it, in series, into my 50 gallon, gas heater and also run it through a heat exchanger to heat my swimming pool.

Worked great this summer and have not run out of hot water since.

Good luck.

a_2

a

NO

hr

Combo units

like a HTP Voyager, Triangle Tube, Bock, Laars, Burnham, and others make units that have heating and DHW capability.

Some have a small boiler with an indirect tank built in for DHW.

Others are tank style that give you @ 50 gallons of DHW and have intergral heat exchangers to supply a hydronic emitter like fan coils, baseboard or radiant zones.

Most require, or come with, tempering valves to assure the domestic water stays in the safe temperature range.

Several companies still have combined DHW and hydronic appliances available like the Apollo system. I'd be concerned about mixing heating and potable water together, however. Much safer with a heater exchanger be it internal or a external mounted HX.

hot rod

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Don Baker

Awesome guys, now we are getting somewhere

hotrod, I will do some internet homework on those makes and see if anything is available here in Canada.

Don

Don Baker

Awesome guys, now we are getting somewhere

hotrod, I will do some internet homework on those makes and see if anything is available here in Canada.

Don

Brian

Triangle Tube

Don
The triangle tube is available in Canada.The rep. in Ontario is Hydronic Systems @416-675-7651 ask for John Raymond and he will point you in the right direction.

Good Luck
Brian Dobbyn
Dobbyn Plg. & Htg.

hr

Can you, or should you use water heaters

is the key to water heater use! The Canadian codes have some unusual take on this.

As I understand them ONLY when used as a combined source can a regular water heater be used as heating and dhw genertaors.

Actually, this is the ONLY way (combined systems) to stay within WH manufactures listings and warranties!

I'd still highly recommend a unit with seperation between the two fluids. I think these will fly under the codes up yonder.

Surf around and come back with more questions.

hot rod

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Freeman

Fine Homebuilding with a water heater

Fine Homebuilding magazine has an article in the Feb/Mar 2004 issue about a five star Energy Star home in Vermont.

It uses a Polaris gas water heater (americanwaterheater.com) with a good boost from an active solar system feeding a 120 gallon tank (designed by www.radiantec.com). Construction is ICF, SIPs, high eff windows, HRV - blower door of only 0.04 ACH.

Don Baker

Brian;
Can you elaborate a bit on the triangle tube, internet searches have not been fruitful!

Thanks
Don

Don Baker

Brian;
Can you elaborate a bit on the triangle tube, internet searches have not been fruitful!

Thanks
Don

Don Baker

Brian;

Can you elaborate a bit on the triangle tube, internet searches have not been fruitful!

Thanks
Don

Don Baker

Brian;
Can you elaborate a bit on the triangle tube, internet searches have not been fruitful!

Thanks
Don

Mad Dog

Don't do it Donnie

these guys have great advice...follow it. Mad Dog

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Don Baker

Today I had time to talk with a heating specialist and he recomended a tankless water heater over heat exchanger or a boiler (same method) He will fax me the spec's and I will probably be a little better informed to ask more questions soon.

Thanks
Don

jp_2

tankless DHW

I have bosch 125 b(nat gas), only 76 % efficient. they say its 82% but don't see how? might work for your application. you still need hot water, I'd think about a high effieciency tank with Heat exchanger.
I have this unit cause I had to eat it on a radiant job, expensive but well learned lesson.

Don Baker

The wholesaler has recommended a Rinnai 2532 tankless water heater for use with a heat exchanger in the exixting duct work, he said it was 87% efficient.

Also told me a high efficiency boiler was in the same ballpark price wise..... would I be better off choosing a boiler that was made for the job rather than cobbeling in this water heater.

Makes sense to me.

Thanks
Don

Don Baker

The wholesaler has recommended a Rinnai 2532 tankless water heater for use with a heat exchanger in the exixting duct work, he said it was 87% efficient.

Also told me a high efficiency boiler was in the same ballpark price wise..... would I be better off choosing a boiler that was made for the job rather than cobbeling in this water heater?

Thanks
Don

kevin coppinger_4

I would do the boiler.....

It is made for the job. tankless technology might work but it is really not designed for your specific heat use. Why force the issue? It would be a shame to install the rinniai onlt to realize in a year or so that it does not measure up and have to do it all over again....kpc

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"