vent as HX...Why not?

Ron Schroeder

Have you seen the waste heat recovery device that recovers the heat from the shower DRAIN. It looks like you are a prime candidate for one.

Ron

Timco

Sooo..

Why wouldn't I be able to wrap soft copper in a spiral around my 8' long, 3" vent from my water heater to pre-warm the incomming coooold water to the heater that now seems to cut my shower by 1/4 at least? Any dangers?

T

[Deleted User]

Yup...

LOTS of potential dangers. Let me list them.

1. Possible production of acidic condensation that will affect the flue pipe near the heater, the heater and the chimney.

2. Possible loss of homeowners insurance coverage due to the use of unlisted appliances.

3. Possible illness of even death in the event of a carbon monoxide "event" directly related to the waste heat recovery device.

Although it may appear to be a good idea, it is fraught with a lot of potential pitfalls. It's not a new idea. It's been tried many time before by a lot of people. Google DHW waste heat recovery and see what pops up on the radar screen.

What makes more sense is to install a listed high efficiency water heating appliance, then there is no waste heat to be recovered. Its being put into the tank instead of up the flue.

Proceed with caution...

ME

Timco

Would it be cheaper to install a tankless after the heater...to increase the HW production? (I am always the guy who takes the shower after my wife...and get a 30 second, warm shower...and cannot live without my big, sunflower looking showerhead raining down gently on me!

T

Timco

How's the weather up there in Denver? Here in SLC nice & bright!!

T

[Deleted User]

It's nice today...

but had some record setting cold earlier this week. Instead of tiering water heaters, consider installing one tankless unit, like a Takagi Mobius. As long as only one person o rmachine is using hot water at any given time, you will have a virtually ENDLESS supply of hot water. No more cold showers, and the Mobius can handle that water/energy wasting shower head:-)

ME

kevin coppinger_4

if you re...

only getting one shower out of your water heater something is wrong...too long a shower or your shower head is not water saving...How big is the water heater? kpc

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J.C.A._3

Or....

Something I used to see in alot of the older mansions I worked in,was a "standing tank". It would warm the water coming into the home when placed close to the boiler as long as it stayed in the tank prior to use.

Another way of pre-heating incoming water is to use the hot water running down a drain with the feed pipe to a water heater. Mark, didn't you post a site for some type of reclaiming system like this? Chris

kevin coppinger_4

GFX...

waste water recovery...I have one in my house. It does ok.It is best if you could design it to have move than one shower drain into the stack...kpc

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Timco

It was the GFX heat exchanger, but the shower we primarily use is in the basement, and no way to install it below the concrete...but that's where I got the idea for the vent HX, which trust me, I will not pursue.

T

Gary Fereday

In Vernal, Ut.

maybe thirty years ago, a man and wife were blown through their roof by a similar soft copper wrapped natural gas vent that was also connected to their W/H. It was very cold that night and the furnace did not shut of and the W/H overheated and exploded. The bed room was directly above the W/H. SOooo~~~ careful out there with homeade heating devices. They can be the End of making payments altogether!

Timco

Just a standard 40 gal, but not a quick recovery or anything...the shower head is about 8 or 10 " in diameter...one of those. My wife knows it is time to finish up when the water starts to get cooler, but that is not long with the big shower head and no water saver devise. Let 'er rain! We love it.

T

thp_8

Obvious

The water heater isn't vented correctly if it has a 8' connector of 3".