combi-cor

Phil_6

I looked at a job the other day where there's a garage being made into a little apartment. The owner has a Bradford White CombiCor water heater stuck in the "boiler room" still in the box. Looks a couple of years old and probably 50 gallons (too much junk in the way to see).
I know HOW it works, but not WILL it work.I mean, how hot can the water coming out of the heat exchanger be? Do you jack up the tank temperature and use a mixing valve for the domestic water? Use real big radiators and lower temp water?
Thanks, Phil

Alan(CaliforniaRadiant)Forbes

Normally

used for low-temperature radiant jobs, at least that's what we used them for. Suppose they could work for radiators with the controls you mentioned.

But CombiCors have proven themselves to be unreliable with a steady track recond of heat exchanger failure within the first few years. All of the ones we have installed have failed.

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Phil_6

well..

..I'm sure the customer will be glad to hear that... ;-)

hr

I believe they all

shipped with a Sparco thermostatic mix valve in the box. As I recall you could crank the tank temperature to around 160.

Thay had some pretty lofty output tables for the HX side, in my opinion. It took a lot of pump to get you even close to listed output. I believe they would get a 140° output from the coil, but lower BTU output at those temperatures. Personally I think the high operating temperatures are part of the reason the coating de-lamed from the aluminum coil inside.

Trade it back for a 65 gallon 65K BW and slap a HX on the exterion if in fact you really want to use a water heater at all

hot rod

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Phil_6

thanks

The water heater was the homeowners scheme. It seems to have been sitting there in the box for a while... I don't care how long it lasts...that's on him, but I AM skeptical about actually getting the system to work well from the beginning.
I haven't done the heat loss yet but it should only be around 20-30,000 if that. I got a baaaaad feeling about this one ;-)
thanks again, Phil

hr

IF

the load is that high, and IF you need above 140° I'd highly recommend a small boiler. From an efficiency, longevity, and safety issue. Or just turn and walk away

hot rod

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Steve Ebels_3

Ditto

I couldn't agree more with what HR said. Been there done that with the water heater scheme myself. End result was that it became painfully obvious that a water heater, any water heater is for domestic hot water. Period. It's like racing the Indy 500 in a Yugo. Yes, it goes around the track but at what performance level and for how long?

Phil_6

I'm with you guys

> I couldn't agree more with what HR said. Been

> there done that with the water heater scheme

> myself. End result was that it became painfully

> obvious that a water heater, any water heater is

> for domestic hot water. Period. It's like racing

> the Indy 500 in a Yugo. Yes, it goes around the

> track but at what performance level and for how

> long?

Phil_6

I'm with you guys

I'll tell him he has to sell that thing on e-bay and we'll pop a little boiler in there or see ya...