Best indirect hot water tank? Differences significant?

Kniggit

Sounds a lot like a catch to me, youdn't the lost heat in standby basically not save me much on hot water production? I can't seem to remember the frequency of the cycling on a standard water heater.

Adam_24

Crown, or Superstor or Buderus or other?

Hi,

We are having an indirect hot water system installed and want the best but not necessarily the most expensive hot water tank. We had estimates given using different tanks. One wants to put in a Crown and one wants to put in a Superstor. Someone else told me they chose a Buderus.

The reason given for the Superstor was because it doesn't have the ability to be cleaned out, and that makes it less of a risk of a certain part failing and flooding? I think that is what they said.

I wonder is it better to have a tank have the ability to be cleaned, and is there some part involved that could fail and cause a problem?

Are there any differences in the warranties and/or the stability and projected longevity of the companies selling the tanks? Anything else we should be aware of?

Thanks..

John_82

If you can't clean it & you have hard water, you have a throwaway tank..... the coil can get crudded up in hard water conditions and loose its abbility to transfer heat. Cleaning it brings it back to "like new" conditions. If you can't clean it, you'll use a bunch more energy to get the job done....

Adam_24

Are you referring to the indirect stainless steel tanks or the regular hot water tanks?

kevin coppinger_4

In my...

opinion the Weil-Mc /Phase 3 tank-in-tank design in the best bang for the buck... Buderus and Viesseman are very nice but the cost is nuts....kpc

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hr

How's your water

check the hardness and TDS. Even with bad water it's rare to see an owner do much breakdown and cleaning.

Still, not a bad idea to have an access if you are the type to drain and clean and check.

I believe the Crown and Burnham is the same tank with a cleanout hole.

Buderus is a glass line tank, large coils, very nice cleanout opening. Viessmann perhaps the top quality, very well designed and built. If price is not an issue.

I like the triangle Tube Phase 3 for best performance and reasonable price. Handles hard water with it's tank in tank design, but no cleanout.

hot rod

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JimmyJam

Triangle Tube

I second the Triangle Tube Phase III.

The tank can be cleaned out through syphoning which is kind of a pain. Otherwise an excellent indirect!

71 Gibby

ALH_4

MS

The Crown Megastor/Burnham Alliance tanks are all stainless, have a cleanout, and are relatively inexpensive as tanks go. They do clean to like new, even after years of bad water.

-Andrew

Kniggit

Good to know, I am looking into one of these to go in with an MZ in my home soon.

Brad White_126

Why not

use the Monitor Products tank as a companion to the MZ?

What I like about it is the accessibility and that the SS coil has a low pressure drop (uses the MZ circulator so no deep advantage) but it flexes so that encrustations are shaken loose. Heats quickly much like any good heater.

What I do not like about it is that the insulation jacket is "recycleable" expanded polystyrene (bead stuff). The "looseness" allows some heat loss in that the unit cycles about every six hours regardless of usage. I am thinking of taking some Tiger Foam right to the tank within the plastic jacket.

Just a thought.

clammy

buderus tanks

I don't know about other tanks having clean outs but the buderus st tanks all have a ramovable 8 inch man hole with re useable gasket they are very easy to brush out no tight coil tube .I don't think that they are expensive i only pay a little more then other indirects so i pay the extra and get the buderus ,the other feature is that all the pipe connection are in the rear of the tank always making for a good and neat apperance and it easier to support you pipes on the wall behingd the tank ,i have been using them for aboutr 5 or 6 years and not a promblem yet every one i have installed has save the HO money on either there oil or gas bill ,look around and also check out the recovery rates on therer tanks also good stuff ,Good luck and peace clammy

mark_56

I still like the Superstor for performance, price, and warranty. Hard water gets a water softener.

ScottMP

We install them

with quite a bit of frequency and have no problems. Super-Stor that is.

I have nothing bad to say about the others, there all good products, we just use S.S. as our standard compeditive tank and they work like a charm. I have yet to have a customer call me abd tell me that they are loosing production.

Scott

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Wayco Wayne_2

I use the

triangle tube tank in tank. All this talk of clean outs makes me wonder though. With no clean outs will, the inner tank someday fill from the bottom up with scale and diminish the volume of the tank? Wonder how long that would take. (and where will I be?. retired hopefully?) :0 WW

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