Be sure to drain it off every once in awhile, rombi. I hear you about not wanting to deal with your wife if you run out of hot water. Sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it.
Domestic Hot water(THANKS, It works great now)
- Thread starter rombi
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
I have a sidearm heat exchanger on our electric hot water heater. I shut the breaker off at the panel once we fire up the tarm in the Fall. I discoverered our water heater does use some electric even with the sidearm going, if I don't shut it off at the breaker...maybe it tries to maintain a set temp or cover for any fluctuations in the temp of the tarm water.
Yesterday, I get a call from my wife telling me the hot water at home wasn't as hot as usual...I ask her to take a quick check near the waterheater to make sure there is no leaking. She does and finds no leaks...so I resolve to check things over when I get home from work. Later in the day she calls back to let me know she found the reason for the decrease in water temperature. It seems a certain someone (me) :red: left the hot water on in the downstairs bathroom after I got done shaving at 5:45 in the am....that sidearm continued to heat the water for over 7 hours with only a small drop in temp. The water was still warm just not as HOT as usual. I'm sold on the sidearm set up. Be sure to use a tempering valve to control the hot water temp and prevent scalding when retrofitting older plumbing.
Yesterday, I get a call from my wife telling me the hot water at home wasn't as hot as usual...I ask her to take a quick check near the waterheater to make sure there is no leaking. She does and finds no leaks...so I resolve to check things over when I get home from work. Later in the day she calls back to let me know she found the reason for the decrease in water temperature. It seems a certain someone (me) :red: left the hot water on in the downstairs bathroom after I got done shaving at 5:45 in the am....that sidearm continued to heat the water for over 7 hours with only a small drop in temp. The water was still warm just not as HOT as usual. I'm sold on the sidearm set up. Be sure to use a tempering valve to control the hot water temp and prevent scalding when retrofitting older plumbing.
No pump on my side arm loop...just sets up a gravity flow loop through the water heater. It works quite well. I try to keep things as simple as possible and it doesn't get much simpler than gravity flow. ;-)
- Status
Similar threads
