Heating water....

[DaveGunter]

Switched to Steibel Eltron air source heat pump ((broken link removed to http://www.stiebel-eltron-usa.com/accelera.html)) from oil two years ago. The water heater is about 4 feet from the woodstove in the basement. My electric bill went up on average $5 per month after the water heater was installed and I have not burned oil in two years.

 

[bmblank]

I heat my domestic water with wood. I've got a coil running through my heat storage tank.

 

[simple.serf]

Dino Juice heats the water here. Working on getting it over to wood, though.

 

[billb3]

oil
have a two coil tank with the bottom coil planned for 2 solar panels

 

[ChadD]

Oil with a tankless coil off my boiler for now but I am thinking about installing a indirect hot water heater so it doesn't cycle as often. My buddy can get a Crown megastor 40 with his discount at the plumbing supply shop and install it for $650

 

[firefighterjake]

Propane . . . was getting it off my oil boiler for a long time, but I was constantly having issues with that system.

I sometimes wonder if I wouldn't do better by switching to one of those propane on-demand heaters . . . I have always hated the sound of my boiler or heater kicking on to heat up water when there is no one using the hot water.

 

[bag of hammers]

I sometimes wonder if I wouldn't do better by switching to one of those propane on-demand heaters

Not sure this means anything, but the guy that installed my propane heater a few years ago actually steered me away from that (on demand) option, when I asked about going to propane hot water one day. Something about the very cold water temps incoming where I am (pulling from Lake Superior), 240K BTU's when firing (sucking lots of gas while trying to bring that cold water up to temp), cost of heater, install, repair / maintenance issues (maybe it was a younger technology then?), especially since I'm out in the boonies (this is not something I could repair myself), etc etc. etc. Apparently they had a few less than satisfied customers. What I got from the conversations was is that it's a great concept, but to be careful about expectations, especially under less than optimal conditions. I have no idea otherwise if they generally work well, but it was in interesting response from someone who could have otherwise tried to sell me $2000 worth of equipment and installation.

 

[NickDL]

Our home is all electric, so our water heater is electric.

 

[wingsfan]

Our water heater is natural gas,as is all of our appliances. Since we have been burning he wood stove our gas bill has been averaging half of what we used to use.
I figure the stove sould pay for itself in 2 1/2 years.

 

[woodgeek]

My oil boiler with a tankless coil was costing me ~$1100/yr just for (crappy) DHW. I figured electric would be ~$400/year, and give good ROI. I actually went for a heat pump water heater (HPWH), which costs me ~$200/year instead, and had the boiler scrapped.

 

[ddahlgren]

Not sure this means anything, but the guy that installed my propane heater a few years ago actually steered me away from that (on demand) option, when I asked about going to propane hot water one day. Something about the very cold water temps incoming where I am (pulling from Lake Superior), 240K BTU's when firing (sucking lots of gas while trying to bring that cold water up to temp), cost of heater, install, repair / maintenance issues (maybe it was a younger technology then?), especially since I'm out in the boonies (this is not something I could repair myself), etc etc. etc. Apparently they had a few less than satisfied customers. What I got from the conversations was is that it's a great concept, but to be careful about expectations, especially under less than optimal conditions. I have no idea otherwise if they generally work well, but it was in interesting response from someone who could have otherwise tried to sell me $2000 worth of equipment and installation.

If it was new techlology at the time then there are groing pains and in the boonies cutting edge is probably not the answer. I wonder if having the water go into a 30 gallon holding tank or small electric water heater set to 75 degrees the go from there to the on demand one. or possibly a solar panel. If I was in the boonies and no doubt last to get electric power if it goes out I would have ways to do the same thing without power. Woodstove to heat and potentially cook even if to just warm up some soup or a gas stove to cook a small generator to run the well pump refridgerator and washing machine wood or gas hot water that is a bit old school and needs no electricity. When i was around 7 my grandparents used to have a gas / kerosene stove a gas refridgerator several kerosene storm lamps and a gas water heater. athere was a converted from coal oil furnace and a coal pot belly stove in the living room almost never used. I used to kid them about all the very old time things they used to live day to day. My grandfathers answer was 'have you ever been cold or hungry here when there is no power for days on end?' a smart old guy. If I lived well off the grid in distance I think that is the thinking I would use along with a can I fix with the tools and knowledge I have about it. It is the direction I am headed personally..

 

[sesmith]

Desuperheater that runs off of my GSHP. The 40 gal desuperheater tank feeds a standard electric waterheater that boosts the temp. as needed. The electric tank is on a timer and only comes on when the rate is cheaper at night.

 

[maple1]

80 gallon electric, heated also by my wood boiler & storage via sidearm heat exchanger.

Heated solely by wood now, and hopefully all non-heating season too.

Had an oil boiler with tankless coil - the most inefficient way there is to heat DHW in the non-heating season. My now-empty oil tank will be following it out the door this summer.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

My coal stoker produces hot water 24/7 whether i need it or not for heat so it is essentially a by product of my heating system.

 

[Dix]

Switched to an electric HWH 3 years ago. The OB quit, and years ago there was a separate OHW in the basment, and the plumbing hook ups were still there, so it was easy peasy.

3 showers a day + dishes (clothes in cold water, usually), the LIPA bill went up $40 a month, but not paying for oil.

Bringing the oil back to heat 1/2 the house, probably, so I'll use the oil burner (with coil) for HW in the winter, and swap out to the electric in summer. Until I can figure some thing else out.

Solar is out. For now.

 

[nate vignola]

Solar ( 3- 4'x10' panels) by summer, pellet (Harmon P61) by winter. Insulated 275 gallon HDPE carboy thermal storage. 3 heat exchangers mounted in the carboy, two go-zintas and one go-zouta. Pellet stove feeds one input, solar feeds another. One large exchanger for high volume feed to my 50 gallon water heater. My house hold uses ~1000 gallons a week, no oil, and minimal electric (when I forget to fill the stove or if it rains for 3 days straight).

 

[velvetfoot]

Insulated 275 gallon HDPE carboy thermal storage.

How hot how can you get that without a problem? I know nothing about plastics. You insulated yourself? Sounds interesting. Thanks.

 

[nate vignola]

It's really just an oversized 1/4" thick milk jug. I run mine with a max limit of 170F. The technical temp limit of HDPE is 180F w/o deformation. I procured the tank locally ($100) with a metal shipping frame and made a plywood/rigid foam wrap for it. It could use another layer of 1" foam board, as I can feel some warmth in the bags of pellets that are stacked against it.

 

[velvetfoot]

Thanks. Seems like a cost-effective solution.

 

[Redbarn]

Geyser heat pump water heater. Oil as backup.
Switching from oil to HPWH saved us 1 gall of oil per day.

 

[nate vignola]

Thanks. Seems like a cost-effective solution.

Total on the tank was about $500, including the exchangers. The main btu extraction exchanger is 7 loops of 1/2" pex, 100' long (holds about 1 gallon per loop) all in parallel. If I was going to do it again, it would be copper.

 

[velvetfoot]

If I was going to do it again

Doesn't that 180 deformation number make you nervous?

 

[nate vignola]

Doesn't that 180 deformation number make you nervous?

Not at all. 180 is a deformation temp, and since the tank is only holding standing water there is no pressure. There is a metal frame around the carboy that supports the HDPE, so it would be uncharacteristic to fail. These carboys are designed to withstand international shipping conditions, which is a fairly dynamic environment. I would worry if the operating temp was beyond the failure temp of the material, maybe 220, but since the water would be a vapor and vent, I'm not worried.

 

[velvetfoot]

Thanks.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Would like to do some solar hot water some day.