Water heater

Taylortractornut · October 03, 2011, 12:48:10 AM

I didnt know exactly which forum to post this under but heres my problem. I dont have the cash right now for an owb. Im tired of buying several hundred dollars worth of propane per year to heat the hot water. I have been looking at these 2 wood fired methods for water heating right now.
http://www.hilkoil.com/product.htm

Link

I also thought about using the Lehmans rig to suply heat for my greenhouse starter beds to. I have a good supply of wood and alder cabinetry blocks from work to.

crtreedude · October 03, 2011, 10:26:46 AM

I cobbled together a solar hot water heater. Look up thermosiphon solar hot water heater for some ideas. It works great here, but then again, we are in the tropics.

On a sunny day, it might be all you need - then use the wood for supplemental

Al_Smith · October 03, 2011, 07:58:13 PM

Way when they had what they called a "side arm " water heater that used the heat of a wood stove to heat the water .They worked but the water temp could be boiling or just luke warm .Plus the fact you had to have a fire in the stove for them to work.Not praticularly handy in August .

The average cost using profane --er propane gas is about 20 bucks a month give or take .Now the big question is it worth 20 bucks a month to fiddle with a wood fired water heater ?

Lehmans in Kidron Ohio deals with the Amish which is how that famous hardware store got started to begin with .On that if for nothing else a trip to tour that store is worth the trip if ever in the area .They have stuff you could otherwise only see in old movies or a museum .

Taylortractornut · October 03, 2011, 09:13:11 PM

Its no so much the cost as it is the folks that sell propane. I got a 750 dollar ripping from our long time propane dealer a few years ago and again last winter. THe last one the driver dropped 30 of my 100 gallons at a buddies house and I got the whole bill. THey fired the driver never did back up my loss.

In the winter we shoot through 100 gallons of propane pretty quick for hot water. In the winter i have a fire goin 24 7. I still plan on using the propane water heater just a little less.

Id like to go to Lehmans one day.

red oaks lumber · October 03, 2011, 10:39:26 PM

go with electric water heater and have the electric company put it on off peak, the savings will be very noticeable.

Al_Smith · October 04, 2011, 08:17:52 PM

You can also put a timer on the elecric water heater and save some money that way .

It's surprising how long the heater will keep the water warm even after it's shut off .Set if off say at 8-9 PM and on at 5 or so AM .I'm not sure if they make a timer for a gas water heater if so I've never seen one .

Then again would the savings equal changing the water heater ?

Ha off subject but my wifes ex spend 500 bucks to buy a danged toilet that flushed on about 1.5 -2 gallons of water .Didn't work real well plus it would take him two life times to ever equal a 500 dollar water savings on municipal water .Besides all that the cheap miser didn't practice flushing on a regular bassis ,geeze .Maybe he was practicing "green " before it became so trendy . ;D

Taylortractornut · October 05, 2011, 09:24:21 PM

Al I have a new 40 gallon that we took out of an office at work that never was used. Infact it was 2 weeks old ath the time we took it down. I could put it in the other closet and use the Gas as a backup.

I was just wandering about the water heat from the stove, I was just thinking about this because about the time I bought my house from my parents the hotwater heater had quit. It was a thermocouple but getting parts at the time was a pain. It was winter and it was in the 20's. I was working alot and I got an Idea. I had a copper coil from a water chiller. it was a 3 in coil 18 inches long fro m3/8ths tubing. I had a utility faucet under the sink and I put a hose on it. Then I ran it inthe living room to the heater and another hose from it to tub. Id build a fire then stick the coil in the fire. I had a restrictor to keep the water in the coil a bit and it did well. just a back up rig till I got the parts in for the water heater.

Al_Smith · October 06, 2011, 07:47:45 PM

What you could do is put a recirc loop on the water heater and run it though a coil in the stove .That's basically how the water heater on a geo thermal works .

I'm not exactly how you could control the water temp though so it wouldn't blow the relief valve on the water heater if it got too hot .If it's installed right about the only time the water heater would kick in is if the fire got low .I haven't researched it but I'm sure a little trip to Google land could land some answers .

bandmiller2 · January 08, 2012, 07:43:47 AM

TTN,I have an outside water tube boiler that helps heat domestic hot water.Hot water from the boiler preheats the water going into an electric hot water heater.I used an old Everhot fireless water heater [copper coil in a tank].All winter hot water is almost free summers theirs a seemless transfer to electric. Frank C.

r.man · January 19, 2012, 09:04:35 AM

TTN, was wondering how you made out on your hot water heater. I think you could absorb all the heat a stove would produce with a 45 gal drum but I am not positive. Later this year I should be able to tell you after I convert a friends existing system to that. He has a very well built complicated add on to his stand alone wood furnace that is supposed to heat all of his household water but doesn't. The plan is to add a 45 gallon drum to his basement wood storage area, feed the circ pump, then to the furnace heat exchanger, back to the hot water exchanger and dump to the barrel. I expect the barrel should absorb any heat spikes and excess can bleed to the basement. I will post about it after it is done and tested for a while.

Matt sawsalot · January 20, 2012, 02:55:54 PM

Very interested in the timer for the hot water heater, anyone have a cost for that, and how to wire something like that up?

-Matt

bandmiller2 · January 20, 2012, 08:29:48 PM

Taylor,those pipe coils work but you must keep the water moving to prevent steam.The older systems used thermo syphen but then you need a tank close to the stove.A small circulator could be used in conjunction with an electric water heater.As long as the water is hot enough electric element won't come on and in the summer electric will heat the water. Frank C.

Bill · January 28, 2012, 04:18:42 PM

A way back my ( cheap ) buddy built a seriously simple water heater for his " getaway " cabin.

As I recall ( memory being what it is ) he just took a turn or two of copper coil and laid it on top of the wood stove. It was run into the hot water heater inlet . I 'm thinking he mighta used the heater's drain valve ( probably with a T fitting ) for cold return to the wood stove and left the heater relief valve to do its job. I think the hw heater had to be higher than the stove ( hot water rising and all ) to make it all work.

I think that it still worked off natural gas just fine when he wasn't running the wood stove .

Haven't seen him in years - might be a good time to see how he and it are doing.

Good Luck

sparky1 · January 28, 2012, 05:05:36 PM

the timers are relatively cheap. 50 bucks, depending on how big a timer you need. There are pretty basic as well, just follow the instrucitons that come with it! If you have a 110 volt heater, say an lp heater. Its typically a cord and plug one, which would make it really easy to hook up!!

eastberkshirecustoms · February 05, 2012, 04:58:30 AM

TTN, I installed one of those hilkoils a couple of years ago in my biomass furnace for the winter months. It works very well in my configuration. My hot water heater is oil fired and I see a substantial savings with the coil. I also added a 'conditioning tank' (an old hot water heater) to allow the cold ground water to warm up prior to being heated. Electricity is way too expensive in NY state to even be considered an option. I'm thinking of adding a solar augmented system next.