"Passive" Hot water heat

[2 Oldcrabs]

With attic temp above 120 degrees has anyone installed a small water tank (10-20 gal) in the attic as a "preheater" to the regular hot water? Would have to be installed over a bearing wall for weight. On very hot days the regular heater may not come on.

[cybermuda]

Not tried that, but you can fit a heat exchanger to your immersion heater that will "concentrate" the heat from your garage and reduce your water-heating bill

[ijusluvit]

Not tried that, but you can fit a heat exchanger to your immersion heater that will "concentrate" the heat from your garage and reduce your water-heating bill

This sounds cool.. I mean hot.
Could you explain this setup and installation details a little further? Any idea of costs? Thanks.

[2 Oldcrabs]

Home Depot- Well tank 19 gal $150 Drip pan $19 (4) Ball valves $40 Cpvc pipe and fittings $100. ( I would use "Pex" pipe & "shark bite" fittings instead of cpvc if legal and available in Fl.) Cut the cold water line to heater and run water up in attic to the "bottom" of holding tank (put drip pan under tank). Take the top fitting of tank and return to "cold" on heater. Install 2 "stop & wastes" valves (little drain caps) on each side of holding tank. Intall a "by-pass" line and valve to use if you needed to islolate the holding tank. 19 gal of water would sit in attic heating to attic temp, ready to go in the "cold" fill of water heater. I have done this in De using basement temp (winter water temp is about 45 degrees). Cut my cost by 30 %.

[mulligan]

How about cutting the cold feed, and running a full roll of pex clipped up to the underside of the rafters, then into the holding tank??

[cybermuda]

This sounds cool.. I mean hot.
Could you explain this setup and installation details a little further? Any idea of costs? Thanks.

This should explain it:

http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=12840

Some plumbing skills are needed to install it.

[2 Oldcrabs]

3/4" pipe holds about 2 ounces per foot. 100' roll of Pex would hold about 1.75 gals of water. Maybe 3 or 4 rolls layed flat and stack on top of each other. If I ever get to TV, it is nice to see there is at least one other Union member there. (32 yrs IBEW)

[mulligan]

My son is IBEW, I am UBCJA, Northeast regional council. Thanks to the carpenters, I have a great retirement.

[ijusluvit]

Thanks folks! Great information, and this project has made my list!

[laryb]

3/4" pipe holds about 2 ounces per foot. 100' roll of Pex would hold about 1.75 gals of water. Maybe 3 or 4 rolls layed flat and stack on top of each other. If I ever get to TV, it is nice to see there is at least one other Union member there. (32 yrs IBEW)
Once I get down full time I might try this too. By the way, I'm retired from the UWUA Local 464. (New England Electric / Dominion Energy)

[JimJoe]

Isn't pex insulated? Will it really save that much?
If you spring a leak, you will be looking at replacing your entire home and furnishings, pictures, computer data, and maybe get electrocuted while sleeping, all with no insurance coverage.
Not a union member, but a former member of the bar.

[Larryandlinda]

With attic temp above 120 degrees has anyone installed a small water tank (10-20 gal) in the attic as a "preheater" to the regular hot water? Would have to be installed over a bearing wall for weight. On very hot days the regular heater may not come on.

Great idea...
We installed solar domestic hot water in 1976 in Md and have turned on the HW heater very little.
We added PV's 6 years ago and the meter started running in reverse.
The most recent addition was groundwater loop so the device commonly known as a a money drain (heat [pump) now extracts heat from a 54 degree instead of frequent below zero air.

sine we don't use AC, summer cooling is by fan only, but we always thought that a heat exchanger could cool the place doen a bit by blowing air over 54 degree water coils?

We've got PV on our TV and Wildwood homes, but hot water seems easy.
We'll bring a couple of the old 4x8 water panel collectors and throw them on the roof or in the attic.

Here's a question we have not seen answered
Why don't more places have fans adequate to pull what would be 85-100 degree outside air through the garage (the TV Garages get very hot) into the attic, and out the top.
We have seen places with extra domes on the roofs - and are those possibly keeping the attics below 120?
Would the garage and attic then stay cooler and thus leave the living are easier to cool?

We could imagine an attic with no fans could get into the 140 range?


When in TV we rarely run the AC and heat and when we start living there more we plan to do what we do back home - use air circulation to bring air in at night and keep it in as long as we can with window control.

thanks for all the great advice and we are delighted to see fellow TV'ers concerned about energy (and money )saving
L&L

[pauld315]

Not sure when you are normally in TV but I am guessing it is not summer time if you aren't using AC. I lived iin Florida for 7 years when I was in my 20's and broke. Thought I would leave the AC off as long as I could to save money. Never made it past the middle of May or so. I have lived in NC for the past 18 years and if it wasn't for AC in the summer, this state would still be a rural farming state. I wish you luck with the idea of not using AC and living in TV in the summer.

[mulligan]

Yo larry, I worked at salem harbor, millstone, VY, and manchester st in Provivdence. We've probably met at some point.

[Ohiogirl]

Not sure when you are normally in TV but I am guessing it is not summer time if you aren't using AC. I lived iin Florida for 7 years when I was in my 20's and broke. Thought I would leave the AC off as long as I could to save money. Never made it past the middle of May or so. I have lived in NC for the past 18 years and if it wasn't for AC in the summer, this state would still be a rural farming state. I wish you luck with the idea of not using AC and living in TV in the summer.

I think you're right - the whole South had big time population growth about the time a/c became a regular amenity. I lived in Houston (twice) and don't see how anyone could stand it in the summer before a/c. Guess that's when the "ladies" sat on their porches sipping lemonade and had servants to fan them (and do all the work).

Would be guessing that if you don't use your air cond., you wouldn't have to worry much about having too many houseguests or folks over for cards!

[pauld315]

I think you're right - the whole South had big time population growth about the time a/c became a regular amenity. I lived in Houston (twice) and don't see how anyone could stand it in the summer before a/c. Guess that's when the "ladies" sat on their porches sipping lemonade and had servants to fan them (and do all the work).

Would be guessing that if you don't use your air cond., you wouldn't have to worry much about having too many houseguests or folks over for cards!

We lived in Houston in the mid-90's for awhile. I have lived in Florida and NC and also have a small beach place in Myrtle Beach but Houston was BY FAR the hottest place I have ever lived. No idea how people lived in the south prior to A/C.

[Larryandlinda]

Not sure when you are normally in TV but I am guessing it is not summer time if you aren't using AC. I lived iin Florida for 7 years when I was in my 20's and broke. Thought I would leave the AC off as long as I could to save money. Never made it past the middle of May or so. I have lived in NC for the past 18 years and if it wasn't for AC in the summer, this state would still be a rural farming state. I wish you luck with the idea of not using AC and living in TV in the summer.

Not sure if you are referring to us, but we check the lady lake and oxford temps daily, current/hourly/10-day
often about the same is the DC burbs lately

Two of our 9 visits in 2009 we made sure we included the 'longest day' June 21 (celebrated Fathers' day) and what might be the 'hottest' in late August.

We stayed in the ranch home and we left the climate control off most of the 4 days but did crank it up a couple times to get the joint down to the low 80's in the evening for sleeping before the outside air got there and then pulled and pushed that air in to maintain the low 80's/high 70's that came in naturally.
We have discovered that there is a certain degree of acclimation that we have been able to train and trick the bodies and minds into.

We have since found lots of great help on line too.

http://http://www.wikihow.com/Sleep-Comfortably-on-a-Hot-Night


this has done wonders to make us appreciate our forthcoming new home town

We like the mellower summers there when the birds come north and the roads and paths have more space for us on our bikes - a great way to keep cool too!!
We also appreciate the smaller crowds in shops and restaurants too.
We leave the car windows down traveling around the area unless we're on the highways and turnpikes - it helps with the acclimation and we don't get that hot blast when leaving the car.

L and L

[pauld315]

I think the big difference between NC, DC etc and TV is the humidity levels. If you can control the humidity you might have a chance if you are acclimated to it. I prefer not to become acclimated to it as long as I can afford to keep my place comfortable. I was there over the 4th of July this year and it was much more humid than it was here in NC.

[cybermuda]

Just seen the following in a GE advert:

http://www.geappliances.com/heat-pump-hot-water-heater/electric-water-heater-features.htm

cost is $1,599 on-line

[Russ_Boston]

I like the ideas on this thread about saving money with hot water etc.

But no A/C?

Let me think about....


OK that's long enough - NO! :)