Why can't I just do it the easy way?

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Grovenburg

Grovenburg

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Dec 9, 2011
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Hello,

I've got an Econoburn 100 with a stss non pressurized storage tank in my out building. I'm getting ready to put my undergound run in this weekend, I've got 150 feet of rauh 1 1/4 flex pex. I'm only going to have two heat exchangers in the basement; one for my hot water heater and one for my forced air furnace. Here is my question: Why cant I just run a simple loop like all the OWB guys do. No zone valves or extra pumps. I would just put my heat exchangers on a loop and run my pump all the time. What are the downs sides to this?? Thanks.
 
Grovenburg said:
Hello,

I've got an Econoburn 100 with a stss non pressurized storage tank in my out building. I'm getting ready to put my undergound run in this weekend, I've got 150 feet of rauh 1 1/4 flex pex. I'm only going to have two heat exchangers in the basement; one for my hot water heater and one for my forced air furnace. Here is my question: Why cant I just run a simple loop like all the OWB guys do. No zone valves or extra pumps. I would just put my heat exchangers on a loop and run my pump all the time. What are the downs sides to this?? Thanks.
Click to expand...

You can........but then why did you buy storage? You would just use it like a OWB.... let it idle until you have a call for heat.

Your system will run more efficient when using storage.

Rob
 
taxidermist said:
You can........but then why did you buy storage? You would just use it like a OWB.... let it idle until you have a call for heat.

Your system will run more efficient when using storage.

Rob
Click to expand...


The system would still heat the storage and use the stored heat from the tank it would just cool more quickly because I'm running the loop all the time. Am I correct?
 
Yes, plus you would probably overheat your DHW and your home.
 
rkusek said:
Yes, plus you would probably overheat your DHW and your home.
Click to expand...


If the furnace is forced air and only heats when the fan comes on and the hot water exchanger only heats cold water that enters the hot water heater how do I over heat the house and DWH? Willt he exhanger in the furnace put a lot of heat in the house when the fan isn't on??
 
Thinking it would likely work, but you'd be losing a fair bit of efficiency through piping/pumping heat losses? Although if your run is well installed & insulated, most of the loses should be in the building envelope - can't answer on how hot things would get with the water pumping but the fan not running.
 
rkusek said:
Yes, plus you would probably overheat your DHW and your home.
Click to expand...


No it would not. But you would lose a lot of BTU to the ground circulating it back and forth.
 
You could set this up to run on just one pump. A call for heat from either the DHW or the furnace would turn the pump on. Running a pump continously when there is no call for heat is just going to raise your electric bill possibly quite a bit depending on the pump. If you are concerned about pump sizing think about going with a Variable speed pump so that when both zones call for heat the load is satisfied sooner. Many of the newer pumps allow this based on ::DTT or ::DTP.
 
taxidermist said:
No it would not. But you would lose a lot of BTU to the ground circulating it back and forth.
Click to expand...


You will lose some but your biggest efficiency loss would be your boiler idling when there is no call for heat. If you bought storage than your way better off using it.
Rob
 
I think the biggest issue would be the mixing of storage. You want the water going back the tank to be cooler than the top layer of the tank. If you send water continuously to the house you will be mixing the tank 24/7. This will reduce the effectiveness of your storage. With forced air heat exchanger you want to keep your tank stratified as much as possible. If you had radiant in the house it would not matter as much to mix storage.

gg
 
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