Sidearm with furnace

[forestrymike]

Hi. My parents currently have a wood furnace which they use for their main souce of heat. What I am wondering is if it would work to have a side arm heater for DHW, using the HW coil that runs through the furnace. Any ideas, or suggestions would be appreciated.

Michael

 

[Vtgent49]

I'd consider hooking directly to the DHW coil in the boiler, using the same strategy for accessing the tank that the side arm users describe. Whether it needs a pump or will thermosiphon will depend on relative heights and pipe complexity. In other words, just skip the sidearm costs and inefficiencies.

This assumes the dhw coil in the boiler is seperate from the boiler water. Generally these coils are immersed in the boiler water. Thus the boilers usual controls will prevent DHW overheating etc.

 

[Duetech]

A tempering valve will be needed to prevent hot water from scalding an unsuspecting user and that is whether you use a sidearm or if you go direct with the water coil. 180 degree water will probably take skin off real quick. I have an adjustable tempering valve installed on my dhw tank that is set for around 120 though my boiler readily puts out 170-175 water. Having the dhw setup with the boiler/sidearm gives more perceived hot water because of the higher initial temp of the water tank.

 

[forestrymike]

so you think that this will still work with a wood furnace, not a boiler?

 

[smokinj]

so you think that this will still work with a wood furnace, not a boiler?

I have a coil in mine works great

 

[forestrymike]

If I may ask, how do you have yours set up?

 

[smokinj]

If I may ask, how do you have yours set up?

iam using the temper tank metod http://www.hilkoil.com/domesticcoil-install.pdf

 

[heaterman]

If you are talking about running some type of a heat exchanger tube right through the firebox of your wood furnace I'd advise you to seek another alternative. Any pipe, tube or other form of heat exchanger in that scenario will eventually plug up and create a no flow situation. That is a very very bad thing to have happen. I can recall one incident in particular that blew the door off the wood furnace, spread flaming wood and ashes all over the basement and forcefully ejected the basement windows from their casings. I was called to that location not in my capacity as a heating tech but rather as assistant fire chief. Wasn't pretty.