Heating 24/7 with the Harman but still using the bolier for hotwater

[Ernest Smith]

Now that I use my stove for heating the house I want to stop using oil altogether. I have a 25 + year old boiler and it still runs to heat water. Has anyone by-passed the boiler and hooked up an electric water heater instead? My plumber tells me that a stainless steel tank used in conjunction with my boiler would cost $1,800 installed. I don’t want to spend that kind of money and don’t want to use oil.

 

[boosted3g]

1800 Im in the wrong profession. A top shelf electric water heat wont cost half that amount and are not hard to install. The hardest part may be getting power to the new water heater which may not be a problem if the panel is easily accessable.

 

[Andy P.]

definetly not a good idea to let the boiler sit idle. I use mine for hot water only and burn a little less than 200 gallons a year. I can deal with that consider in the pre pellet stove days I would burn that every month during the winter months

 

[movemaine]

How about a pellet burner. It's just like your oil burner, but a plug and play for pellets:

(broken image removed)


I wouldn't mind going full pellet, but our boiler is brand new - so it heats the water and then the oil is backup heat if the pellet stove is out of commission.

 

[Harvey Schneider]

I use mine for hot water only and burn a little less than 200 gallons a year.

I must be doing something wrong. My oil consumption for DHW for the summer months (5) is about 150 gal and there are just the two of us here. I'm an energy miser, low flow everything and my oil consumption has been consistently there for the summer season.
So is there a secret that I'm not in on?

 

[heat seeker]

My oil consumption for DHW for the summer months (5) is about 150 gal and there are just the two of us here.

That's about what we use. Two showers a day, run the dishwasher twice a week, 3 or 4 loads of laundry a week.

 

[moey]

I must be doing something wrong. My oil consumption for DHW for the summer months (5) is about 150 gal and there are just the two of us here. I'm an energy miser, low flow everything and my oil consumption has been consistently there for the summer season.
So is there a secret that I'm not in on?

Lots of factors
- age
- cast iron ( high thermal mass )
- maintaining temp
- size

I go through about 30 gallons a month 2 adults, 2 kids. Boiler is 25+ years old maintains temp and around 100k BTU. None of those factors work in my favor. But until I decide to get a new one Im not going to rock the boat.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Lowes or Home Depot will be your best bet on a Electric Hot Water tank.

 

[LMPS]

definetly not a good idea to let the boiler sit idle. I use mine for hot water only and burn a little less than 200 gallons a year. I can deal with that consider in the pre pellet stove days I would burn that every month during the winter months

Heating hot water with an oil burner is the most inefficient way to do it. I still do but I am seriously considering switching to a electric hot water heater. Wouldn't exercising the boiler once a month for say 20 minutes take care of any issue from leaving it idle? I do this with my generator and it works fine.

 

[iceguy4]

go electric...you wont regret it. also clean your boiler and shut it down. I see no point in

exercising the boiler[/QUOTE


personally I trhink THAT is asking for troubles

 

[iceguy4]

How about a pellet burner. It's just like your oil burner, but a plug and play for pellets:

(broken image removed)


I wouldn't mind going full pellet, but our boiler is brand new - so it heats the water and then the oil is backup heat if the pellet stove is out of commission.

does this unit replace the oil burner? If so how do you clean it ?

 

[moey]

Heating hot water with an oil burner is the most inefficient way to do it. I still do but I am seriously considering switching to a electric hot water heater. Wouldn't exercising the boiler once a month for say 20 minutes take care of any issue from leaving it idle? I do this with my generator and it works fine.

That would probably be worse there are seals that do not like the constant up and down in temperature. A modern boiler indirect hot water system is actually quite efficient. As well as a standalone oil fired burner for nothing but hot water. Cheaper then electric. But there is something to be said for not having to listen to your boiler fire in the middle of summer.

 

[motorbykemike]

i'm using the boiler for dhw and heat backup/assist incase the pellet stove goes down or cannot keep up

my boiler has not fired to meet tstat as long as my pellet stove has been on and it's in the basement , not the optimum setup , but the heat radiating through the floors is nice and if it's cold out leave the basement door open , fan in basement moving air , every room in house has a ceiling fan .

i look at the cost of the electric water heater and the electric it uses and weigh that against how much oil the boiler uses for dhw and say myself the payoff is pretty far out there and the boiler needs to cycle anyways and an electric water heater is not going to heat my house , so oil it is for dhw and if the stove sits for a day or to not burning the oil will kick in and keep the house up too temp rather than house getting really cold

i would consider an indirect water heater run off the boiler though for more thermal mass , then i would prob run radiant under the floor and want a pellet boiler

it never ends

 

[velvetfoot]

I agonized over it and installed the cheapest 40 gallon (there are 2 of us) electric hot water heater from HD. I valved off the indirect (and drained it) so I could run it again if I wanted to (extended power outage, maybe). I figure it'll be a quick payback, but don't have a full year of use yet, plus we're using electric heaters to take the chill off rooms upstairs when in use.

Here's a couple threads. Warning, it might just be gibberish.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/comparison-of-dhw-oil-indirect-vs-electric-tank.89754/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/how-to-plumb-electric-water-heater-with-oil-indirect.89774/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/insulation-blanket-on-new-water-heater.90310/

 

[DOLLARBILL]

Come spring Im going electric to heat our water enough of this i have no more money to waste

 

[MarkF48]

Back a few years ago my stand alone oil fired water heater was failing and the cost to replace was about $2000 installed for a comparable unit. I did some research and found an electric water heater made by Marathon/Rheem. It's key selling points were being super insulated, inner tank is of a plastic composition, so no metal tank to ever rot out and no need for an anode rod to prevent corrosion. Price was about $800 from a local Aubuchon hardware store and I did the install. It's just my wife and I and the electric bill saw a little increase after the conversion, less than I had expected.

Some utilities are offering rebates for these units as they are energy efficient.

http://www.marathonheaters.com/consumers.html

 

[boosted3g]

For what most of you guys pay for oil to heat your hot water i can buy electric for my entire house for the year running the central air and the heat pump in the spring and fall. Im not joking here guys. Get rid of the oil and swap in an electric water heater. I have a wife and 2 6 years olds in the house also. There is absolutly no reason to even have a boiler in this day and age unless your home absolutly cannot be fitted with something else or you have more money than you know what to do with.

 

[iceguy4]

For what most of you guys pay for oil to heat your hot water i can buy electric for my entire house for the year running the central air and the heat pump in the spring and fall. Im not joking here guys. Get rid of the oil and swap in an electric water heater. I have a wife and 2 6 years olds in the house also. There is absolutly no reason to even have a boiler in this day and age unless your home absolutly cannot be fitted with something else or you have more money than you know what to do with.

There is absolutly no reason to even have a boiler in this day and age unless your home absolutly cannot be fitted with something else or you have more money than you know what to do with.

[/QUOTE]

you have not lived in a house with cast iron radiators. best heat I have ever lived in. not dry, not noisy, very little fluctuations. My plumber says steam is even better then hot water. I havent lived with steam. Hot water baseboard sucks. Is there something out there like cast iron radiators that i'm un aware of?

 

[boosted3g]

Actually i have as well as my parents who's boiler has not run now for years. I set them up with the same combination that i have. Seriously my electric bill for the entire year is just over 900 bucks and the temps in the winter are mid 70 and in the summer are 69. I like a pellet stove and let the ductwork move the air around. If its not cold out just let the heat pump handle it. Dead of winter the heat pump sucks for heat but thats why we have pellet stoves. I only use the heat that is most effecient at the moment it needs to operate. I just have a regular 80 gallon whirlpool water heater from lowes, nothing special. I just hate to hear what guys spend to fill their oil tanks and can think of so many ways to be more efficient.

 

[heat seeker]

Your electric rates are probably half of what we pay - 20¢ per kwh.

 

[movemaine]

If I were to repurchase my house, I would have left the older boiler for backup, hooked up an on-demand propane hot water, and then still purchased my pellet stove.

As for the pellet burner conversion, I think you still have to open it up and clean it occasionally - see info and more pics:

(broken link removed)

Here in Maine, you can get the pellet conversion or the full pellet boiler and they'll deliver bulk pellets in a truck that looks just like an oil truck, with a giant hose and connection through your house wall too.

Crazy & innovative.

 

[JonSkow]

I installed an electric water heater last Jan because the tankless coil in my oil fired boiler couldn't keep up with demand. Acid washing was an option but the plumber wanted me to install a $2000 indirect fired tank. I opted to go with a 40 gal electric water heater. Installed myself, it ran me just over $200 all in. My electric bill did go up $20 a month but that would only get me 5 gal of oil per month at $4 a gal.
Just yesterday I finally said enough is enough an bypassed the aqua stat that was keeping the boiler between 160-180 degrees. It is completely off unless the thermostat calles for heat but with my vista flame 100 FPI it will never come on. My house is comfortable and I have more hot water than I know what to do with. Knowing that I'm not using oil makes me happy enough to say it's worth it.

 

[LMPS]

I installed an electric water heater last Jan because the tankless coil in my oil fired boiler couldn't keep up with demand. Acid washing was an option but the plumber wanted me to install a $2000 indirect fired tank. I opted to go with a 40 gal electric water heater. Installed myself, it ran me just over $200 all in. My electric bill did go up $20 a month but that would only get me 5 gal of oil per month at $4 a gal.
Just yesterday I finally said enough is enough an bypassed the aqua stat that was keeping the boiler between 160-180 degrees. It is completely off unless the thermostat calles for heat but with my vista flame 100 FPI it will never come on. My house is comfortable and I have more hot water than I know what to do with. Knowing that I'm not using oil makes me happy enough to say it's worth it.

That is great. But I am now concerned about doing this from the prior posts it seems like leaving the oil burner off for extended periods of time is not good for it. I would like to leave my oil burner as you have an option jut in case the pellet stove goes out. Are you concerned about the effect this will have on your oil burner and if it will function correctly when and if you need it?

 

[JonSkow]

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried a little bit. I just haven't found anywhere that definitively says "do not do this" . I grew up with wood as my heat source and an electric water heater so I have limited experience with oil fired boilers. I'll keep looking until I find what I'm looking for but in the meantime...

 

[RORY12553]

That's about what we use. Two showers a day, run the dishwasher twice a week, 3 or 4 loads of laundry a week.

I'm at about 150 for 9 months....just ran out yesterday and having issues with the boiler now...4 showers a day....try using cold water to wash clothes rather than hot!!