Using A Water Heater For Radiant Heat

Water heaters are good for radiant floor heating because they maintain a low temperature.

Using a water heater for radiant heat.

That temperature is safe and comfortable as well as being efficient. The go to site for do it yourself hydronic systems using a water heater is a company called radiantec. Today tankless heaters are low cost high efficient units that are cheaper to maintain operate. If your heat loss calculation exceeds that number you ll need a bigger water heater.

The type of system you are. Ft lightweight 60 lbs can mount conveniently on a wall vent easily are direct vented meaning they use outside air for combustion and use 3 pvc for. A boiler is a device used to heat a home using steam and radiant heat techniques and is a closed system which rarely replenishes its supply of water from an external source. This model has the most impressive flow rate it is well made and it comes with all you are going to need.

As such we rate it with 5 stars out of 5. They have become the standard heat sources for radiant heating applications. Electric heat discusses typical electric heating systems. You will need to make a few modifications to the heater and have knowledge of basic plumbing techniques.

The system designer may have to increase the size of the radiators to account for the lower water temperature. A typical 6 gallon water heater is rated at 3 000 watts which is 10 239 btu h. They re extremely well engineered quiet compact 2 2 cu. Water heaters on the other hand are perfectly happy being fed 55 f supply water and chugging along at 110 f to 140 f perfect for radiant floors and more than adequate for many baseboard and panel radiator applications.

Electricity is commonly used to heat water for hydronic heating systems as a backup heat source such as in a heat pump system see backup heat for heat pumps or in super insulated buildings that use a tiny electric boiler and perhaps a radiant floor slab. A water heater heats water that is constantly being replenished since it is connected to taps. The reasons are outlined below. The best tankless water heater for radiant floor heat is the takagi th3 natural gas.

The first step is to do a heat load calculation. It is the safest choice as well. The author s radiant distribution system consists of a primary loop with a heat exchanger for domestic hot water and secondary loops for each heating zone. You really only need a maximum of 120 f for your floor.

Most radiant heating installations use a boiler to heat the water but a simple hot water heater can do the job and save you several hundred to a few thousand dollars. Water heated by the tankless heater flows directly through the floor tubing while a heat exchanger provides heat for the dhw supply. Takagi on demand water heaters have many excellent features.