Can I Use A Hot Water Heater For Radiant Heat

Meanwhile a separate hot water heater takes care of the household hot water.

Can i use a hot water heater for radiant heat.

So using the unit for radiant heating generally has little or no effect on the sizing calculation. Because the slab installations will require less than 140 deg f water it is safe to use a water heater to heat the radiant slabs. 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. Either a hot water heater or a boiler handles all the heated water necessary to power the radiant floor heating needs.

We ve been doing this longer than anyone with great success. Using water heaters for radiant heat gas fired water heaters can provide reliable efficient space heating as well as domestic hot water by bill clinton jurnal of light construction web page from 1999 six years ago i nervously installed my first hot water heating system fired not by a boiler but by an ordinary gas fired storage water heater. Though they are sold primarily for domestic hot water tankless heaters are actually well suited for radiant heating which operates at low temperatures compared with for example hot water baseboard. You really only need a maximum of 120 f for your floor.

The best tankless water heater for radiant floor heat is the takagi th3 natural gas. That temperature is safe and comfortable as well as being efficient. This model has the most impressive flow rate it is well made and it comes with all you are going to need. One to supply domestic hot water and a separate water heater to supply the radiant floor.

Water heaters are good for radiant floor heating because they maintain a low temperature. You will need to be aware of the incoming groundwater temperature as cold water will drop the overall water temperature. Sample temperature curve for an on demand unit. We will also be installing 2 separate water heaters.

It is the safest choice as well. You will need to make a few modifications to the heater and have knowledge of basic plumbing techniques. A hot water heater saves money when used in this way. Certainly cost is important but there are many other important factors as well.

Use a water heater to make radiant floor heat instead of a boiler. As such we rate it with 5 stars out of 5. 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.