Domestic Hot Water

[Moss Man]

I have a wood stove with a water coil in it, does anyone here have the knowledge I need to test the coil and if it is still good, get it producing domestic hot water? I have a seperate coil and a storage tank already as well as a aqua-therm controller and a cirulation pump. I just need the road map to put it all together and I'll have plenty of time to get it working this winter as I lose my job January 1st....Merry Christmas. I am aware of the overproduction factor and the need to have a pop off valve in the system. I think this project is worthwhile, we cut our own wood off our land and the supply is ample.

 

[mga]

I have a wood stove with a water coil in it, does anyone here have the knowledge I need to test the coil and if it is still good, get it producing domestic hot water? I have a seperate coil and a storage tank already as well as a aqua-therm controller and a cirulation pump. I just need the road map to put it all together and I'll have plenty of time to get it working this winter as I lose my job Januaru 1st....Merry Christmas. I am aware of the overproduction factor and the need to have a pop off valve in the system. I think this project is worthwhile, we cut our own wood off our land and the supply is ample.

fret not......every politician running for any office is promising jobs for americans on their daily tv ads.

start by filling the coil with water (or air) and pressure test it for leaks.

 

[Crofter]

Is the heater coil a section of pipe or is it a cast iron affair? Standard test pressures would be about 125 psi and I would not use air! ;especially if it were a cast iron water grate or such. If you do a google search you will come up with info regarding slope of the piping runs and venting concerns. Sizing the coil area, tank volume and time and amount of hot water usage can take a bit of getting used to. A temperature / pressure relief valve is a must.

 

[mtfallsmikey]

Need a few more details, but I wouldn't be afraid of air testing. Possibly use a 3/4" relief valve made for an oil/gas boiler; they blow at 30 lb....but put SOMETHING on there!

 

[mga]

by the way....not sure how your system is set up, but, when you have a fire going, that circulator pump should be running to keep the water moving so it doesn't sit there and just boil.

could result in a nasty mess.

back-up in case of electrical failure? will convection be ample enuff to allow the water to move by itself?

sounds like it's a closed system and will be under pressure. you need to consider some safety with this. a boiler turns the flame off when the water gets too hot, a wood burner can't do that because it keeps burning. you either must keep the water moving, or be prepared to constantly dump pressure via a relief valve.

 

[Moss Man]

I had a plan on paper years ago, but have since lost it. My original plan was to have the circulator pump loop the water from the stove coil to the 275 gallon storage tank and have the pump start at a certain temperature. At the storage tank I would have the domestic coil mounted and route the domestic hot water through it. The relief valve would be mounted somewhere in the loop from the stve to the tank, just proir to the pump probably. It is in the planning stages and I need to round up all the gear I have accumulated for it.

 

[mga]

I had a plan on paper years ago, but have since lost it. My original plan was to have the circulator pump loop the water from the stove coil to the 275 gallon storage tank and have the pump start at a certain temperature. At the storage tank I would have the domestic coil mounted and route the domestic hot water through it. The relief valve would be mounted somewhere in the loop from the stve to the tank, just proir to the pump probably. It is in the planning stages and I need to round up all the gear I have accumulated for it.

if that be the case, and your 275 gallon tank would be close to the wood fire's coils, you could leave the top of the tank "open" via just a vent pipe. that would make only that part of your system an "open loop" and it would never be under pressure. then, using the heat from your wood fire, convection should help move the water...if you ever had a power failure and the circulating pump fails.

hot water always rises and as it does, it's replaced with cold(er) water.

that way your system would be a little more safer....and probably easier to build.

 

[Moss Man]

Thanx mga, things are looking clearer to me now. In January I will start assembly and in the mean time I will start collecting the materials I have scattered across God's creation!

 

[mga]

Thanx mga, things are looking clearer to me now. In January I will start assembly and in the mean time I will start collecting the materials I have scattered across God's creation!

yea,,,i wrongly assumed you were running your domestic hot water thru the wood burner. but, since you clarified what your intentions are, you can build a nice, safe system there to heat hot water.

good luck with that!!