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Heat Your Home With Your Hot Water Heater
"It makes use of heat that would otherwise sit idle in your hot water heater," says George Engel, Pawnee, Ill., manufacturer of an add-on kit that turns your hot water heater into a supplementary heat source.
The conversion kit consists of a heat coil that installs in the ductwork on the cold air side of the fur
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Heat your home with your hot water heater ENERGY Miscellaneous 10-1-32 "It makes use of heat that would otherwise sit idle in your hot water heater," says George Engel, Pawnee, Ill., manufacturer of an add-on kit that turns your hot water heater into a supplementary heat source.
The conversion kit consists of a heat coil that installs in the ductwork on the cold air side of the furnace, a 1/20 hp. electric pump that draws water from the water heater to the heat coil, a pressure relief valve, and a check valve. The pump is wired into the thermostat so that it only pumps water out of the water heater when called for. The heat coil heats the plenum of the furnace and the blower carries the heat throughout the house.
"We've had savings as high as 65% over conventional, unmodified heating systems," says Engel, noting that the system is designed only for gas water heaters. Electric water heaters don't have enough capacity.
Engel says the add-on kit doesn't affect the performance of water heaters. "We think it makes them last longer because water doesn't sit idle in them, which allows sediment to settle out."
The key to the system, Engel adds, is the fact that water heats better than air, accounting for the increased efficiency of the system. The kit can be installed by do-it-yourselfers or local plumbing contractors.
The conversion kit sells for $790. A complete furnace, complete with a blower designed to stand alone along side water heater, sells for $1,389.
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dodd Design, Inc., Rt. 1, Box 16, Pawnee, Ill. 62558 (ph 217 625-2811).
A Canadian firm sells the Hydro-coil, a hot water conversion kit that retrofits to force air furnaces. A heat exchange coil simply mounts in the ductwork and water is piped to it from the water heater with a small electric pump. It's connected to the thermostat for completely automatic operation. Sells for $1,150 installed (U.S.).
For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, D.W.S. Energy Ltd., 927 119-4th Ave. S., Saskatoon, Sask. S7K 5X2 (ph 306 934-2400).
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