Bright idea for saving money on your water heating bill.

[Woodznutz]

Well, if you really want to warm water, better to send it to the attic in copper pipe, that'll conduct heat faster than plastic pipe, and to really do it right, let the water go up into a glass covered splash tray so that it can pick up heat directly from the sun first before returning to the water heater!

I wouldn't pipe any water through the attic, too risky.

 

[Blues Man]

I've worked in and around the energy industry most of my life. I've met a lot of bright people both in the operations and design fields of my profession. It pays to network with people because human ingenuity tends to be more broadly applied if you have a greater number of inputs. Over the years I've collected a number of excellent suggestions that I put to use around my house to help with energy savings.

Here's one I'm thinking of trying so I'm throwing it out they had to see what anyone thinks about it. With the arrival of the new flexible piping called PEX many things are now possible that we're not previously possible.

A friend of mine put a copper to Pex take off on the input of his hot water heater running it up to his attic which is very hot in the summer. A three-way valve with a drain plug instantly winterizes this assembly. In the attic the pex runs along the entire side of the house hung on a steel rod as a long coil. It then returns back down to the cellar to the intake of the water heater having picked up 40 to 50° of heat from its original 65 to 70° city water supply. I'm thinking about trying this. Of course the peril herein is that the pex in the Attic could develop a leak and leak all over your ceiling. Still it seems like it might be worth a try.

Jo

My entire home is plumbed with Pex and I have had no leaks. Pex is very reliable

You could easily build a solar water heater that doesn't use your attic

 

[progressive hunter]

Understanding PEX pressure loss

I'm having a new house built and the plumber just put in a parallel distribution PEX system. He put 3/8"s almost everywhere and I am trying to understand if it will be problematic. I have runs of up to 90ft, and an unknown rural city supply water pressure (60-70PSI?). The PEX design guide...

terrylove.com

thats weird,, I have about 250 ft running out to my garden for the irrigation system and still need to reduce the pressure so it doesnt blow the 1" poly lines running to all my zones in the garden which are another 250 ft of poly,,
and thats after it runs about 100 ft before it leaves the house,,

I would question the use of 3/8th line as being the problem,,

 

[Woodznutz]

thats a good way to talk yourself right out of doing something,, make it tens times more complicated than it needs to be,,

The simplest and safest way is to install an uninsulated tank ahead of the water heater and let the ambient basement heat take the chill off the incoming water. Buy a cheap electric water heater and remove the insulation. Open the basement windows and let the summer heat in. This also solves any condensation problems that might arise in an attic installation. It also gives a large volume of 'tempered' water. No need for miles of pipe. Note that 100 feet of 3/4 " garden hose left in the sun will only yield about 2 gallons of hot water at a time.

 

[Donald H]

Yes I am amazed at how warm the attic gets even on an 80° day... I am very sure it's well over 100°.

Yeah, about the right temperature needed to cool your 130F hot water!

 

[progressive hunter]

The simplest and safest way is to install an uninsulated tank ahead of the water heater and let the ambient basement heat take the chill off the incoming water. Buy a cheap electric water heater and remove the insulation. Open the basement windows and let the summer heat in. This also solves any condensation problems that might arise in an attic installation.

I like the idea of using an old water heater,, but most basements are below ground and never get very hot even if I open the windows which are only two and very little,,

the best you will get is maybe 70 degrees,,

 

[Woodznutz]

I like the idea of using an old water heater,, but most basements are below ground and never get very hot even if I open the windows which are only two and very little,,

the best you will get is maybe 70 degrees,,

You could also paint it black and set outside in the sun, but then you'd have to drain it for the winter.

An old girlfriend's family camp had a shower made of a 55 gallon barrel painted black and suspended in the sun. The water remained pleasantly warm long after the sun went down.

 

[progressive hunter]

You could also paint it black and set outside in the sun, but then you'd have to drain it for the winter.

did you see the video I posted in the beginning of the thread??
I'm setting up a 32x16 above ground pool and going to use one of those to heat the water for an extended use of the pool,,

 

[Woodznutz]

did you see the video I posted in the beginning of the thread??
I'm setting up a 32x16 above ground pool and going to use one of those to heat the water for an extended use of the pool,,

I've actually seen that. I wonder what the output volume is.

 

[progressive hunter]

I've actually seen that. I wonder what the output volume is.

for volume its the same as the input,, as for temp that would depend on temp going in based on angle, air quality and outside temp,, figure about a 20-30 degree rise of temp if not more

I am sure youve tried drinking out of a garden hose thats been sitting in the sun,, I have had times it burned to the point of turning my skin red

 

[justoffal]

Yeah, about the right temperature needed to cool your 130F hot water!

The water supply tends to be about 60°. If I could feed it 40° more I think it would save me some serious fuel.

 

[justoffal]

The simplest and safest way is to install an uninsulated tank ahead of the water heater and let the ambient basement heat take the chill off the incoming water. Buy a cheap electric water heater and remove the insulation. Open the basement windows and let the summer heat in. This also solves any condensation problems that might arise in an attic installation. It also gives a large volume of 'tempered' water. No need for miles of pipe. Note that 100 feet of 3/4 " garden hose left in the sun will only yield about 2 gallons of hot water at a time.

Hmmm.....gotta admit that makes some sense...

 

[Dekster]

I've worked in and around the energy industry most of my life. I've met a lot of bright people both in the operations and design fields of my profession. It pays to network with people because human ingenuity tends to be more broadly applied if you have a greater number of inputs. Over the years I've collected a number of excellent suggestions that I put to use around my house to help with energy savings.

Here's one I'm thinking of trying so I'm throwing it out they had to see what anyone thinks about it. With the arrival of the new flexible piping called PEX many things are now possible that we're not previously possible.

A friend of mine put a copper to Pex take off on the input of his hot water heater running it up to his attic which is very hot in the summer. A three-way valve with a drain plug instantly winterizes this assembly. In the attic the pex runs along the entire side of the house hung on a steel rod as a long coil. It then returns back down to the cellar to the intake of the water heater having picked up 40 to 50° of heat from its original 65 to 70° city water supply. I'm thinking about trying this. Of course the peril herein is that the pex in the Attic could develop a leak and leak all over your ceiling. Still it seems like it might be worth a try.

Jo

I doubt you will pick up that kind of heat out of the system since attics tend to not be 50° warmer than the living space. Anyway, I know a couple who have a proper solar hot water heating system and they love it. I've considered it but now that the Kiddies are approaching college age I am not sure it would be worth it just for two going forward.