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Step 6
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Here is a diagram which shows a general overview of what I built.
It might make the system a little easier to understand.
Arrows indicate the normal convection flow. The coolest water at the bottom of the holding tank sinks by gravity to the collector where it is heated up. Then it is lighter so it gets replaced by more cool (heavier) water. When no water is being run in the house, no water is going through the tankless, so the warmed water takes a right turn in the "T" and goes back to the top of the holding tank. It needed to go there anyway to replace the water leaving at the bottom.
Not shown is the dip tube which deposits incoming water in a heater to the bottom of the tank so it won't mix with and cool off the hotter water at the top on its way down.
Just remember that in order for convection to work for you, the collection box must be lower than the holding tank. The tankless heater can be low or high... it doesn't matter because the water pressure is pushing the water through it.
When hot water is turned on in the house, water is pushed through the tankless heater from both the top of the holding tank and from the bottom through the collection box. No matter. The water the tankless heater receives will be much warmer than if it came straight from the street.
Here is a diagram which shows a general overview of what I built.
It might make the system a little easier to understand.
Arrows indicate the normal convection flow. The coolest water at the bottom of the holding tank sinks by gravity to the collector where it is heated up. Then it is lighter so it gets replaced by more cool (heavier) water. When no water is being run in the house, no water is going through the tankless, so the warmed water takes a right turn in the "T" and goes back to the top of the holding tank. It needed to go there anyway to replace the water leaving at the bottom.
Not shown is the dip tube which deposits incoming water in a heater to the bottom of the tank so it won't mix with and cool off the hotter water at the top on its way down.
Just remember that in order for convection to work for you, the collection box must be lower than the holding tank. The tankless heater can be low or high... it doesn't matter because the water pressure is pushing the water through it.
When hot water is turned on in the house, water is pushed through the tankless heater from both the top of the holding tank and from the bottom through the collection box. No matter. The water the tankless heater receives will be much warmer than if it came straight from the street.
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Jun 14, 2010. 4:07 PMdiynot
says:
This is fantastic! I'm looking to do something similar.
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