Water Input Temp to Water Heater

[dieselscout80]

I saw this at HD and I think it would work to contain the condensation and provide a drain point/connection.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Camco-3...anized-Water-Heater-Drain-Pan-20932/302544356

 

[the old grind]

Apologies for (digitally) misspelling plumber jargon. Here's a conventional "trip-waste" for tub and and how the heat recovery setup works. Cost of the part can run hundreds .. plus in$tall if you don't DIY. Type of water heater doesn't matter. :thumbsup: on putting a coil of PEX in attic or crawl if a coil is 'stacked'/wound openly over a drain pan.

 

[oosik]

Five years ago the pump in my spring gave up the ghost. Part of the upgrade was moving the pressure tank out of the spring pit up to the basement and moving the electric hot water heater from the basement to the ground floor utility room.

My water comes out of the spring @ 52 degrees - year round. I noticed no savings in electricity by making this upgrade.

Theoretically - it probably does use less electricity but it's certainly not a lot and not easily noticeable.

 

[CADplans]

My water comes out of the spring @ 52 degrees - year round. I noticed no savings in electricity by making this upgrade.

Theoretically - it probably does use less electricity but it's certainly not a lot and not easily noticeable.

Most places have similar ground water temperature, but the ambient temp, and humidity can vary widely.

I doubt that Washington's weather is anything like South Carolina.,, weather has a lot to do with the warming of the water.

At my BIL's farm, near Williamsburg VA, his water tank is located in a "pump house" which is at the well, not near other buildings.

I mention it, because the weather at that farm is similar to South Carolina, WARM, and HUMID!


Well, when my nephew and I would go to the pump house to get a drink of C O L D water, then leave the door open,,
my brother in law would go BALLISTIC!! the tank, pump, wiring, and basically EVERYTHING in the pump house would be drenched in condensation.
Depending on the water usage (the well pumped drinking water to 400 cattle) condensation would be running out the door.

If the door was kept closed, there was little or no condensation, the air would not exchange,

One time, we left the door open for a week, the concrete floor in the pump house was covered with green, wet, slime.
That was just due to the constant moist conditions.

Close the door for a week, it would dry out in the small building.

 

[RalphVa]

Our crawl space is about 60 F. Ground water temp is usually 55 F. Not much different.

You'd be better off getting one of those "hybrid" water heaters that use a heat pump to heat the hot water, mostly, resulting in about 67% savings on energy needed.

Our pressure tank is in our utility room which is just off the crawl space. Cold water is still pretty cold.

Ralph

 

[mikester]

We have a well and the water is nice and cold coming from the well.

However, this means the water heater has to work hard to heat the water.

If I installed a pressure tank (about 40 gal) in my crawl space next to my water heater (50 gal) would it be enough to allow the water to warm up to at least the crawl space temperature before entering the water heater?

You might consider something like this if you are trying to reduce your energy consumption
https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/ca.../water-heaters/drain-water-heat-recovery.html

Your piping won't pick up as much heat as you might want. If you have the space an air-sourced heat pump water heater will save you 50-60% on your water heating bill if you are on electric. Or add a solar hot water pre-heat system $$$.

 

[LouNY]

Too many unknowns in yer question as stated. Nice and cold ain't a number can be worked with.
Add in static liquids ain't gonna absorb surrounding ambient heat much. Liquid in motion will absorb more heat just as liquid runnin thru a radiator delivers heat to the room.
Add to that the material the liquid is traveling thru has a lot to do with heat transfer. PEX & Black iron good, copper poor. That's why baseboard rradiation got aluminum fins to give heat to the surrounding air.

Add to that crawlspace possibly worst place to make de build. Attic is much better, especially where you live, and probably give you near free hot water half of de year. Take it a step more you can get near instant hot water at faucets when opened wid a small pump and some PEX.
Gotta pull up a chart shows all year averages before makin much progress.

Attic cisterns were pretty dang popular up into NY for hot water most of year back 150 years in upscale houses. Coal and later gas water heaters took over as people got too dumb to manage a fire. Depression pretty much killed attic cisterns when gas companies rented gas water heaters to homeowners to sell more gas. Ain't much new, just things new to you.

Were did you come up with the information that PEX has better heat transfer then copper.
All the information I have ever come across shows copper tubing having much higher heat transfer rates then PEX or plastic piping,
the reason for the aluminum fins on radiators was cost vs efficiency.
I know that the PEX tubing seems to have less heat lose then my copper tubing.

Also in regards to the air to water heat pumps, I have looked at them and for the summer I could see the benifit as it would cool the space it was in by using the heat in that area to heat the water, my concern would be in the winter, how much additional heat is going to be required from your heating system to make up for the heat removed to make hot water.

 

[LouNY]

Too many unknowns in yer question as stated. Nice and cold ain't a number can be worked with.
Add in static liquids ain't gonna absorb surrounding ambient heat much. Liquid in motion will absorb more heat just as liquid runnin thru a radiator delivers heat to the room.
Add to that the material the liquid is traveling thru has a lot to do with heat transfer. PEX & Black iron good, copper poor. That's why baseboard rradiation got aluminum fins to give heat to the surrounding air.

Add to that crawlspace possibly worst place to make de build. Attic is much better, especially where you live, and probably give you near free hot water half of de year. Take it a step more you can get near instant hot water at faucets when opened wid a small pump and some PEX.
Gotta pull up a chart shows all year averages before makin much progress.

Attic cisterns were pretty dang popular up into NY for hot water most of year back 150 years in upscale houses. Coal and later gas water heaters took over as people got too dumb to manage a fire. Depression pretty much killed attic cisterns when gas companies rented gas water heaters to homeowners to sell more gas. Ain't much new, just things new to you.

Were did you come up with the information that PEX has better heat transfer then copper.
All the information I have ever come across shows copper tubing having much higher heat transfer rates then PEX or plastic piping,
the reason for the aluminum fins on radiators was cost vs efficiency.
I know that the PEX tubing seems to have less heat lose then my copper tubing.

Also in regards to the air to water heat pumps, I have looked at them and for the summer I could see the benifit as it would cool the space it was in by using the heat in that area to heat the water, my concern would be in the winter, how much additional heat is going to be required from your heating system to make up for the heat removed to make hot water.

 

[workinonit]

Were did you come up with the information that PEX has better heat transfer then copper.
All the information I have ever come across shows copper tubing having much higher heat transfer rates then PEX or plastic piping,
the reason for the aluminum fins on radiators was cost vs efficiency.
I know that the PEX tubing seems to have less heat lose then my copper tubing.

Also in regards to the air to water heat pumps, I have looked at them and for the summer I could see the benifit as it would cool the space it was in by using the heat in that area to heat the water, my concern would be in the winter, how much additional heat is going to be required from your heating system to make up for the heat removed to make hot water.

I was wondering the same thing. Must be kinda like "new" math.

 

[fruitcakesa]

We put in a heat pump water heater a few years back. Installed in our basement next to our boiler.
Summer time it keeps the basement cold and dry, 55-60*F, very pleasant to hang out in on those muggy summer days.
Winter time with the furnace running the heat pump uses the furnace warmth as energy and the basement stays comfortably warm.
The water heater has 5 different "modes" from total heat pump to total electric element. Other than when we have a houseful of guests, it stays on heat pump mode.
And we always have plenty of hot H2O.