Treacodactyl
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Hot water optionsI'm having a bit of a rethink on how to heat the hot water in our new house. I had planned on having a boiler in either a wood burner or a wood fueled range. However, a boiler will make the wood burner more expensive, less efficient and will require extra plumbing, possibly a pump etc.
Thinking about what uses the water the washing machine cold fills, a dishwasher will cold fill and I currently plan to install an electric shower. So, we don't need a vast tank of hot water.
Simple solution would be an immersion heater. We have room for solar of some sort, we could install solar hot water tubes but would PV be an easier option these days and dump the energy via a low wattage immersion heater? There'd be less plumbing and I hope to expand on the PV when time permits.
Any other options? I'd like to keep things simple and with acidic water I'm also not keen on spending a fortune on hot cylinders and piping for it to be rotted through in a few years.
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vegplot
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To heat the water via solar PV you'd need an inverter that matches the power demand of the immersion heater, assuming the circuit wasn't on the household mains circuit and that could get expensive if all you're using the solar PV just to heat water.
If using solar PV it's better to integrate water heating as part of the total solution rather than as a separate isolated system.
A back boiler on he burner is simple and would don't use a pump as it's gravity fed but you may need to comply with recently revised building regulations regarding the header tank. This is the route we're taking with our new stove.
Solar hot water maybe the most effective system for you, during the summer months.
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pollyanna
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Acidic water should not be a problem if you specify a lined boiler.
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Treacodactyl
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As mentioned I had wanted the stove to heat the water but there's a lot of advice against it, just yesterday I went into a local stove shop and they seemed knowledgeable and were far from keen on boilers on wood burners.
At the moment I think going for simplicity is best. But considering costs what does a small solar water system cost to buy and install these days? A quick look at he energy saving trust says £3000 - £5000, that's about 25 years worth of immersion heating.
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NorthernMonkeyGirl
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Is it just hot water taps that you'll need? What about those little heaters that are basically hand-sized electric showers? They look awful when bodged into a shop's loo, but designed and planned properly might be worth a look?
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Treacodactyl
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Is it just hot water taps that you'll need? What about those little heaters that are basically hand-sized electric showers? They look awful when bodged into a shop's loo, but designed and planned properly might be worth a look? |