Author Topic: using a gas hot water heater tank to cool lister  (Read 5905 times)

getterdone

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using a gas hot water heater tank to cool lister
« on: August 20, 2007, 02:04:10 AM »
has any one used a gas hot water heater tank; to cool the lister; also to make hot water? my lister has a thermostat with bypass. i would weld plates with pipe nipples, where the heat from the fire,hot gas normally goes through the water heater. add a burp tank to this,for expansion. i also wanted to run the exaust through another gas water heater,hook both water sources together with then a batch solar heater to supply my hot water needs. a circulating pump to take the heated water to and from my house. i thought i'd run this by you folks to see what you'all think.

Tom

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Re: using a gas hot water heater tank to cool lister
« Reply #1 on: August 20, 2007, 04:53:12 AM »
I would think a heat exchanger designed to thermo siphon between the hot and drain outlet of any heater would work good. I don't see how you could seal the flue on a gas water heater with out ruining the glass lining. I've seen photos where people run the exhaust through the water heater flue, however they are reported to load up with soot quickly.
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phaedrus

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Re: using a gas hot water heater tank to cool lister
« Reply #2 on: August 20, 2007, 05:13:44 AM »
You have two goals that would seem to interfere with oneanother. One is cooling. You are going to have to get rid of about 5 kw of jacket heat either with an automotive type "radiator" or through the surface radiation of a tank, or both. The other is storing heat to use when you want it. This requires preventing heat loss.

In order to use the coolant liquid as hot water you are limited to water as coolant - obviously. This presents corrosion difficulties.

A shell and tube heat exchanger running corrosion inhibited liquid in a closed cycle through the engine is logical and good practice. Plumbing that shell and tube to heat water in an insulated tank is also logical. Plumbing either a tank-cooler or a "radiator" is also necessary in order to prevent over-temp situations.

A normal hot water tank with the insulation stripped off , eg 35 to 40 gallons or so, is too small for a 6-1 at full power and sustained ops. Way too small. With the insulation it is, obviously, far worse.

The heat calculations are well done on the site - eg the size necessary for radiator, tank, and so forth. Look through my past posts and you'll find 'em. I made mistakes and corrections until it got very clear.
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getterdone

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Re: using a gas hot water heater tank to cool lister
« Reply #3 on: August 20, 2007, 04:12:57 PM »
ok what if i used a car type radiator after the hot water tank with a senser to turn a fan on when temp. reaches 190 deg. remember the cooling liquid will be circulating through the middle of the hot water tank first.  now running the exaust gas through another hot water heater, to capture that heat sooting may be a problem i'll have to make it so, a rought time cleaning can be done easy. maybe a tee at the bottom with a removable cap so it could be brushed often,also a drain. i'm sure there will be condencate   problems.       i'll have to give the later some thought. might not be worth the trouble.         sure would be nice to capture that extra heat .i read some where it would be 28000 btus. thats a lot of heat. as for welding plates on the tank ,i've done this before and it  don't ruin the glass liner much. wire welding only heats in a small area.  leaving the anidotate rod in place prevents it from rusting.                                                                                       

bitsnpieces1

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Re: using a gas hot water heater tank to cool lister
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2007, 04:18:09 PM »
  Put a tee in the top and bottom, with leg sticking out sideways.   
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  Run the exhaust in the side on bottom and out the side on top.  This lets you put a screw on cap on the open arm.  To clean remove the top and bottom cap then run a brush down through the inside.  Could also put a leg, 12" or so, in the bottom to hold liquid water condensate.
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getterdone

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Re: using a gas hot water heater tank to cool lister
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2007, 10:49:36 PM »
yea thats what i thought i'd do.