Using A Water Heater For Radiant Heat

The reason for this is to have the two water uses separate.

Using a water heater for radiant heat.

Radiant floor heat and water heater options. Hydronic systems can use a wide variety of energy sources to heat the liquid including standard gas or oil fired boilers wood fired boilers solar water heaters or a combination of these sources. The elite is another on demand unit used for radiant heating applications. For more on the different types of energy sources and heat distribution systems for home heating explore our energy saver 101 infographic on home.

But if you re game for a minor plumbing adventure and want an on demand unit that is one of the most efficient heaters on. The best tankless water heater for radiant floor heat is the takagi th3 natural gas. The best kind is one that has a sealed combustion chamber and an external heat exchanger. At up to 98 efficiency it is an extraordinary heat source but the primary secondary plumbing configuration recommended by heat transfer products is somewhat more complicated than the takagi.

Many people use a water heater instead of a boiler for radiant floor heat because it costs less. It is the safest choice as well. Using water heaters for radiant heat gas fired water heaters can provide reliable efficient space heating as well as domestic hot water by bill clinton jurnal of light construction web page from 1999 six years ago i nervously installed my first hot water heating system fired not by a boiler but by an ordinary gas fired storage water heater. The water heater to use with radiant floor heating should be a high efficiency unit.

This model has the most impressive flow rate it is well made and it comes with all you are going to need. Radiant heating systems provide even heat that warms people and objects as the heat rises from the floor. As such we rate it with 5 stars out of 5. However water heaters can be used for home heating aka hydronic applications or hyronic heating applications provided that the specific water heater is rated by the manufacturer as approved for that use and provided that the heater is being used for small heating loads of 75 000 btuh or less.

Certainly cost is important but there are many other important factors as well. Most radiant heating installations use a boiler to heat the water but a simple hot water heater can do the job and save you several hundred to a few thousand dollars. You will need to make a few modifications to the heater and have knowledge of basic plumbing techniques.