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11/25/2014, 12:28 PM | #1 |
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DIY water heater setup to heat tank
I just wanted to share my setup I installed over the weekend. I purchased the Laing E1 pump that is meant for under the sink installation. My sump is about 20-25 feet from the display tank, in a utility room that is not insulated. Thus, my heating bill has been rather high. One concern I had was running plumbing 30 feet across my finished basement, the E1 solved this. Secondly, I wanted a pump made for 65 lbs of water pressure, again E1 solved this.
The Laing E1 is meant to be installed at the faucet furthest from the water heater. It has a hot/cold in and out ports. The top of the pump housing includes a check valve that opens when the pump is running and closed when not. This pump eliminates the need for a "cold loop" back to the heater utilizing the cold circuit while also utilizing the hot/cold circuits already in the utility room for the utility tub faucet. The pump also has a built in thermostat that starts the pump when it senses the water temp at 86 degrees and stops it when it reaches 96 degrees. It has a built in timer that is not needed in my setup with my aqua controller. I currently have an aqua controller (RKE, sigh......) to control the pump on off. Therefore, 100ft of pex, Laing Pump, and various Pex fittings was all that was required to make this setup successful. The hot supply is connected to a Tee that has one out to the hot side of the utility faucet and the second runs thru about 50ft of Pex that is submerged in the sump, then into the hot supply port on the pump. This Tee will prevent the 65ft of Pex from being heated by running the hot faucet alone. The only time the 65ft of Pex is heated is when the pump is running. This also requires a cap on the hot output of the pump. The cold supply is connected to the cold supply of the pump and the cold out of the pump is then run to the cold side of the faucet. I set the RKE to 77.5 degrees as a controller with the Hysteresis at .5 therefore allowing a 1 degree flux in heating. This may not be the final setting as I am still testing to see the best results. As of today, the pump is on for 5 min and off for 20 min.
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110g Display,90g acrylic converted to sump (20 ft from DT) Omega 130 skimmer, DC return pump Laing E1 autocirc for heating, MACT Web Controller Last edited by metzz71; 11/25/2014 at 12:36 PM. |
11/27/2014, 06:37 AM | #2 |
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Like it! I set up my hot water loop last weekend and tested it. Rock solid at 77 for the 36 hour test and brought 200 gallons to temp in less than an hour. I am running mine on dual Rancos because no controller yet. I felt this was a better solution than electric for a large system in an unheated space. Looking forward to hearing your long term results.
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Next step on the system is adding A 90 gallon! Current Tank Info: 475 multitank system is now running! Several hundred gallons of additions planned! |
11/27/2014, 09:04 AM | #3 |
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Thanks mutely! Thus far I have seen a decrease in kWh's by +/- 10 in the electric usage! This is huge! I am trying to decide which is best, on for 1 min/off for 5 min or on for 5 off for 20min. The more frequent the pump is on, the more stable the temp, 77~77.5. With it on for 5/20, the temp fluctuates 77~78. Also playing with temp probe placement. Should it be next to the coil loop? in front of it? behind it? etc.
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110g Display,90g acrylic converted to sump (20 ft from DT) Omega 130 skimmer, DC return pump Laing E1 autocirc for heating, MACT Web Controller |
11/27/2014, 06:30 PM | #4 |
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Nice build. Keeping an eye on this thread for future use. I'd place the temp probe in your display since that is the water volume whose temperature you are wanting to maintain.
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11/27/2014, 07:18 PM | #5 | |
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I will post more as I get more details.
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110g Display,90g acrylic converted to sump (20 ft from DT) Omega 130 skimmer, DC return pump Laing E1 autocirc for heating, MACT Web Controller |
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11/27/2014, 07:51 PM | #6 | |
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Temp probes are small, I'd keep it in the display for peace of mind. |
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11/27/2014, 08:30 PM | #7 |
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Metzz71 I too built a similar solution and its been running for 1yr now. This has by far been the single best investment in my system. 800g total system and heated for next to $0. System has been rock solid, silent, and keeps temp within about 1 degree given current hystersis.
there are some to claim the cost for fuel however with these systems using heat from our hot water systems and not furnace/boilers we are utilizing heat which would likely just be sitting there and lost as we are not constantly using hot water. Heres a link to my build thread of the HW system. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2285507
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Custom 7'x3'x42"tall 550g glass DT/~800g system. (GHL Mitras died) - looking for new solution. Hammerhead / DC10000 / MP60. Bean overflow C2C. Apex. Custom Heater. |
11/27/2014, 09:38 PM | #8 | |
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Yes! I read your thread and another couple which gave me the solution to my $$ electric bill problem. I was looking for an efficient heating solution. THANK YOU! I found this "new" style pump that allowed me to use the hot/cold pipes already in the room. BONUS! My wife is very happy for the hot water at the faucets!
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110g Display,90g acrylic converted to sump (20 ft from DT) Omega 130 skimmer, DC return pump Laing E1 autocirc for heating, MACT Web Controller |
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11/27/2014, 09:47 PM | #9 |
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Same here!! instant hot water has been a pleasant addition.
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Custom 7'x3'x42"tall 550g glass DT/~800g system. (GHL Mitras died) - looking for new solution. Hammerhead / DC10000 / MP60. Bean overflow C2C. Apex. Custom Heater. |
11/28/2014, 01:08 AM | #10 |
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What did you get the pump for? What I've seen they spendy..I don't quite get where the water goes after the pump? Back to the water heater?
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~SFVR Member~ 125 Gal Long/50 Gal sump, 2xMP40QD,Aquamax CONES CO-03/Speed Wave dc return 4x AI Sol Blues/Director + 2 80w T5 retrofit/Apex Controller Current Tank Info: 125 gal 72X18X22 |
11/28/2014, 09:23 AM | #11 | |
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Quote:
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11/28/2014, 10:43 AM | #12 | |
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Quote:
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Custom 7'x3'x42"tall 550g glass DT/~800g system. (GHL Mitras died) - looking for new solution. Hammerhead / DC10000 / MP60. Bean overflow C2C. Apex. Custom Heater. |
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11/28/2014, 11:02 AM | #13 | |
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Quote:
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~SFVR Member~ 125 Gal Long/50 Gal sump, 2xMP40QD,Aquamax CONES CO-03/Speed Wave dc return 4x AI Sol Blues/Director + 2 80w T5 retrofit/Apex Controller Current Tank Info: 125 gal 72X18X22 |
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11/28/2014, 11:13 AM | #14 | |
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Quote:
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110g Display,90g acrylic converted to sump (20 ft from DT) Omega 130 skimmer, DC return pump Laing E1 autocirc for heating, MACT Web Controller |
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11/28/2014, 11:56 AM | #15 | |
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Quote:
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~SFVR Member~ 125 Gal Long/50 Gal sump, 2xMP40QD,Aquamax CONES CO-03/Speed Wave dc return 4x AI Sol Blues/Director + 2 80w T5 retrofit/Apex Controller Current Tank Info: 125 gal 72X18X22 |
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11/28/2014, 12:34 PM | #16 |
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110g Display,90g acrylic converted to sump (20 ft from DT) Omega 130 skimmer, DC return pump Laing E1 autocirc for heating, MACT Web Controller |
11/28/2014, 10:20 PM | #17 |
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the pump I used was $180
I debated using a CHEAP pump usually used in solar applications but in the end I wanted something I knew was going to be problem free for years. here is a link to one of those solar type pumps for less than $40, you would need to provide power supply. http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/251727935410?lpid=82
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Custom 7'x3'x42"tall 550g glass DT/~800g system. (GHL Mitras died) - looking for new solution. Hammerhead / DC10000 / MP60. Bean overflow C2C. Apex. Custom Heater. |
11/29/2014, 08:02 AM | #18 |
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I got this little bronze pump for $118 to the door from eBay a few months ago.
Taco® Circulating Pump with 1/2" Sweat Connections (006-BC4)
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Time to roll the dice. |
11/29/2014, 09:43 AM | #19 | |
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Quote:
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Next step on the system is adding A 90 gallon! Current Tank Info: 475 multitank system is now running! Several hundred gallons of additions planned! |
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11/29/2014, 12:38 PM | #20 |
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Is there a way to just tap into the flex hoses on the water heater?
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~SFVR Member~ 125 Gal Long/50 Gal sump, 2xMP40QD,Aquamax CONES CO-03/Speed Wave dc return 4x AI Sol Blues/Director + 2 80w T5 retrofit/Apex Controller Current Tank Info: 125 gal 72X18X22 |
11/29/2014, 03:34 PM | #21 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
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Time to roll the dice. |
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11/29/2014, 05:12 PM | #22 |
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the "flex" hoses? are they rubber or hard plastic like pex?
if they are the rubber kind then you'll need to use Saltys suggestion
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Custom 7'x3'x42"tall 550g glass DT/~800g system. (GHL Mitras died) - looking for new solution. Hammerhead / DC10000 / MP60. Bean overflow C2C. Apex. Custom Heater. |
11/30/2014, 12:28 PM | #23 |
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I did the same thing on my 200 a few years back. It was one of the best upgrades I've ever done. A lot of people don't like this system because it uses the house hot water tank instead of a dedicated hot water tank. Their biggest problem with it is, in the summer you have water sitting in the heat exchanger for 6-8 months, depending where you live. Then, in the fall when the tank calls for hot water, all the nasty water gets mixed in with your clean hotwater. I added enough hose so I could pull the heat exchanger out from the sump and set it on top. Then, I would cycle the the pump 6x/day, 5 min/cycle through out the summer. Problem fixed
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11/30/2014, 04:17 PM | #24 |
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great heads up Clown! I had not thought about the summer months, but I do believe I will be okay as my heaters run all season long (except for a couple weeks). My setup is in my basement and as long as we don't have 95+ for days on end, I have been okay.
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110g Display,90g acrylic converted to sump (20 ft from DT) Omega 130 skimmer, DC return pump Laing E1 autocirc for heating, MACT Web Controller |
11/30/2014, 05:16 PM | #25 |
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what about a couple valves so it can be switched to pump cold water rather than hot water in the summer? Unless your on well water it wouldn't be practical to use for cooling but could be switched on once in a while to keep the lines flushed.......
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