Can A Tankless Water Heater Be Used For Radiant Heating

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.

Can a tankless water heater be used for radiant heating.

What i need is a good explanation of why i can t use an on demand water heater instead of a boiler. They re extremely well engineered quiet compact 2 2 cu. This is especially true when a high efficiency tankless water heater is used as the main hot water source. I m going to put in radiant floor heating and every site i ve visited wants to sell me a boiler and discourages the use of on demand water heaters.

A well designed hydronic heating system can be very economical in terms of energy use. Water heater for radiant heat water heaters are good for radiant floor heating because they maintain a low temperature. Sample temperature curve for an on demand unit. Takagi on demand water heaters have many excellent features.

We design radiant heating systems to suit the unique characteristics of tankless water heaters. When a tap shower or appliance is turned on cold water passes through the tankless water heater where it s heated by either a gas fired burner or electric coils. The on demand heater just runs the same water temp 24 7. If the house is 100 percent radiant it would also take care of raising and lowering your water temps needed for the radiant based on outdoor temperature.

Make sure you invest in a high efficiency tankless water heater. So using the unit for radiant heating generally has little or no effect on the sizing calculation. Tankless water heater can be used to produce radiant heating. By only heating water when it s needed tankless water heaters do not experience standby heat loss which occurs when heat escapes the water tank and needs constant reheating.

The water heater manufacturer will void the warranty if used in a heating only closed system application. The reasons are outlined below. Today tankless heaters are low cost high efficient units that are cheaper to maintain operate. Though they are sold primarily for domestic hot water tankless heaters are actually well suited for radiant heating which operates at low temperatures compared with for example hot water baseboard.

They have become the standard heat sources for radiant heating applications. You actually have a choice between them as you can use a water heater or tankless for radiant floor heating and not just a boiler. You really only need a maximum of 120 f for your floor. I m currently using a toyotomi kerosene water heater rated at 148 000 btu s.

Radiantec technicians can help you decide if a tankless water heater is right for your radiant heating project. However it is important to understand that not all of them are suitable for this task.