How does an indirect water heater save energy?
The energy stored by the water tank allows the furnace to turn off and on less often, which saves energy. An indirect water heater, if used with a high-efficiency boiler and well-insulated tank, can be the least expensive means of providing hot water, particularly if the heat source boiler is set to "cold start.".
Do I need an indirect water heater?
According to Daniel O’Brian, a technical specialist with SupplyHouse.com, “Indirect water heaters make sense only if you need a boiler for space heating.” With forced-air HVAC equipment dominating the market, boilers are increasingly rare.
How long do indirect water heaters last?
In addition, with few moving parts and utility hookups—and with no exposure to combustion—indirect water heaters often last much longer than other types. Many manufacturers even supply a lifetime guarantee.
Are indirect heaters more efficient?
In the end, indirect heaters can be most efficient in homes which are well-suited or already employ a complimentary-style HVAC system. The most obvious difference between an indirect and tankless heater is the existence of a tank.
Why use an indirect water heater?
Why are indirect water heaters so popular?
How long does an indirect water heater last?
How much does an indirect water heater reduce your bills?
How do I clean a water heater?
What happens if you have hard water?
Is an indirect water heater energy efficient?
See more
What is better direct or indirect water heater?
Benefits of separating the heating and hot water systems Direct fired water heaters are solely dedicated to the job of hot water generation, providing a faster heat up and response time compared with an indirect system which is in fact 'heating water to heat water'.
What are the advantages of indirect hot water system?
The greatest advantages of the indirect water heaters are the significant reduction of flue losses. Less maintenance – no additional burners to maintain. Less cost – no additional venting required or fuel lines to run. Better performance – more available hot water with quicker recoveries.
What is the life expectancy of an indirect water heater?
15-20 yearsHow long does an indirect water heater last? Indirect water heaters typically last 15-20 years.
Do indirect water heaters use electricity?
Heat from the water in the coil is then transferred to the water in the tank, which then flows to your fixtures. A separate thermostat communicates with the boiler when there's a need for domestic hot water. An indirect-fired water heater does not require electricity or gas and, therefore, does not need a vent.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of indirect water supply?
Advantages and disadvantages Indirect systems also operate at a lower pressure than mains water. They are much quieter, and less susceptible to water hammer. The main disadvantage of an indirect system is the risk of stagnation and contamination that comes with keeping a large quantity of water open to the atmosphere.
What are the advantages of direct system of hot water supply compared with indirect system?
Energy is saved as pumps are not required to pump water to cistern/tanks. Installation cost is reduced compared to indirect water supply because no storage tank is required and even reduces maintenance cost of tank (underground as well as overhead). It reduces the chances of bacterial contamination.
Are indirect water heaters worth it?
An indirect water heater, if used with a high-efficiency boiler and well-insulated tank, can be the least expensive means of providing hot water, particularly if the heat source boiler is set to "cold start." Indirect water heaters are a more efficient choice for most homes, even though they require a storage tank.
Can a water heater last 20 years?
Most tank water heaters have an average lifespan of 8 to 12 years, and tankless water heaters can last as long as 20 years.
Should I replace my 15 year old water heater?
Anyway, you should consider replacing your water heater if it's about 6-12+ years old and when you start running out of hot water faster. However, age and lack of hot water aren't everything. You could have a 15-year-old water heater that works just fine and wouldn't need replacing.
What is the most efficient hot water system?
Heat pumps are one of the most energy-efficient hot water solutions. While they need electricity to run, they are said to be roughly three times more efficient than traditional electric water heaters.
What is the most efficient type of hot water heater?
Long-term efficiency: Heat pump water heaters are the most efficient alternatives to fuel, oil, and electric water heating systems. For those in the market for a water heater that is both energy-efficient and cost-efficient, heat pump water heaters show great promise.
What is the most efficient way to heat hot water?
Some of the most efficient water heaters find creative sources of heat— such as other heating equipment, outside air, or the sun — to provide hot water with less fuel. These include heat pump water heaters, indirect water heaters, integrated space/water heaters, and solar water heaters.
Why use an indirect water heater?
By setting up a way for the boiler to do double-duty on heating, the indirect water heater system is able to reduce the amount of energy required for keeping water hot. This helps cut bills and also makes your entire layout easier to maintain.
Why are indirect water heaters so popular?
Water bills become cheaper when you have an indirect water heater simply because you’re piggybacking off a furnace or boiler. Indirect water heater models also work with your current source of heat.
How long does an indirect water heater last?
With typical care and maintenance, a standard indirect water heater can last for as long as 20 to 30 years. The most important factor to consider when you’re trying to figure out a potential heater lifespan is the warranty.
How much does an indirect water heater reduce your bills?
According to anecdotal evidence (and a couple of studies), you can expect to see as much as a 20 to 30 percent decrease on your energy bills from month to month. However, individual results can vary greatly, ...
How do I clean a water heater?
To clean a water heater, you will need to flush out the sediment from its lines. This is a fairly simple thing to do, which is good because you need to do it on a semi-regular basis.
What happens if you have hard water?
If you have a hard water problem, you might notice that your heat transfer will suffer from it. This can lead to frequent calls to the repairman, or the need to fix the hard water issue before you get your heater. Worse comes to worst, you may have a sediment problem that prematurely kills your heater.
Is an indirect water heater energy efficient?
Indirect water heaters are highly energy-efficient and can be powered by a wide range of different heating sources. They are simple, require little maintenance, and have a modern design. However, they require larger storage tanks to work and may not be as capable of keeping water hot as other models. There are plenty of reasons why people are now ...
How does an indirect water heater work?
How an Indirect Water Heater Works. Indirect water heaters use heat transfer to create hot water. This means there are no electric or gas heating elements in the tank itself. Instead, heat transfer coils run between the tank and either a boiler or furnace. The fluid in the coil is heated and then cools off in the water tank, ...
Which is more efficient, an indirect heater or an HVAC system?
In the end, indirect heaters can be most efficient in homes which are well-suited or already employ a complimentary-style HVAC system. See Also: Best Residential Water Heaters.
How many gallons of water can a tankless water heater hold?
Tankless water heaters can provide a certain number of gallons per minute (based on their rating) indefinitely. Meanwhile, an indirect heater can provide unlimited hot water per minute up to as many gallons as the tank can hold. In both cases, you will have to rely upon an energy cost to maintain water temperature.
How hot does water turn to steam?
The water turns to steam at the heat source, with temperatures as high as 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Upon reaching the lower end of the storage tank, the surrounding cooler water pulls heat from the coils and the steam condenses back into a liquid to be recycled back into the heat supply.
Can an indirect water heater be connected to a boiler?
In most cases, your indirect water heater will be connected to a boiler. Boilers provide very effective steam heating and are once again gaining in popularity. As the tank itself uses no power, the heater doesn’t need any sort of venting. An indirect heater can use just about any type of power, from gas to solar, ...
Can an indirect heater be used as a heat source?
An indirect heater can use just about any type of power, from gas to solar, as it uses an external device to heat the water. You will need to set the boiler up as a separate zone when connecting it to a heat source.
Can I use an indirect heater in a smaller house?
A busy house will benefit more from an indirect heater, as it isn’t limited per minute, while a smaller home will function more efficiently with a tankless heater. You can also pair the two by placing on-demand or smaller tankless models in places such as the kitchen to offset the demand in a larger home.
How do indirect water heaters work?
Indirect water heaters are well-insulated storage tanks with multifold coils inside them. With the help of a boiler or furnace, such as a space heater, the hot fluid is passed through this coil. And the heat of the hot fluid is transferred to the cold water inside the tank from this coil. That’s why the name “indirect water heater”. Easy peasy!
The pros and cons of indirect water heaters
Indirect water heaters heat water from the heat generated by the space heating boilers. So that means almost the same amount of energy is being used for the dual purposes of water and space heating. There is no separate source of energy that’s being used to heat water.
Indirect water heater vs storage tank
Now that we have discussed the pros and cons of indirect water heaters, let’s talk in a brief about the difference between indirect and traditional storage-tank water heaters. A lot of people have confusion in this so I think it’s in everyone’s interest to touch on this topic. Also, learn about the pros and cons of tankless water heaters here.
Is an indirect water heater worth it?
So the last piece of the puzzle that needs solving is if an indirect water heater even worth it?
How efficient is an indirect water heater?
The key distinction is that the efficiency of an indirect water heater equals the efficiency of the boiler, and boilers typically outperform most water heaters. If you have a brand-new high-performance boiler capable of achieving 96 percent efficiency, you’re much better off than you would be with a tankless unit that offers 80 percent efficiency ...
What is indirect water heater?
The first thing to know is that an indirect water heater is, in essence, little more than a well-insulated storage tank that holds a coiled heat exchanger, though a less common version relies on a tank-in-tan k design. But in either case, the “indirect” unit doesn’t produce its own heat; instead, it relies on the boiler.
How does a boiler work?
In a typical arrangement, a closed-loop water pipe connects the boiler to the indirect water heater, feeding heated water to it. Though the boiler-fired water never mixes with the water in the storage tank, it circulates through the coils in the heat exchanger, which in turn heat the water for household use. In essence, the boiler does all the ...
Why is my water heater out of sight?
Most simply take it for gran ted that whenever they turn on the shower or start the dishwasher, the hot water will be ready and waiting. But like it or not, when an existing hot water heater fails, even the most uninvolved homeowners have to shake off their inertia and familiarize themselves with the product landscape.
Is indirect water heating the least expensive?
In fact, according to the Department of Energy, under ideal circumstances indirect water heaters are “the least expensive means of providing hot water” to the point-of-use fixtures you rely on every ...
Do you need a boiler to run in summer?
In the summer, the situation gets a little more complicated, not least because homeowners aren’t accustomed to the boiler operating when the house doesn’t need to be heated. But in a home with an indirect water heater, the boiler still needs to snap into action intermittently to meet the household demand for hot water.
Do water heaters use more energy?
Given that water heaters consum e a lot more energy than most people think— more energy than most other household appliances combined—opting for a high-efficiency solution can go a long way toward improving your bottom line, especially over the long term. Advertisement.
Why is indirect water heating better than conventional water heating?
When using an indirect water heating system, you can save a great deal of energy. Thanks to the system vastly reducing the amount of standby heat that is lost , an indirect heater proves to be far more efficient. This is also seen in the reduced running of the boiler or furnace.
What is the difference between a tankless and indirect water heater?
The clear difference between these two systems is that indirect heaters use a water storage tank, while tankless heaters have no tank at all. This means that indirect units are limited in the amount of hot water that they can produce, while tankless heaters can produce an unlimited supply.
What is indirect heating?
When combined with the fact that there are no heating elements being used in the tank, indirect heating systems can be the most energy-efficient solutions available. Indirect water heaters can be powered by electricity, solar energy, gas, propane, oil, or a combination.
How does a water storage tank work?
Uses a water storage tank without heating elements. The water is heated through a heat transfer coil system. This is connected between the storage tank and a boiler or furnace. The tank stores energy, reducing the number of times that the boiler/furnace turns on. Indirect models can be incredibly energy efficient.
What is the name of the system that heats water?
Instead, they will use the home’s space heating system (a furnace or boiler) to heat the water. Utilizing the space heating system for your water is called an integrated or combination heating system – as the two different units work together.
Is tankless heater better than indirect heater?
In this case, a tankless heater may be better (as you will not require the large storage tank). There is no need to be concerned about using your indirect heater with a boiler in hot climates. If it is too hot for using the boiler, it will still only run when needed – while the indirect system still draws heat from it.
Can you install an indirect water heater in your home?
Choosing the right water heater to install in your home can be difficult as there are so many options available. You may have heard about an indirect water heater and want to know where that fits into the spectrum of available products. In the right conditions, it can be an effective solution for heating water in your home.
Increase efficiency
Using an indirect water heater allows you to save on energy. The system reduces the amount of heat loss substantially, thus making it a more efficient method for water heating in our homes. This can also be witnessed in the reduced running or furnace or broiler.
Reduce flue losses
Another benefit of an indirect water heater is that it reduces flue gas losses. Bear in mind that flue gas losses are the number one cause of heat loss in traditional boilers, thus an indirect water heating system can be a major improvement.
Easy to install
Despite featuring a series of integrated systems, an indirect water heating system is pretty much easy and convenient to set up provide your home has the right conditions to accommodate the systems. Moreover, they also don’t take up too much space in the house.
Affordable compared to the direct heating system
In addition to being more energy-efficient, indirect heating systems don’t require extra fuel lines or venting. Since they don’t have independent costs, they are more cost-effective compared to other forms of water heating. Because they use a heating system that is already there, it means that they can save huge amounts in the long run.
Low maintenance
Once you install it, the indirect water heater is quite easier to maintain. The heating system does not include heating elements or additional burners, meaning that there are very few parts that need your attention. This way, you can easily come up with an effective maintenance solution.
Higher recovery rates
Indirect water heating systems do not compromise the quality of hot water. In fact, these systems can produce more volumes of hot water compared to a traditional tank heater, in higher recovery rates. Going indirect means you can have access to greater volumes of hot water compared to the average conventional hot water tank.
Feasibility
Indirect water heating systems are largely not feasible in old houses that still use furnaces because most of these legacy furnaces could not heat the water exchange pipes.
Why use an indirect water heater?
By setting up a way for the boiler to do double-duty on heating, the indirect water heater system is able to reduce the amount of energy required for keeping water hot. This helps cut bills and also makes your entire layout easier to maintain.
Why are indirect water heaters so popular?
Water bills become cheaper when you have an indirect water heater simply because you’re piggybacking off a furnace or boiler. Indirect water heater models also work with your current source of heat.
How long does an indirect water heater last?
With typical care and maintenance, a standard indirect water heater can last for as long as 20 to 30 years. The most important factor to consider when you’re trying to figure out a potential heater lifespan is the warranty.
How much does an indirect water heater reduce your bills?
According to anecdotal evidence (and a couple of studies), you can expect to see as much as a 20 to 30 percent decrease on your energy bills from month to month. However, individual results can vary greatly, ...
How do I clean a water heater?
To clean a water heater, you will need to flush out the sediment from its lines. This is a fairly simple thing to do, which is good because you need to do it on a semi-regular basis.
What happens if you have hard water?
If you have a hard water problem, you might notice that your heat transfer will suffer from it. This can lead to frequent calls to the repairman, or the need to fix the hard water issue before you get your heater. Worse comes to worst, you may have a sediment problem that prematurely kills your heater.
Is an indirect water heater energy efficient?
Indirect water heaters are highly energy-efficient and can be powered by a wide range of different heating sources. They are simple, require little maintenance, and have a modern design. However, they require larger storage tanks to work and may not be as capable of keeping water hot as other models. There are plenty of reasons why people are now ...