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[gandgracing]

I installed this on the cold side of the water heater and was gonna just leave the pilot on incase the boiler would cool off sometime and I wouldn't have the wife throwing a fit.  I also thought I would have a problem with the water being to hot.  Well the water doesn't seem that hot and really not that different than before.  And after I take a shower the burner is fired up on the water heater.  Not sure whats the problem.  I couldn't imagine if I turned the pilot off.  The boiler comes in on the bottom left and out the top above it.  The house water comes in from the bottom as well and into the water heater on the cold side.

[RSI]

Is that a 4x12 inch 10 plate? What is the model of the pump you are running and how many feet of pex to you have total?

[gandgracing]

I got the exchanger from a friend who decided to not use it. I looked it up and it's a WP 22 Series, 3.5x12, 10 plate with 1" ports. I measured about 230' of pex round trip using an Armstrong Astro 30 pump.

[kj5036]

The flows must be opposite of one another. Boiler in bottom and cold goin in top or vice versa

[bajonesy77]

If I read it right you need to have the flow thru the exchanger going in opposite directions.boiler in on bottom out the top the cold water should come in the top and out the bottom.

[Airgap]

If you don't have a recirc. line, you won't be storing any hot water in the tank, the way you have it piped. Also, like the other guys said it looks like the exc. is piped incorrectly too.

[muffin]

I installed this on the cold side of the water heater and was gonna just leave the pilot on incase the boiler would cool off sometime and I wouldn't have the wife throwing a fit.  I also thought I would have a problem with the water being to hot.  Well the water doesn't seem that hot and really not that different than before.  And after I take a shower the burner is fired up on the water heater.  Not sure whats the problem.  I couldn't imagine if I turned the pilot off.  The boiler comes in on the bottom left and out the top above it.  The house water comes in from the bottom as well and into the water heater on the cold side.

Simply check, is the water good and hot going into the tank when you run the hot water?  You do need to swap the flow though as stated above.  it still should work though, just not efficiently.

[Airgap]

If there is no hot water being used, the water in the tank will cool. Then you have to push the water heated from the exc. thru the dip tube and thru the cooled water in the tank. If there is no recirculation keeping the water in the tank hot, you may as well put the exchanger above the hot outlet, and use it as an instantaneous heater....

[RSI]

Turn on a hot faucet (preferably bathtub or other high flow place) and then go feel the pipes.

My guess is the pipe coming out of the tank will be much hotter that the one going in. Also the boiler line out of the plate will probably be about the same temperature as the pipe feeding in to the water heater tank.

If it is doing what I said above you have 3 options to make it work right.

Easiest is to just replace it with a 5x12 20 or 30 plate
next easiest is to get a much larger pump.
another  but probably not the best option would be to put in on a secondary loop and add another pump that only pumps through the plate.

[yoderheating]

 RSI is correct, the heat exchanger is too small for what you are trying to do. Ive used 20 and 30 plates and the 30's are the best by far.

[Scott7m]

I use 20 plates with 1" ports.  Never once had an issue, no idea why you tried to plumb it that way. 

It might be best if they flow opposite but def not a must. 

Yoder dont you use 3/4" 30 plates tho?

[gandgracing]

The reason I plumbed it that way was cause it was labeled already by someone. I figured my buddy had got it from a dealer and they labeled it to what pipe went where. I know I've seen people put it on the cold water side of the water heater( on this site ).

[Scott7m]

I heated my water one whole winter with a 10, I never worry about which way the water is flowing.

I wanted to switch to a 20, it was a little hotter, but not a huge difference I could tell

[gandgracing]

Which side of the water heater was it on, hot or cold?

[RSI]

I heated my water one whole winter with a 10, I never worry about which way the water is flowing.

I wanted to switch to a 20, it was a little hotter, but not a huge difference I could tell

How many feet of pex on the boiler side and what pump were you running?
It you have a pump that can do 30 or 40' of head you can get by with a 10 plate