Outdoor Wood Furnace Info

All-Purpose OWF Discussions => General Outdoor Furnace Discussion => Topic started by: MeigsMom on October 02, 2011, 07:17:09 AM

Title: Water "just warm"
Post by: MeigsMom on October 02, 2011, 07:17:09 AM

Fired for first time this season yesterday. Everything seemed fine. Shut off power to electric water heater we use in summer. This morning, plenty of heat to registers, but at sinks and shower the water is just a little better than warm. Any suggestions?

Title: Re: Water "just warm"
Post by: Ridgekid on October 02, 2011, 07:20:17 AM

Welcome!

What kind of DHWX did you install? Sidearm or plate?

Title: Re: Water "just warm"
Post by: MeigsMom on October 02, 2011, 07:36:07 AM

We have the smaller Woodmaster stove.

Title: Re: Water "just warm"
Post by: Ridgekid on October 02, 2011, 07:39:36 AM

I understand your heating your home with a Woodmaster. Depending on your heating system, you will have a heat exchanger for handling your home heat, but you need an additional HX to heat your hot water. Do you know if one was installed? Do you know what kind it is? (Sidearm or plate?)

Title: Re: Water "just warm"
Post by: mikenc on October 02, 2011, 08:23:57 PM

Depending on how you piped hx. If you piped hx to water inlet of hot water heater you will probably not be able to turn power off to hot water heater, unless you have a pump to circulate water through hx to water heater.If you are not using hot water you are not heating water in tank unless you are getting gravity transfere. Piping hx to water outlet gives hotwater to house but does not heat tank. this way water temps to house will be very hot unless you use tempering valve.I have seen it done both ways. 

This provided you do have domestic water HX installed.

Title: Re: Water "just warm"
Post by: yoderheating on October 02, 2011, 08:29:54 PM

If you installed a properly sized flat plate inline before the hot water heater you still wouldn't have a problem. Water isn't going to cool down that much over night. I have used mine that way for many years and never have had it cool down in just one day.  I also install approximately 50 furnaces a year without any issues. Sounds like it may have been installed wrong or its been several days since hot water was used. 
 

Title: Re: Water "just warm"
Post by: RSI on October 02, 2011, 09:22:07 PM

Maybe it is a side arm that is air locked?

Title: Re: Water "just warm"
Post by: dumbodog00 on October 14, 2011, 06:56:08 PM

I don't have any of that fancy sidearm/plate stuff.  I have a line coming from the coil in to stove to the cold line of the water heater.  There is a shut off valve above the line that comes in.  I shut it off.  If we don't use much water, the hot water gets cooler.  It just dumps hot water in the water heater when we draw hot water.
It takes a little while to cool down, but that may vary depending on the water heater.