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[MyLeakyWoodDoctor]

I have thrown together a straight tube heat syphon for my domestic hot water tank!

This syphon consists of a 4' 1.5" black iron pipe with a 3/4" copper pipe (tube) going straight up the center of it.  At each end of my black iron pipe I have a 1.5 " female threaded  black iron "T" reducing down at the top using a 1.5" male threaded to 1" female threaded black iron sleeve, then a copper 1" male threaded to 1" female soldered, then a copper 1" female to 3/4" female soldered onto my 3/4" copper tube.

Coming off at 90 degrees on each of these 1.5 " female threaded black iron "T" (top and bottom) I am reducing down using a 1.5" male threaded to 3/4" female threaded black iron sleeve and then a brass 3/4" threaded male to 3/4" compression fitting for the Kitec pipe from my Wood Doctor.

This setup heats my domestic hot water very quickly, but I found that the finishing touch was a mixing valve installed at the top to prevent cold water from the bottom of my tank from surging up threw the syphon and cooling the hot water leaving the top of my tanks every time I opened a hot-water tap!

I installed my mixing valve with the hot side capped and the cold side delivering hot water!  Now, when cold water rushes up my syphon, the valve shuts down allowing 100% hot water to be delivered when called for!

No advise was provided by the Wood Doctor Dealer on any of this!

********Hey Somebody tell me how to put a picture of my syphon here********

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[MarkP]

I had considered making my own side arm heater, but was under the impression that it had to be made entirely of copper.  I do have plenty of 1 1/2" brass tubing I had thought of using for the outside tube, and use copper for the inside.   The brass is very similiar in size to copper tubing, which means I can buy copper "T"s to put it together with and it can be soldered easily.  Thanks for the info!!

[MyLeakyWoodDoctor]

I will put up another picture showing how I piped the bottom end of my straight tube domestic Hot water syphon so that I could just open a valve to feed water directly into my outside wood furnace thereby topping it up when it starts running low on water, which is very often of late I'm afraid!!! 

[MyLeakyWoodDoctor]

OK,

Here's a pic of the bottom of the syphon where you can see that the 3/4" iron to the syphon and the 3/4" copper to the bottom of my hot water tank are separated by one 3/4" brass ball valve.

When I open this valve, water comes out the bottom of my Hot Water tank and straight into the boiler feed lines to the outside jacket of the syphon.

So, I just have to open the valve for about a minute, to top up my boiler which could be anywhere on my property, from the nice warm comfort of my basement!   

The 3/4" iron line has a screen clean out in-line and the 3/4" copper line has a one-way valve in-line to prevent boiler water from moving backwards into my domestic hot water tank! 

The orange Kytec line you see is where my Wood Doctor boiler water normally feeds in to the bottom of the syphon!

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[MarkP]

Hi Leaky,,,

If you had plumbed the top of the 3/4" into the pop off valve fitting, instead of the hot water line, would that have eliminated the chance of the cold water surging up and mixing with the hot water??  Maybe put a "T" where the popoff valve is, so you can still use it??

As for filling your stove from the bottom of the tank, that sure beats draggin' the hose out like I do.

Mark

[MyLeakyWoodDoctor]

I don't understand? 

It is working the way I have it now. 

When cold surges up my inner 3/4 tube it hits the valve and the valve shuts down preventing the cold water from going through and over to the top of my hot water tank and mixing with the hot water leaving the top of the tank. 

So all is well the way I have it. 

I'm gonne put another post up showing how I piped the back of my Wood Doctor so that I could insert a standard size hot water tank anode!

Watch for it!

Leaky