My brother-in-law and his wife are planning to retire and build a custom home with as many energy-saving and eco-friendly features as possible. Since they're likely to be stuck with HOA rules about exterior appearance, solar panels on the roof are probably out, but they were wondering about simply running water pipes through the roof space.
Does this have possibilities?
Perce
I am inclined to think that you're pulling our leg, but here is my answer anyway. You did not tell us where the house will be built. If ever winter temp drops below freezing, the copper pipes will bust like you have never seen, sort of like cutting butter with a knife. Get the picture?
With creative use of tees and valves, this doesn't necessarily need to be a problem. Just need to remember to drain down the "attic loop" before the outside temp. gets near freezing.
nate
On Aug 5, 6:39=EF=BF=BDpm, "Percival P. Cassidy" wrot= e:
just like the law preventing HOAs from stopping satellite dishes there should be one allowing solar panels, to help the envirnment........
I wouldnt live in a HOA community because of such issues
No, I am not pulling your leg. This is what they told me they are thinking of. And, yes, I should have said where: "Hotlanta" area.
And also I omitted to repeat in the body of the message the word I used in the subject line: "preheating." They are not thinking they are going to get water hot enough for washing dishes from such a system, but they are hoping to use less gas to heat their water.
Perce
Yes, possiblility it will freeze in winter. Where we talkin' 'bout?
s
Hot water really only costs about $15 a month anyway. So how much do they plan to save. Even if you had 200' of 1/2" pipe up there, you're only talking about preheating 2 gallons of water. Now if you put a properly supported 50 gallon tank up there..........
s
I doubt they'd get much benefit from preheating the water in the pipes. There's just not a lot there. However, it's not uncommon in large buildings to install a "tempering tank" in the boiler room. It's basically a large holding tank that allows water to reach boiler room temperature BEFORE it hits the water heater. That way the water heater only has to raise it from 70-80 degrees to 140.
I have a friend who uses old water heaters (the non-leaking ones) as tempering tanks in all of his rental properties. He removes the insulation and installs them in the boiler rooms. He figures whatever heat they absorb is that much less heat he has to pay for.
I wouldn't recommend his method if they're putting it in an attic--at least not an old tank.
A very creative HVAC tech may be able to use some of the heat from central AC to preheat a tank of water. The attic seems possible, but who can tell? Might be more trouble than it is worth.
I'd never want to live in such an area where Gladys Kravitch can tell me what to do. Abner! Oh, Abner!
00$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe04.iad...
Where my woodstove is a primary source of heat in my home I have the copper line to my HW boiler coiled under the stove before going to the boiler. Been preheating HW boiler water like this for years, and it works.
On Aug 5, 6:39=EF=BF=BDpm, "Percival P. Cassidy" wrot= e:
A newer home should have a well ventilated attic, building codes call for attic no more than 15 degrees warmer than outside air temp.
It might not gain you as much as you believe..........
Our homes attic temperature used to be 140 with outside at 90 till we replaced the roof with a lighter color shingle and added ridge vent.
its now about 110 with outside at 90.
I have a recording thermostat for work I put it up there for a few days out of curosity while on vacation
How about a flat roof built like a shallow swimming pool, say 3 to 6" deep ?? Would that warm up enough ?? Would also catch the rare Atlanta rain every now and then (BTW, catching rain like this is illegal in some states, mostly Western, where "water laws" prohibit such.)
If it is hot out and the water coming into the pipes is cool, wouldn't that cause a lot of condensation on the pipes?
Running copper lines through the attic probably won't add much heat to the water. Plastic pipe won['t transmit the heat as well making it hardly worth the effort. That said, a holding tank may be a good idea. That way a 10 or
20 gallon supply of water can sit in the attic and absorb heat during the day.The best method though, is to build where there is no HOA to boss you around so you can build a good solar system.
If you listen to the caveats from others and use enough pipe, yes, it is certainly possible. Cost effective is something else...
They'd need roughly 100' of 1/2" pipe to hold a gallon of water; however, the pipe need not be in a straight run, it could be in a series of loops like the cooling fins on a radiator.
It would be most effective if there were some sort of recirculating system ...a pump that activates when the resevoir temperature is "x" degrees below ambient attic temperature.
Would it be worth it? Well, 2500 feet of refrigeration style 1/2" copper tubing - enough for 25 gallons - would cost better than $6,000. If there were a recirculating system they'd need a tank and pump but less tubing. Would the cost to run the pump be less than the cost to just heat the water in a tank? No idea but I kinda doubt it.
USE PEX, its cheap!
Cold water pipe in a hot attic. Condensation on the pipe, and dripping water.
forget silly idea. u americans are going to have to get used to no hot water like the rest of us. no driving all over the place. no money. welcome to the planet.
Have they considered placing pipe under a black asphalt driveway. My driveway gets so hot you can't touch it. No one will know it's there so HOA should have no problem. I don't know if it would work under a concrete drive.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.