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Triple master contractor Ed Del Grande
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By Ed Del Grande
Q: Hi, Ed. I like the advice you give to contractors as well as homeowners! I'm a building contractor, and I'm always looking to build energy efficient homes. I've heard that you can heat a house with the home's water heater; is this true? My plumber has not heard of this and says it's not a good idea. If it can be done, that sounds like a great way to save energy by having a water heater doing both jobs! Have you heard of this? P.S. My plumber and I have a bet; he said if it can be done, he'll buy the coffee for a week! John (Alaska)
A: Wow, John, this does not happen often, but taking into consideration that you live in Alaska, I'm going to have to call this bet a draw! First, yes you can use a water heater to provide heat to a home when the proper equipment is installed on the water heater by a licensed heating technician. But keep in mind that water heaters are designed and sized to heat the water in the tank only and usually don't have extra power or BTUs left over for additional heating purposes. However, in warmer climates many contractors have found that because of the low heat load required, they can get the water heater to do double duty and heat the domestic water and the home on those occasional chilly nights.
This gets us back to you living in a very cold climate. I can see why your plumber has never heard of this type of heating system; it may not be practical for your area. Water-heater systems adapted for home heating will circulate the warm water in the tank through a heating coil or radiant loop to provide some heat for the home as well as the domestic hot water. Remember, though, a water heater is a tank of warm water, not very hot water like a boiler would contain. That will limit the space it can heat.
Everything in heating gets down to a heat-load calculation. If the numbers say the BTU power of the equipment you want to use will carry the load in your area, you can try it. But I think I'll trust your plumber on this one and stick with the water heater to take care of just the domestic hot water and the boiler to run the forced hot water heat. Ed's words of wisdom: Don't make a heating blunder when you live in the frozen tundra!
Ed Del Grande was born and raised in a family-owned plumbing business. With more than 25 years of experience in every aspect of construction, he holds current Master licenses in pipefitting, fire protection and plumbing. If you have a question for Ed, send him an e-mail at eddelgrande@hgtvpro.com.
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