Wood Stove Water Heater

Ben, please consider that if you happen to have water in that apparatus over about 130 degrees. and that hose blows, there's a pretty good chance of scalding. If, somehow, it goes over 212 (or the local boiling point) well, you get the idea.

 

Mine has 3 over temp valves , expansion tank on a well. Been fine for 60 years .
On temp out line tee in a 3/4 pipe over temp valve , your good to go. .

Sloth

 

The water heater tank usually runs 105-110F, I have occasionally seen it jump up to 120F when it was really cold outside and I had the stove blazing. I am going to put an expansion tank on the entire system to absorb the pressure. The rubber hose I mentioned isolates the vibrations from the circulation pump, I noticed it leaking around the hose clamp when the pressure rises and decided just to leave it until I get the expansion tank. The pressure relief valve and the circulation pump are in the utility room so if anything 'blows' the odds of it hurting anyone are slim.

 

I was contemplating something using a bimetal spring as used on the exhaust system of a automobile engine exhaust system.
The idea being that the stoves exhaust used for making the heat has a Y or T or both diverted to the water tank so that the heat can be diverted using the bimetal spring on the pipe damper to regulate the temperature.

 

We hooked up a water heater next to our wood stove, after removing the insulation and checking the safety valve. It stores 40 gallons of water and lets it get up to room temperature before entering our tiny water heater. I'd like to find a couple of more free water heaters to hook up in a series, but I'd rather do that in the winter when I am not so busy.

 

Just set it on top of the stove.

 

My husband and I have talked about it, but we have dozens of other projects that take priority. For example, right now I should be outside working on the wood shed...

 

I need a thermostat in the waterline similar to a car thermostat that only opens when the water is hot, any ideas?

If the stove is cool it thermo siphons all the hot water out of the tank and cools it off.

 

Put a flapper valve so that gravity holds it closed, might be enough to stop thermo siphoning.

 

On a smaller (and cheaper) scale just sit a couple of 5 gal. metal Jerry cans full of water next to the stove. Make sure that they are touching the stove and that the caps are removed. When the water gets hot, remove them with a pair of leather gloves and enjoy. No fuss! No skills needed! No expense! No danger of explosion!

 

Three above ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ NOPE , DO NOT DO THAT ,
Its called a mixing valves..

Never restrict the flow or movement , have a squeeze tank and many over temp / pressure relief valves (like hot water heaters have) on all hot top and out spots . My out hot from the stove is the one I replace every year cuz it can turn into old Geyser , on those cold nights and we do dishes , washing ,, OR Have sex and a shower ( Ya in MY DREAMS ) !!!

Sloth

 

It works well 99% of the time but every once in a while I will wake up to a cold stove and cold water.

 

I've got two little kids in school and my wife and I work in town....I think I would have an insurrection on my hands.

 

Or someone gets burnt..

 

It might be worth the experiment to find a marble top someone has cast off and create a heat reservoir.
There are some stoves the actually are encased in stone for this reason.
However, if the water tank had this encasement with added shielding around it, the water temperatures might last a bit longer through the night.
Thermal -syphoning has it's advantages and in practical terms if you are running the stove longer than the time it take to use the water at the temperature you are satisfied with, then having a significantly larger secondary resevoir is to your advantage .
If the secondary is the receiver preheating the water before the primary reservoir the primary can heat pre heated water faster .
It makes good sense to have safety valves in the system no matter how simply you design it
Handling open containers of hot water is no fun if you spill it on your self. been there done that.
Plumbing is always the better way.

 

This is mostly a SHTF set-up, might even be good after an ice-storm. This would make just enough hot-water to clean the high-spots (hair, face, pits, privates, and feet). The military used to teach soldiers how to bathe in the field with just a helmet full of water.

 

The woodstove in my barn is surrounded on three sides and underneath by hollow concrete blocks filled with sand. The woodstove heats the barn and the heat-sink, which continues to radiate heat long after the fire is out for the night.

 

If any monkeys are around Yancey county, North Carolina, and you're looking to heat water with wood, PM me: I just removed a wood-fired hot-water boiler that was used as backup for my oil-fired hot-water furnace. It's intended to heat water that circulates through baseboard radiators, but you could also use it to either feed a heat exchanger for bathing water, or for the water in a hot tub.

William Warren

 

How big is this unit . I may be interested in this . If you have some pics might be helpful as well . You can PM me as well . I'm in the Lincoln county area . What would it take to load and unload this unit . Approximate weight ???