Tankless For Baseboard

LNG24

Posted this in HVAC but got no answers, here is the post http://www.contractortalk.com/f6/tankless-baseboard-34408/

I want to know if anyone has done this. Use a Tankless Water Heater to heat baseboard

JamesNLA

Any tankless unit will work. You are not changing any of the delivery methods of the water, just the manor in which the water is heated.

You don't need to get a high capicity unit for your needs but the higer the capacity the faster the home will heat up. It needs to be sized correctly and installed by someone with experience and the ability to read an installation manual.

This one is the little guy, but you can go all the way up to the tankless boiler:
http://noritz.com/homeowners/products/view/0531_series/

"Hydronic Heating Applications
The NH series provides quiet and constant room temperature comfort in the home for various heating choices, such as panel radiators, baseboard flooring and radiant flooring. The most important benefit of hydronic heating is allergens or dust will not be re-circulated in the home, which happens when using forced air furnaces. Noritz tankless hydronic boilers warm objects in a room, providing a higher level of warmth and comfort.

Features include: State-of-the-Art Heating Controls, Dual Temperature Controls, Fully Modulating Controls, and a Self-Diagnostic System"

__________________
"....And then we all switch places when I ring the bell"
-Adrock

roullette

yea you can use a tankless but your gonna have to get a pump and a of controls and a T-stat to make it call.. as for wiring should be pretty simple

LNG24

Thanks for all the answers. In talking to a number of manufacturers I have learned that the biggest issue with doing this is the return temperature. They don't like hot water coming into the units. Some now do or at least have a much smaller range. 10 degrees and less. I now have to calculate the BTU loss by the number of feet of baseboard to estimate the return temp.

Here is a another question. On a traditional gas or oil burner. What is the outlet water temp for the baseboard. I know we can regulate the temp for the domestic hot water, but most of these On Demand units only put out 125 degree water. Great for a shower, but not sure how efficient it would be for the baseboards.

Anyone want to chime in on Gas (LP) vs Electric On Demand? I only have a 100 lb bottle of gas on site.

skymaster

Normally you want 180 from the boiler going OUT to the bboard

LNG24

Thanks Sky,

Thats what I thought, thus the reason for the mixing valve. I am waiting on a phone call from one company that claims they can do it with a single unit.

In the mean time, let me ask this:
Can I tie in a traditional Electric Hot Water Heater to the baseboard system? Or in other words, can I get 180 degree water from a traditional 40 gallon electric water heater?

I might go this route for the baseboard and use the Instant for domestic and then just turn the 40 gallon WH on when I need it and keep it off the other times. (I heat my house primarily with the Wood Stove. Only need baseboard for when I am away for a few days)

thom

Did it in my own house back in 1984 and it still works fine. I added solar. There are 6 panels, 2' X 24' that heat a 6" thick insulated slab. System turns on and off automatically based on collector temp, auto drain down when off.

The tankless unit is a backup system that works through the same heaters.

First floor is radiant in slab, second floor is baseboards.

skidmeister

I have done the electric water heater/radiant floor heating bit a few times. A 40 or 50 gallon heater will work, the biggest problem I found was recovery time with the electric. A solution is to run 2 different 240 volt feeds to the heater and seperate the bottom element from the top one. This energizes both elements at the same time thus cutting your recovery time in half.

anvil1029

commercial electric, 180 output with the twist of a dial.