In article , "Bob F" wrote:
Bob F wrote:
Cindy Hamilton wrote:
...and that water in the return line never gets hot? ...or it never
cools off? You're FOS

Well, look at it this way:

The water in the return line is probably close to room temperature.
He only
has to heat it from room temperature to his target temperature. If
he was pulling in cold water from underground, his heater would have
a lot more work to do. Yes, there are losses when he's done using
hot water, but probably not as great as the usage from heating up
all of that
40 F water.

Very good point. I hadn't even thought of that aspect. It probably
doubles the savings I get.

It is nice to see others here that can really think.

I guess we can always add that during the heating season, those losses heat the

house, cutting down furnace usage. Since I don't have A/C, no losses there.


The biggest problem is old heaters that constantly suck air out the
house through the one way exaust. A constant pilot produces constant
flow. Every day, all the time. A closed system is the most efficient.
I don't guess there is one that closes the pipe when there is no flame.

greg