Ok guys, pick this one apart..... I have a wood stove in my
basement. I just replaced my old 52 gal electric hot water tank with
a new 40 gal model. I am planning to use my old stripped down tank as
a tempering tank ahead of my new heater and place it as close to my
wood stove as possible (about 6 inches or so away). I plan to remove
the upper and lower elements on the old tank and replace them with a
1" copper line from the top element threaded opening to the bottom
threaded opening and extend the copper line over my wood stove so that
it will pick up heat from the stove / flue pipe. I am thinking cool
water from the bottom will naturally be drawn up the copper line as it
is being heated by the wood stove and will circulate back to the top
and will constantly be looping around to warm the water inside the
tempering tank. I am thinking that possibly overnight, the water in
the tank will eventually warm up to around 100 degrees F. And the new
electric heater will only need to heat that water up to 120 degrees
F. There are only two people in the house and no automatic
dishwasher, warm water usage for the wash cycle only of the clothes
washer @ 2 loads per week, and maybe two short showers per day. Do
you think this is a feasable plan? I am not any kind of engineer, but
just a practical tinkerer trying to save a few bucks on my electrical
bill......... Thanks for any comments on this!
Steve