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Old 03-24-2011, 06:47 PM   #1
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Re: idea for heating water

Welcome

That is just a heat exchanger. It will probably work much depends of how much copper tubing, water tank size, etc. If you have stuff to experiment with go for it. Let us know how it works.

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Old 03-25-2011, 08:49 AM   #2
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Re: idea for heating water

Quote:
Originally Posted by fonetek
...Either take a shower after you drive your destination, or just idle the engine to bring things up to temp...
Welcome to the site! That sounds like a great idea. I would also put an electric water heater element in there so if you have hookup at your destination, you can use that rather than running the engine. I think if the engine is running anyway, then by all means use the energy from the heated coolant, but it would not be cost effective to run the engine just for the purpose of heating water. My engine takes about 15-20 minutes just to come up to normal operating temperature. So you would need electric or propane backup. I'm also thinking about passive solar water heating in the warmer weather: just put a 25' black plastic 4" diameter pipe on the roof and fill it with water. That would provide free hot water by the end of the day.
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Old 03-25-2011, 10:20 PM   #3
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Re: idea for heating water

If just showering after arriving at your destination it should work good. I get a little bit of this type of thing from my fresh water tank which is under the driver seat under the floor. It gives me a slightly warm shower after a couple hour drive. Just warm enough where you don't have to hold your breath while going under the water and just cool enough to help me sleep better if I can't turn on the a/c cause of a lack of power to plug into.
(honda won't run roof unit)
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Old 10-02-2011, 06:51 PM   #4
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Re: idea for heating water

That setup is common in boats. My cabin cruiser has a combination electric or engine-heat water heater and it works great.
If you don't want to make your own just check the marine supply places.
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Old 10-03-2011, 12:18 AM   #5
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Re: idea for heating water

ive seen ones like this before mounted in trail rigs etc for when out in the middle of nowhere yet needing hot water.

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Old 10-03-2011, 12:37 PM   #6
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Re: idea for heating water

Just like part of an Aquahot system. Pricey sucker that you can build yourself for half of their price. The website has changed a little but you can download installation manuals, owners manual and parts lists. Back when I got my info, they sent it all to me, including the parts list and I priced it out at Lowes. Since we are DIYers with more sweat then $$ it was a logical thing for us to do. This is not a unique system. Vehicle Systems simply puts it all in a pretty box. The stuff I was sent seems clearer than what is online. I've been thinking of turning my stuff into a PDF and putting it online (somewhere). Also need to do the same with my NFPA 1192/ANSI A119.2 (Standards on Recreational Vehicles 1999 edition) since I keep losing the thing. I did find it again...it's in the bus! They don't change much in the book and it's not all that cheap for what we use it for. So I figure the old edition is just fine.
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Old 10-06-2011, 11:12 AM   #7
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Re: idea for heating water

One must be careful when using engine jacket water to heat potable (drinking) water. If ethelyne glycol gets into the potable system, and if someone were to drink it, it could kill. Years ago, when I researched it, there was a requirement for a double wall seperation, like tubing wound around the outside of the water tank. Propylene glycol is a less toxic antifreeze and could be used. Another way to do it would be to put a heat exchanger between the engine coolant circuit and the heating circuit, and use a less toxic coolant in the heating loop (an idea I like).

What I'm trying to say is be careful, etheylene glycol is poisonous.
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Old 10-07-2011, 12:39 PM   #8
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Re: idea for heating water

I agree with Bender477 & joemonstermaker. The boat heaters are designed to be safe. My comment was directed at the DIY'ers, which I, and probably most here are.

To reiterate: "Ethylene glycol should be avoided if there is a slightest chance of leakage to potable water or food processing systems. Instead solutions based on propylene glycol are commonly used."

From: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/ethyl ... d_146.html
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