4300 Gallon Plywood Build (3600+ Take 2)
- Thread starter nolapete
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This is amazing! I just read every post from the start of this thread. I can't wait to see this monster finished!
nolapete;3678196; said:
they going to beat every thing else in there you better get a move on lol. Fill the bath tub fill the bath tub. I might be bringing that pacu to you sometime next week...maybe that will hold them off in the 210 until you give it to jack.
No worries really about the bocourti, the giant gourami keeps them in check. He's double their size and bullies them and the turquoise herichthys.
I've been discussing heating on AC, so here's where we are on that:
Original idea was to have a coil of pex inside the tank connected to a pump and tankless hot water heater with a digital thermostat controlling the whole thing. The pex would be a closed loop. Some issues with the supply to the THWH being too hot brought up some other possibilities.
Have an open loop with the THWH being supplied by my regular cold line and the coil emptying into the drain for the washing machine in the laundry room.
or
Use a solenoid valve connected to my existing hot water supply in the laundry room and open it with the digital controller and empty into the drain in laundry room. This seems to be most energy efficient since my hot water heater is natural gas powered.
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alternatively to running the coil in the tank, running it in one of the barrels
Lots to think about. I know Jonathan ran his coil closed and recirculated to his existing hot water heater. Mine is on the opposite side of the house and unfortunately can't be used that way.
Here's a pic of what I originally intended with the coils. I've thought about running them in a grid in the substrate, around the perimeter of the bottom of the tank, and a combination of all. I don't see any real advantage of either, but maybe you guys do or have even better ideas.
Original idea was to have a coil of pex inside the tank connected to a pump and tankless hot water heater with a digital thermostat controlling the whole thing. The pex would be a closed loop. Some issues with the supply to the THWH being too hot brought up some other possibilities.
Have an open loop with the THWH being supplied by my regular cold line and the coil emptying into the drain for the washing machine in the laundry room.
or
Use a solenoid valve connected to my existing hot water supply in the laundry room and open it with the digital controller and empty into the drain in laundry room. This seems to be most energy efficient since my hot water heater is natural gas powered.
----
alternatively to running the coil in the tank, running it in one of the barrels
Lots to think about. I know Jonathan ran his coil closed and recirculated to his existing hot water heater. Mine is on the opposite side of the house and unfortunately can't be used that way.
Here's a pic of what I originally intended with the coils. I've thought about running them in a grid in the substrate, around the perimeter of the bottom of the tank, and a combination of all. I don't see any real advantage of either, but maybe you guys do or have even better ideas.
I think the thwh/closed loop is the best idea.
What if you used a normal (tank) hot water heater as part of your sump? You could control water temperature through flow rate through the tank. Slower the flow the warmer the water.
If you plumbed
sump --> hot water heater --> 'mix tank'
|---------------------------------^
you could have your thermostat operate a solenoid valve to allow more/less water out of the hot water tank to control temperature.
I'm sure there are flaws in that idea, but i thought i'd offer it up if you're looking for possibilities to discuss.
Could you link the AC thread? i'd be interested in reading it.
What if you used a normal (tank) hot water heater as part of your sump? You could control water temperature through flow rate through the tank. Slower the flow the warmer the water.
If you plumbed
sump --> hot water heater --> 'mix tank'
|---------------------------------^
you could have your thermostat operate a solenoid valve to allow more/less water out of the hot water tank to control temperature.
I'm sure there are flaws in that idea, but i thought i'd offer it up if you're looking for possibilities to discuss.
Could you link the AC thread? i'd be interested in reading it.
You could just use the hot water heater 1500W heating element (about $25) controlled by a thermostat, plumbed into your sump.
You could also use the tankless hot water heater in a closed loop, if the feed water gets too warm for the unit it simply switches off. They are generally thermostat controlled to sense when cold water is flowing into them, so this oughtn't be a problem.
Running the hot water through an open loop and down the drain is an enormous waste of energy. Even if your in-tank coil is 100% effective and the water gets discharged down the drain at the same temp of your tank, you will throw thousands of gallons of warm water down the drain per month. Not an ideal setup.
If you are still concerned with the inlet temp of the hot water heater you could put a reservoir in the heating loop, so water gets drawn from the reservoir, into the THWH, through the pex, and back into the reservoir. This also will waste a bunch of energy as your reservoir will shed heat constantly, but it should stabilize the inlet temp of the heater somewhat.
You could also use the tankless hot water heater in a closed loop, if the feed water gets too warm for the unit it simply switches off. They are generally thermostat controlled to sense when cold water is flowing into them, so this oughtn't be a problem.
Running the hot water through an open loop and down the drain is an enormous waste of energy. Even if your in-tank coil is 100% effective and the water gets discharged down the drain at the same temp of your tank, you will throw thousands of gallons of warm water down the drain per month. Not an ideal setup.
If you are still concerned with the inlet temp of the hot water heater you could put a reservoir in the heating loop, so water gets drawn from the reservoir, into the THWH, through the pex, and back into the reservoir. This also will waste a bunch of energy as your reservoir will shed heat constantly, but it should stabilize the inlet temp of the heater somewhat.
cvermeulen;3681116; said:
I'd go with that one. If your sump is large enough to keep the heater submerged that is.
Can't beat the price for those for large scale things. Hook it to a thermostat and I would also consider a thermostat with a low temp warning. I used one on a Bearded dragon setup long ago. It would beep like a computer if it got below 65*
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