Hello, I was looking at my fireplace, thinking, how I heat my water with 100l electric water heater and an idea came to my mind: we could put some copper pipe ("coil") on the flue pipe and connect it to water heater. The main problem is that I live in a flat and there would be too much pipe to lay, break walls, etc and also water heater has no separate connection for heating. My flat layout is like this: there is bathroom with el.water heater and cold water mains, then there is sleeping room next to it and next to sleeping room is kitchen, pipes are laid somewhere in the floor and come under the sink, next to kitchen is living room with fireplace. So here is a simplier idea: 4m from fireplace there is a kitchen sink. We connect the coil to hot and cold water pipes under the sink, replace one one way valve before the heater (it is further in the bathroom) from directly under heater to the place before pipe splits between heater and plumbing (so that the water wont run back from heater to mains but can go over cold water line from heater), we put another one way valve before the cold part of the coil (so that the hot water wont run into cold one). Also we may need some small circulation pump to slowly circulate water. So, when the pump is on and fireplace is burning, cold water would be sucked from water heater via cold water pipe (that goes from bathroom to kitchen sink), brought into the coil via the pipe from cold water connection under the sink, heated there and return back to the water heater via hot water pipe (coil's hot part connecting to it under the sink). What do you think?
-- dreamtechnics, Jan 02 2017

DEFRA list of not-exactly coal products https://smokecontro...php?country=england
[not_morrison_rm, Jan 02 2017]

Ondol https://permies.com...be/korean-ondol.jpg
[not_morrison_rm, Jan 03 2017]

Scheme https://drive.googl...3c/view?usp=sharing
Scheme of the idea [dreamtechnics, Jan 03 2017]

Wetbacks https://www.google....Ov9YSB0_WI8#imgrc=_
Various diagrams of wet-back plumbing (I'm not enough of a plumber to pick just one decent image...) [neutrinos_shadow, Jan 03 2017]

Totally baked and widely known to exist in the UK and Ireland. I grew up with a domestic coal fire that heated all of our water via what was called a back boiler. Many houses still have them, though no one burns coal anymore as it's illegal on account of anti-pollution laws.
-- xenzag, Jan 02 2017


Welcome back [dt]. We were wondering where you'd got to, and we hope you have a good explanation.

I can't comment on the plumbing, but you seem to be decribing a back-boiler.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 02 2017


Also many woodfired stoves (Aga, etc) come with optional backboilers to heat your water while you're cooking meals/heating the kitchen..
-- Custardguts, Jan 02 2017


//though no one burns coal anymore as it's illegal on account of anti-pollution laws.

It is? After a quick peek, you're right, but there are loads of not-exactly coal but coke or something else on the market. See list.
-- not_morrison_rm, Jan 02 2017


It depends on the locality - almost all smoke control zones are in urban areas, typically inhabited by less prosperous citizens, and therefore unimportant.

Should such a zone interfere with the enjoyment of a blazing open fire in a Baronial hall, the usual recourse is to buy some local councillors (they're surprisingly cheap) and get the zone changed.
-- 8th of 7, Jan 02 2017


The main point is not the coil on the fluestack, but rather the connection directly to hot and cold water pipes so circulation would exist between the coil and electric 100liter water heater, eliminating the need of separate heating circuit. I wanted you to criticise this.
-- dreamtechnics, Jan 03 2017


Sorry, out of crit, you just can't get the wood.
-- not_morrison_rm, Jan 03 2017


// I wanted you to criticise this. //

There's nothing wrong with the idea at all, which is why it and variations on it have been widely used in practice for over 150 years.
-- 8th of 7, Jan 03 2017


Hmm, just for a change try the Korean ondol system, one boiler, and pipes built into the floor. Link etc
-- not_morrison_rm, Jan 03 2017


It's fish bone time for this - reason - totally baked and widely used by many millions of people. [-]
-- xenzag, Jan 03 2017


I dunno, [xen]. I didn't understand the plumbing enough to know it's baked.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 03 2017


//I wanted you to criticise this.// Ah, well you've come to the right place. Let's start the ball rolling: paragraph breaks.

Always wanted to have a fireplace with a built in water feature. The water is heated up inside the walls of the fireplace, flows out through the floor in the cracks between irregular slate tiles - channels that are deep and thin enough that you don't get your socks wet unless you're really trying - into a gutter along the walls. Thence back to the fireplace to be pumped through again. Make the screen a water curtain and there's a certain amount of fire protection from sparks and cinders, as well.
-- FlyingToaster, Jan 03 2017


I added a link to the scheme. I drew it in my tablet so sorry its not artwork:)
-- dreamtechnics, Jan 03 2017


In your scheme, if the system is left running for a long time, surely all the water gets hot (ie, you will have hot water coming out of your cold tap)?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jan 03 2017


I'm pretty sure the diagram doesn't give the idea justice. You've got (potentially) hot water circulating in the cold water line ?
-- FlyingToaster, Jan 04 2017


^It's a win-win, you never scald yourself on hot water.
-- not_morrison_rm, Jan 04 2017



random, halfbakery