Tankless water heater for off-grid solar thermal backup [RE-wrenches]

[Ian Woofenden, Home Power]

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Wrenches,

Pardon me for presenting a personal dilemma, but I think this might 
be of general interest too.

I'm looking for a tankless water heater that is:
Propane fired
Takes no AC
Has no pilot
Accepts preheated water from solar hot water panels or woodstove loop

So far, I can't find all of these attributes in one unit.

All Takagis handle preheated water, but all take AC for ignition.

Aquastar's HX model has a (neat) hydro turbine to provide ignition, 
but does not handle pre-heated water.

Aquastar's SB handles preheated water, but has a pilot.

Infinion makes a model that uses two D-cells for ignition, but it 
does not handle preheated water.

I've just had a fascinating conversation with the importer of the 
Infinion units who proposed a work-around. He has used a mixing valve 
backwards on the input, with an additional T between the flow sensor 
and the burner of their units to handle preheated water in hydronic 
floor systems. I may try this, and will let you know how it works.

I welcome any new information or ideas.

Ian



-- 

Ian Woofenden <ian.woofenden at homepower.com>
Senior Editor, Home Power magazine, The Hands-On Journal Of Home-Made Power
My use of words is just some antics.

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