Electric Hot Water Heater used for Baseboard heat

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Enosez

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My question is this:
Can I use an electric hot water heater to supply hot water for hydronic baseboards.

If I install a 60 gallon elkectric hot water heater with air scoop, expansion tank and taco 007 circulator feeding approximately 35 feet of slant fin baseboard, 1 high output toe kick heater and 25 square feet of radiant floor heat. Will this work?

I know that electric hot water heaters have a low recovery rate but if I use the 60 gallon with the 007 circulator, I should be able to compensate for that.

Another option is to use an aquastat for a higher temperature range, example, off a boiler where I can set the higher temp limit which will radiate the baseboards better.

Plumbing is no concern as the loop is piped with hePEX and copper and I can hard pipe the circulator and air scoop of the heater.

One draw back I see is that the life of the hot water heater will be diminished becasue of the higher temp and from possible sediment buildup becasue of a closed loop.

I need a cheap inexpensive way to heat a cottage.

YES, NO, What do you think?
 

hj

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heater

A closed system does not have more sediment buildup, it has less because you do not continually add new water with new sediment to it. But the recovery rate on an electric heater is fixed, regardless of the size tank, unless you opt for one with 5,500 watt elements which gives about 25% faster recovery. Whether it would be adequate depends on your heat loss calculation.
 

Dubldare

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What you need to look for is the total btu load you are needing, what temperature water that requires (per the amount of radiation you have), and whether or not an electric dhw will supply that.

Guess off the top of my head is no.
 
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