Tankless Heaters for Floor Heat

[Bubbles Galore]

My biggest margin killer in the winter is running my floor heat. I need to come up with a better solution to better control this massive expense.

I have 9 bays that are heated and need to know what types/brands/efficiency ratings/btu ratings that I should be looking at.

Should I try and split them into zones and have one boiler for three different bays?

I am just looking for ideas so that I can get working on this before winter gets here.

 

[pitzerwm]

I used Tankless heaters for my whole wash and yes, it worked on the floor heat and I assume that it is still working.

 

[I.B. Washincars]

Are there no valves in the plumbing so that you could just turn off some bays? I can't imagine ever saving enough money to justify replacing an existing system.

 

[MEP001]

There was a tankless heater that had a 98% efficiency rating - that's the kind of number you'll want to look for if you're going to save money by replacing what you have. Even the old Raypaks are 76%, and a Paloma PH28 series is 78%, so no real savings there just from switching to tankless. The main savings with them is not heating and maintaining a reservoir.

 

[JGinther]

To get high efficiency, you need to have a condensing unit. They are more expensive, but they are cheaper to plumb in if you get the right kind because you can actually vent in PVC. They are just set up to recapture the leftover heat and use it to preheat incoming fluid.

 

[Bubbles Galore]

After doing a little research, it was clear that tankless wasn't necessarily the way to go. As MEP mentioned, the biggest killer is the efficiency rating. It makes sense to go on demand for hot water to the bays so that you don't heat water just for the heck of it. I will have to do some more research.