Geyting Hot Water From Your Attic

If you can see the ceiling rafters you need more insulation.

Geyting hot water from your attic. Having a properly vented attic is the best way to keep attic cool because it allows the hot air to escape during the summer. Your attic can easily reach temperatures of 120 140 degrees which is optimum for keeping the water in your tank sufficiently hot without using any energy. A good way to gage if more insulation is necessary is to look in your attic for ceiling rafters. If hot air is allowed to sit in your attic it could overheat the shingles on your roof and cause damage.

A thick insulation between 14 to 18 inches will help reduce heat from entering your home. The hot water in the cold water pipe is due to the hot attic. There is an electric pump next to the water heater that moves the hot water through the pipes delivering hot water quickly to most any faucet. Unless your roofing system has insulation on the roofing deck and is designed without ventilation your furnace should not be heating your attic.

Install electric ventilators and attic fans which remove hot air from an attic. In addition hot air in your attic could increase moisture levels which could result in wood rot and mold growth. If you want the heat out of your attic a reflective roof or radiant barrier are better ways to get there. You d be better off insulating and air sealing your ceiling.

I was wondering if i could heat the water in my swimming pool using the heat in the house s attic and i started messing about with a large s heatsink s thermal battery. Within the attic insulation is a must. Alternatively install passive vents such as gable soffit and ridge vents which are openings in the roof that allow hot air to escape. Poor insulation is usually the culprit although if you enter the attic on sunny winter day your attic space can be warmed by the sun more than your furnace.

Now a secondary line of reasoning for placing a water heater in the attic is the high temperatures that occur in an attic particularly during the summer months. The water for my hotwater heater has to pass through it and pick. You won t ever pay an energy bill for that unlike you do with your pav.