- Q.In his November 1998
article, "Using Water Heaters for Radiant Heat," Bill
Clinton shows how to heat a home with a gas water
heater. Will an electric water heater work in this type
of system? How about a tankless electric water
heater?
A.Heating contractor Bill
Clinton responds: Yes, an electric water
heater will work fine. Of course, in most parts of
the country, electricity is a relatively expensive
fuel to use for home heating. However, in areas of
the Pacific Northwest where electricity is fairly
cheap, using an electric water heater can make
sense and will make for a very simple reliable
system.
I would, however, stay away from the
instantaneous electric heaters. They operate with
fairly high pressure differentials, which makes
pump selection difficult. You could also have
problems if the electric input were substantially
higher than the load, since this would cause
excessive cycling and perhaps excessive
temperatures. The advantage of a system with a
storage tank is that the tank helps buffer the
system from temperature and pressure extremes.