Making outdoor cold water hot...
Making outdoor cold water hot...
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Discussion

AndyC_123

Original Poster:

1,234 posts

170 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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Hi

I'm needing to heat some water... quite a lot of it. probably about 5000 litres, but wouldn't all be needed in 1 go. Effectively I need a hot water tap/hose but in a farm yard that only has normal cold water taps.

Does anyone know of anything that heats water along a hosepipe, or a vessel that relatively quickly heats water up so that the flow out of water (ideally 40-50 degrees) is matched by the cold flow in from a tap? Have single phase electric or gas bottles on hand.

Cheers!

ConnectionError

2,104 posts

85 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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10 seconds with google gives you this:


https://crossrental.co.uk/boiler-hire-uk/?mh_match...

ChocolateFrog

32,207 posts

189 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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Raising 5000 litres of water by 35 degrees is going to fairly expensive.

shtu

3,908 posts

162 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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As you say you don't need to heat it all at once, https://www.plumbnation.co.uk/site/redring-powerst... and a hot water tap?

Bill

55,864 posts

271 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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ChocolateFrog said:
Raising 5000 litres of water by 35 degrees is going to fairly expensive.
Not horrific though, a bit over 200kWh (ignoring losses in the boiler).


biggiles

1,935 posts

241 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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Not quick, but if you need a large volume at once, you can get IBC electric heating "wraps". That will heat up 1000 litres for you.

Not cheap to buy, nor to run, but however you do it, heating 5000 litres of water will not be cheap. If this is for a tiny pool, then look at pool ASHP heaters.

Mike_k

146 posts

110 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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Snow and Rocks

2,878 posts

43 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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Do you actually need 5000 litres or just a running hot hose? A combi boiler should happily run off a couple of big propane tanks and will give a reasonable flow.

Alternatively there are portable propane powered showers available if it's for washing people or animals but yhe one I tried had a pretty modest flow rate. Probably equivalent to a domestic electric shower. Terrible website but gives you an idea.
https://www.showerking.co.uk/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAgribBh...

If it's for washing machinery etc down then a big diesel fired hot pressure washer would be better. They go from something fairly small like the one linked below to huge trailer mounted efforts.

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-harry-2-hot...

Edited by Snow and Rocks on Friday 11th November 18:47

OutInTheShed

11,634 posts

42 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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I was looking at composting for the garden a while back, and looking for a 'compost heater' to kick-start the compost heap lead me into a murky world of extracting heat from compost heaps.

So, how about just running some pipe through a really big pile of poo?

Other than that, heating the amount you need, the moment you need it may be the way forwards, because unless insulation is excellent, heat loos is likely to cost more than heating the water you need?

You'd have to make it clear exactly what you needed, how much, how quickly etc..

A 'wet' eberspacher is an option maybe.

caziques

2,741 posts

184 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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A heat pump will use the least amount of energy, but may not be cost effective.

5000 litres from 10 to 45 is 200 kWhrs.

A 20 kW output heat pump would take ten hours and use about 50 kW.

What is the important bit? flow? temperature? capital cost?

Mikebentley

7,435 posts

156 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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OutInTheShed said:
I was looking at composting for the garden a while back, and looking for a 'compost heater' to kick-start the compost heap lead me into a murky world of extracting heat from compost heaps.

So, how about just running some pipe through a really big pile of poo?

Other than that, heating the amount you need, the moment you need it may be the way forwards, because unless insulation is excellent, heat loos is likely to cost more than heating the water you need?

You'd have to make it clear exactly what you needed, how much, how quickly etc..

A 'wet' eberspacher is an option maybe.
I once left a pile of grass on the lawn after mowing. A few hours later went to scope it up bare handed and it was really hot to the point I was almost burnt.

poo at Paul's

14,458 posts

191 months

Friday 11th November 2022
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You can get gas powered outdooor shower units for things like wild camper vans and tenting in remote places, they just connect to cold water, gas, and all the pumps and heaters are built in so out comes hot water.

All self contained. Google outdoor camping boilers and showers for examples. Some of the enduro lads had them to shower after races!

AndyC_123

Original Poster:

1,234 posts

170 months

Monday 14th November 2022
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Thanks for the responses

I should have been more specific sorry... so we need to dissolve something before we use it, and it dissolves much better in warmer water.

At the moment we fill 5 IBCs, elevate them above a type of mixing vessel/container, and use a paddle mixer to dissolve what we can. We have also just run the hose straight in to the mixing containers in the past too, but out the IBCs is quicker. Finished mixed product takes 500 litres each.

A proper combi boiler hooked up to a propane bottle and a hot water hose coming off it sounds like a nice idea, how difficult would it be to do though?

I stumbled across the outdoor shower type things (which is actually what made me start this thread) but don't think the outflow would be good enough.

We have got a big diesel pressure washer, hadn't thought of that. Using the pressure part of it will make a bit of a mess, wonder if you can use them like a hot water tap.

Drumroll

4,182 posts

136 months

Monday 14th November 2022
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I would have fought the easiest way to do it would be hire a hot water pressure washer.

dhutch

16,615 posts

213 months

Monday 14th November 2022
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You obviously wouldn't need a combi boiler, as you wont have any rads! You just want a gas fired instant water heater.

As said, a hot pressure washer is another option, often diesel fired which might be cheaper than bottle gas. Just remove the jet on the lance and run it out and low pressure. Or try and use the jet aid mixing!

I don't know if you can get diesel fired water heaters for sensible money but a used pressure washer might be cheaper!

essayer

10,212 posts

210 months

Monday 14th November 2022
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Swimming pool/hot tub heaters might suit, but you'll need a pump. Fully electric (the heat pump ones might be too slow/crap in winter)

https://www.1stdirectpools.com/pool-heaters/electr...

Up to 24kW single phase. Stick it on a hot tub when you're not using it

if you want to do it cheap just find an old system boiler someone's chucking out and run it off LPG

S6PNJ

5,633 posts

297 months

Monday 14th November 2022
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AndyC_123 said:
At the moment we fill 5 IBCs, elevate them above a type of mixing vessel/container, and use a paddle mixer to dissolve what we can. We have also just run the hose straight in to the mixing containers in the past too, but out the IBCs is quicker. Finished mixed product takes 500 litres each.

A proper combi boiler hooked up to a propane bottle and a hot water hose coming off it sounds like a nice idea, how difficult would it be to do though?
Our home central heating is via a biomass boiler and thermal store. Our 25Kw biomass boiler will raise 2000 litres of water from about 50 deg C to 80 deg C in about 4 hours - I appreciate you don't need such hot water but to raise water by a similar temp (so 15 to 45) will (as near as dammit) take the same time. If you want 15 to say 30 deg, then you can do 4000 litres in the same time or 2000 litres in half the time etc etc

Does this help with expectations? Oh and it takes about a wheelbarrow of good seasoned hardwood logs to do so.

dhutch

16,615 posts

213 months

Tuesday 11th February
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I presume this got bumped by now removed spam or something?

But while we are here, any update from the OP as to what they ended up doing?