Im heating 1200sq ft with an electric hot water tank

Hey everyone

So,
heres my newest invention! I was scared doing this, because I researched and researched and couldnt find anyone who has done the same..
So.. Heres what I have now!
Ill be doing some investigation on how much its costing me, but.. the main thing is, its working!

So check out here, my video on my setup!
How Im heating with an electric hot water tank

Thanks so much for watching!
I hope this encourages anyone else on a tight budget to try this method!

Not able to watch the video right now, but am wondering what the rest of your system is? I am heating a 1000 sq.ft basement with a propane water heater and pex through the concrete floor.

Im living in a cottage with 2 hot water tanks, because the house used to have 2 hydro meters, and was split in two...so.
I have a hot water tank, a small recirc pump on the hot outlet, all pex.. then that is pumping into an AC rad which you can see in the video, and a commercial fan blowing behind it.
that simple lol
and its doing very well considering the house doesnt have much insulation! Its extremely DIY, and I made the video in its temperary state, but Im thinking of ways to turn it into a more permanent situation.

I shut off the fan every 2 hours or so and let the water heat up again. I would love to have it automated, but Id need something that would turn ON the fan when the water is hot.. most thermostats turn on when its cold.. so

When it gets cool, i shut it off for a bit and turn it back on!

You need an expansion tank. I bet part of the reason you are getting leaking when it gets too warm is because it builds pressure. The safety valve should pop before it gets dangerous, but that will cause you to lose water out of the system.

You can get an aquastat that will turn on at rising temp. Usually used to run circulator pumps. They run $70 and up in the US.

Otherwise, it will work. I know several people that run in-floor radiant from simple water heaters.

Maybe you could rig the thermostat to respond to room temperature instead of water temperature?

Jeff
I worry for you . I worry that your electric company is going to love you forever because your bill will be huge !
Forget all the stuff from the electric companys about saving electricity those folks want you to use as much as possible because thats how they make money .
May I suggest do a couple of readings from your metre and work out roughly how much this is costing you a day to run .
David

It's creative, effective, and done with off the shelf parts.
Since the current energy source is grid power, I fear the cost of operation may be extreme. In the video you mention 6 kilowatts/hour. I pay around 12¢/kw. This would run me 72¢/hour. Running it continuously would be $17/day, $500/month. Not sure if the 6kw figure includes the water pump and fan.

If the water can be heated by alternative means, say, wood or solar, the cost can be reduced. This takes an investment in equipment, but it can be done.
Good Luck with this.