Using the aquarium to heat the apartment

csb · #1 10/30/2006, 11:22 PM

Alright, strange sounding topic -- and I couldn't quite figure out which forum to post this in, so it may or may not belong here. Either way, I hope some will give intelligent input.

Anyone use their aquariums to help heat the house??? I have a small, but energy efficient condominium which is solar heated during the day. I'd love to NOT pay the gas company for heating at night... and with the colder temps of late, I still haven't yet had to use any traditional heat.

So far, I attribute my warm condo to the aquariums ... I understand that water has good thermal storage characteristics. It makes sense that the tanks are able to keep the aparment at a reasonable temperature... a 16' x 20' space with 3 tanks.

BUT... the cold of mid-winter hasn't yet arrived. I'm now exploring whether or not it's possible to heat the apartment for the entire winter with only the radiant tank heat. (and solar)

I sortof envision something like radiant heating systems which are becoming somewhat more common in concrete slab construction. Radiant heat of this nature is efficient due to the thermal mass and heat storage capabilities of concrete. Supposedly, water has even better thermal storage characteristics than concrete. 78 degree tank water anyone?

My idea...

Perhaps it is possible to build a radiant "space heater" of sorts AND increase aquarium capacity at the same time. One could build a small block of concrete with PEX (?) tubing run through it in the same manner as though it were being poured with a slab. Then, it could be plumbed into the reef tank and a small pump could pump tank water in a loop through the tubing.

The volume of the tubing would act to increase aquarum capacity by a few gallons. The concrete "space heater" block would be nearly a constant 78 degrees, radiantly heating the room.

During the day, the condo is heated by the sun. It's designed that way on purpose, which is kinda cool. Right now, on my 30g tank, I have 3 - 50 watt heaters which aren't even on full time. Even if I were circulating water to heat a concrete block (or decorative statue or some sort of thermal mass in the living area), adding maybe another 100w heater to the system, I'd still only be at 250 watts, which is still half as much energy as I consume by just leaving my PC on 24/7!!

Anyone want to comment on this?? Is my idea maybe too far fetched? Somehow, I thinks it's an entirely plausible idea. Maybe someone has done this already. Maybe it doesn't have to be done like this... anyone get enough radiant heat just from the tanks?? Enough to keep a 16' x 20' room warm? (efficiency apartment, basically) More efficient than using traditional gas heat?? (should be) Heck, even cooking dinner on the stove helps heat this place... won't take much to keep it warm during the cold winter I think.

--csb

schiejr · #2 10/31/2006, 12:40 PM

I doubt you will have enough thermal mass to make a substantial difference, but every little bit helps. The amount of tubing circulating in a slab and its mass is quite large in a built floor heat system.

The other comparison would be cost of the amount of heat produced by gas heat vs electricity. I am no expert but I believe you would compare the BTUs produced. You should have some costs listed on your utility bill.

Traditionally, in my area, gas has been cheaper and more efficient. In addition, for me, there are base charges for the gas service that I pay, whether or not I actually use any gas.

geekreef_05 · #3 10/31/2006, 12:46 PM

sumfin else to consider: modern ceiling fans

Them new fangled fans have hot/cold switches. Just makes the blades turn in an opposite direction. But this effectively means that hot air is blown downward to the ground, which aids in heating. Ive used this in my room (changing hot/cold settings as seasons change) and it works very very well.

Phoric · #4 10/31/2006, 01:01 PM

I don't think this is too far-fetched at all. I refuse to make use of the electric baseboard heaters in my apartment, which are ridiculously expensive to run. I live in the northwest and I have found that running one computer 24/7 can keep my room temperature around 68-70 degrees during the winter. Without it, it will drop considerably, so it's just enough to buffer the temp up to comfortable levels for me. It won't heat the whole house but it effectively heats my room quite efficiently. Since I work in IT I have at least 4-5 computers in my room at any given time, and usually at least one or two of them is always on.

I'm certain that the heat generated by aquarium equipment is the same story. If you test the ambient room temperature with and without a computer or aquarium running you will notice a big difference. It may not be quite the temperature you want to get it to, and you will have to suppliment it with another heating source on really cold days, but if you like to pinch pennies I think you'll find that such equipment is a nice buffer to your heating.

TWallace · #5 10/31/2006, 01:06 PM

I've noticed my 55g tank in my small apartment has severely reduced my need to turn the heat on. It got down to 30 degrees over night the last two nights here and I didn't need to turn the heat on. 30 is about the lowest it gets here in Seattle.

fishysteve · #6 10/31/2006, 01:39 PM

I haven't had to turn my heat on yet this year. I have a four story townhouse and my halides along with a couple warm snake enclosures have been keeping my entire house at about 78. I just turn the circulating fan on with no heat or cool. I'm trying to see if I can make it to December without using the heat.

jjakes24 · #7 10/31/2006, 03:23 PM

I usually always make it until december without turning the heat on in a 3 story townhouse.

thatguy · #8 10/31/2006, 03:50 PM

I know that my MH's and tank keep my apartment very warm. My heater doesn't even come on during the day. I'm sure once it gets below 30f outside it might come on every now and then.

If nothing else, that corner of my apartment is always at least 5 degrees warmer than the rest.

ToTaLCHaoS13 · #9 10/31/2006, 05:04 PM

My 90gal with 2-150 MH keeps my basement much warmer than it used to be down there...

Gudwyn · #10 12/01/2006, 09:32 PM

If you use electric heat, you can reclaim energy by using a dehumidifier rather than an exhaust vent to remove the excess humidity.

Heating via dehumidifier is 2-3x as efficient as heating by electric coils. You are reclaiming all that energy that you dumped into the aquarium to cause evaporation.

I use gas heat and an HRV to dump all the humidity outside.

Before buying the HRV, I spent some time trying to figure out the relative costs. In the end, installing a big commercial dehumidifer and reclaiming the heat would be similar in operational cost to just venting it with an HRV and running the furnace a little more. And the HRV works year round - including during the summer when you really don't want a commercial dehumidifier blowing hot air thru your ductwork.