For those that have proposed to run a loop above the refrigerator
flue to recover heat to heat their hot water, you'd better try to
think up another way. If you were to run a heat balance around the
amount of heat generated by the propane flame getting your
refrigerator contents down from say, 70 degrees ambient to perhaps 35
in the refrigerator and 20 in the freezer, you'd quickly find out
that there is no way that there would be enough heat to recover to
heat six gallons of water from 70 degrees to perhaps 150 degrees.
Even if you could recover 100% of the waste heat it would be
impossible. It takes many times more propane in a propane water
heater to heat water than it takes to cool a refrigerator.
A better way might be to have a heat exchanger on the exhaust of the
gmc, however, the factory way of having a water hose from the engine
water jacket to the water heater would be very hard to beat.
Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Santa Fe, NM
flue to recover heat to heat their hot water, you'd better try to
think up another way. If you were to run a heat balance around the
amount of heat generated by the propane flame getting your
refrigerator contents down from say, 70 degrees ambient to perhaps 35
in the refrigerator and 20 in the freezer, you'd quickly find out
that there is no way that there would be enough heat to recover to
heat six gallons of water from 70 degrees to perhaps 150 degrees.
Even if you could recover 100% of the waste heat it would be
impossible. It takes many times more propane in a propane water
heater to heat water than it takes to cool a refrigerator.
A better way might be to have a heat exchanger on the exhaust of the
gmc, however, the factory way of having a water hose from the engine
water jacket to the water heater would be very hard to beat.
Emery Stora
77 Kingsley
Santa Fe, NM
